Howdy all and welcome to the August Tandem Talk. Here’s a wrap up of what’s been happening over the last few months.
Recent Rides
Thank you to Roland for doing such a great job co-ordinating the rides in my absence.
Rec Rides
There have been three Rec Rides since the May newsletter.
On our May Mothers’ Day Ride 7 tandems and 3 bikes cycled from VisAbility to Kent St Weir via the Swan and Canning River, returning via Curtin University.
June’s ride was cancelled due to thunderstorms but the second weekend in July turned out to be one of the few sunny days this winter. Once again 7 tandems and 3 singles headed out from VisAbility to explore a new route through Manning, and to discover a new coffee stop. This was a truly enjoyable ride, and one we will do again soon.
Last Sunday a record 8 tandems and 3 bikes rode the Perth foreshore, crossing the new Matagarup Bridge twice. This turned into a rather hectic ride, as the PSP on the city side of the river was closed for the Targa Car Rally and the paths around South Perth and Burswood were crowded with people. Next time we cross Matagarup bridge it will be outside of footy season, and we will head away from the city.
Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 9th September, with our destination being a coffee shop with braille menus. Check your email or Facebook for details.
Club Rides
There have been four Club Rides since the last Tandem Talk, with both July rides cancelled due to bad weather.
While the route for these rides has remained the same (and will most likely be the same again this Sunday) there has been some drama with bike mechanicals, community dog walks and, unfortunately, cars broken into. But it will take more than that to stop us.
The next Club Ride will be on Sunday, 19th August., 8:00 for a 8:30am start from Rayment Reserve, Lathlain.
2019 LifeCycle On-Road
Registration is now open for the 2019 LifeCycle for CanTeen On-Road ride. Next year will be the 20th time this event has been run, with cyclists riding from Bassendean to Busselton over 3 days to raise money for CanTeen.
If you are interested in joining others from WATCAC in this event, please talk to a committee member so that we can organise bikes and pilots. Training will start soon.
Clinic
The clinic. held on Sunday 29th July at George Burnett Park, was well attended with several new volunteers coming along, complete with their own tandems, and some VI members returning for refresher training.
Thank you to all who came along to help, especially to Connie, Sue, Jo and Paul, who ended up helping a lady who broke her ankle in the skate park, calling an ambulance and comforting her until it arrived.
We look forward to having our newly skilled pilots and stokers along on a ride or two soon.
Fundraising
Can you sell chocolates to your work colleagues? If so, please contact a committee member, or talk to Adriana if you want to know how it’s done.
Stay tuned for information about a pancake day coming up later this year. What’s your favourite topping?
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
19th August WATCAC Club Ride – 8:00 for 8:30 from Rayment Reserve, Lathlain
2nd September WATCAC Club Ride – Details TBA
9th September WATCACC Rec Ride – Details TBA
14th Oct WATCAC Pedal and Paddle – TBC
25th Nov MSWA Ocean Ride – Fremantle to Hilary’s 30, 50, 70 and 100km
Howdy All and welcome to the May Tandem Talk. Here’s a wrap up of what’s been happening over the last few months.
Recent Rides
Rec Rides
There have been two Rec Rides since the last newsletter.
In March we had a great turn out of 7 tandems and 4 supporting bikes and welcomed some new riders to the group. We took the South Perth Foreshore PSP to the Narrows and then crossed the river to Crawley before heading back along the Perth foreshore to VisAbility. At the turn-around point there was some discussion about how best to get through Elizabeth Quay. A plan was formulated but not everyone was listening. I watched in amazement as four bikes in our group went in four different directions. Turns out that the best way to get a big group safely through Elizabeth Quay is to scatter and meet up on the other side.
In April we took three goes at holding a Rec Ride. Attempt one saw a shortage of pilots and bikes, attempt two was cancelled due to thunder and lightning, but on the last Sunday of the month we made it. Four tandems and 7 support bikes (that’s a lot of support) rode from VisAbility to The Raffles. We had planned to stop for coffee in Applecross, but a strong tailwind on the way out got us there early and we were anxious about heading back into the same wind, so we turned straight back and stopped for coffee in Lathlain.
Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 13th May, leaving from VisAbility at 8:30am.
Club Rides
There have been three Club Rides since the last Tandem Talk.
In early March we continued our training for the LifeCycle On-Road ride, riding loops behind the airport and working on group riding and cornering skills. Read more about the LifeCycle ride later.
After the big effort of the LifeCycle weekend we took a break and got back on the bikes on April 8th. This ride coincided with the 3 and 5 Dams Challenge ride, an epic ride of 200 plus km over plenty of hills and past the dams of outer Perth. We rode the 5 Domes; a less challenging route that took us past 5 Dome Coffee Lounges. Thankfully Steve was able to guide us past some roadworks that blocked our planned route to Dome number 3 in Caning Vale.
Yesterday, Dee and I on a tandem and four gents on single bikes, braved the wind and rain to ride the Jandakot loop. We fought a brisk westerly breeze around three quarters of the course, but it did assist with the last bit of the ride home. And the river spray washing over us along the Como foreshore was refreshing. The oversized, home-made sausage rolls at The Stadium Coffee Shop (note: this is not at The Stadium) were rated second best in Perth by Paul, and really hit the spot post-ride.
The next Club Ride will be on Sunday, 20th May. Check your email or Facebook for Details
Upcoming Rides
Several WATCAC members, including myself, will be away for June, as we are off to cycle The Camino de Santiago in Spain. Roland will be organising the rides in my absence. Please be kind to him, as he will also be short a pilot or two. I’ll see you in July.
2018 LifeCycle On-Road (by Roz)
On Saturday 10th March some of WATCAC joined Canteen Lifecycle on a very fun and rewarding South West fundraising ride. On single bikes we had David, Paul, Haylee and Ian, and on tandems there was Connie & Sue, Dee & Jennifer, Adriana & Hab, Kate & Roland and Meredith & Roz. Our crew joined approximately 125 other Lifecycle riders. The trip started bright and early in Bassendean and we made our way to Busselton via campouts at Pinjarra SHS and Brunswick Junction footy club.
This is the first time that WATCAC has joined this event and I am sure it won’t be the last. The event was so well organised regarding traffic logistics, food, accommodation and safety. We were all moved by the stories from young people who spoke throughout the event and inspired us to keep peddling for this important cause of supporting young people affected by cancer. WATCAC was the 4th top fundraising team for this event raising over $8,800. Thank you so much to all our supporters.
Roz
The local news was there to watch us roll in to Busselton and interviewed Adriana & Hab for that night’s news report. GWN News Report
We also made the Harvey-Waroona Reporter, with WATCAC represented by Dee and Hab – the page 5 news article appears at the end of this newsletter.
Clinic – Save the Date
A clinic for new and existing pilots and stokers is planned for Sunday July 22nd.
If you have someone you want to cycle with, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to tandem cycling. If you have been thinking about helping pilot but aren’t sure where to start, please save this date (with Sunday 29th July as reserve).
Fundraising
Can you sell chocolates to your work colleagues? If so, please contact a committee member, or talk to Adriana if you want to know how it’s done.
Stay tuned for information about a pancake day coming up later this year. What’s your favourite topping?
Membership
Membership Fees
2018 Membership fees were due on 31st March. Note that if you haven’t paid your membership you will not be covered by our insurance policy. You are still welcome to ride with us, but we would love to have you fully on board. Your membership fees go some way to paying for the continued maintenance of our fleet of bikes.
When paying fees into the WATCAC account by bank transfer please write “Membership Subs” and your name in the narration. Banking details appear at the end of this newsletter.
Bike Loan Fees
Bike loan fees run from 1st Feb to 30th June and 1st July to 30th Nov, at $50 per period.
If you have a WATCAC Tandem on loan, please contact us about renewing your loan or returning the bike.
Membership Forms
Your WATCAC Committee have now finalised the new membership and nomination process as per the Australian Council for Not-for-Profit Charities Constitutional Model Rules. We advised members at the AGM that WATCAC have adopted the Model Rules as our updated constitution. With this comes the need for updated process such as the nomination for NEW membership process.
Returning Members: Please complete the membership only section of the new forms, when paying your fees, as this will update your details and WATCAC then complies with the new Constitution. Please pay your fees by 31st of March 2018 to remain as a financial member – after this date you will be required to complete the full new member nomination process.
New Members: Please complete the full membership nomination form as per instructions in the attached document.
If you have any questions or difficulties with the form, please don’t hesitate to contact Trevor or Haylee.
Facebook
Have you ‘Liked” us on Facebook yet? Our page can be found here.
We will use the page to promote WATCAC to the wider community, post notifications of upcoming rides (in addition to your regular emails) and report on rides and other events. We will endeavour to do this while maintaining the privacy of our members. Talk with a committee member should you have any concerns.
Congratulations
Congratulations to WATCAC members, Connie and Sue on their marriage. May the wind always be at your back and the pot-holes few and far between.
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
13th May WATCAC Rec Ride– 8:00 for 8:30 from VisAbility
20th May WATCAC Club Ride – Details TBA
22nd June WATCAC Clinic
8th July Cyclo Sportif Swan Valley – 7:00am from Oakover, Middle Swan
14th Oct WATCAC Pedal and Paddle – TBC
25th Nov MSWA Ocean Ride – Fremantle to Hilary’s 30, 50, 70 and 100km
Happy and Safe Pedalling,
Jennifer
The WATCAC Team pose for a photo before taking off on the LifeCycle On-Road for CanTeen.
News Article: Harvey-Waroona Reporter, Harvey
Blind Citizens WA president Deanne Ferris, WA Tandem Cycling Advisory Council president Anthony Collier and Lifecycle for CanTeen ride founder Jenny Aramini meet long-time supporter Brunswick Lions Club member Laurie Parravacini after the long ride. Picture: David Charlesworth
Fundraising ride winds its way south
David Charlesworth
HELPING raise money for youth cancer support organisation CanTeen, almost 200 cyclists arrived in Brunswick on March 11 including, for the first time, blind riders as part of the group.
Now in its 19th year, the ride is part of the Lifecycle for CanTeen charity which makes its way from Bassendean to Busselton over three days.
At the completion of day two’s ride, the group held its fifth annual bowls competition at the Brunswick Bowling Club before dinner at the Tom Pearson Pavilion.
Long-time supporter of the event and Brunswick Lions Club member Laurie Parravacini presented the riders with $1000 on behalf of the club.
“Seeing the number of people around here today with bikes riding in the heat of the day like they have been, they do a wonderful job,” Mr Parravacini said.
Ride founder Jenny Aramini said talks from recipients of CanTeen’s programs at a stopover in Harvey had fuelled the riders on the way down.
More than $140,000 was raised from this year’s ride, smashing last year’s total of $118,000.
For the first time in the ride’s history, the group included four blind riders on tandem bicycles with ‘pilots’ in front.
WA Tandem Cycling Advisory Council president Anthony Collier said he had supported blind cycling for 40 years and this was the first mainstream ride, not a community event, to include them.
“They have asked for no change of rules in terms of what group they’re in, they’ve all trained up to ride a peloton, to ride the 100km a day over three days,” he said.
“It’s been a remarkable event and they are just over the moon.”
Welcome to the First Edition of Tandem Talk for 2018.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that the lovely, mild summer we are having has presented you with multiple opportunities to get out on the bike.
Recent Rides
Rec Rides
There has been one Rec Ride so far this year.
In February, 6 tandems and 5 bikes rode from VisAbility to Garvey Park and back. The ride was 31km, with some lumps and bumps and twists and turns around the Ascot foreshore, as well as a bit of a sprint on the way home. It was great to have some new people along for this ride, as well as some familiar faces back after a long break.
Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 18th March. Note that this is the third Sunday, and not our usual second Sunday ride date. We will cycle from Bayswater Train Station to Nedlands and back.
Club Rides
There were two Club Rides in February.
On the first Sunday of February, 5 tandems and 6 bikes left VisAbility to meet up with riders in the Life Cycle for CanTeen On-Road ride, on the Shelley Foreshore. We spent some time there learning how to ride as a group and how to roll-through the peloton, with everyone taking a turn at the front in an organised manner.
The WATCAC Club Riders have varying levels of experience and expertise in riding as a group, but I think everyone learnt something useful. As a number of WATCAC members will be participating in the Life Cycle ride, is was also important to let the other cyclists get used to riding with tandems in the mix.
The remainder of the ride was taken up practicing our new skills on the way to Point Walter and back to VisAbility via South Perth.
Last weekend 5 tandems and 6 bikes headed out again. This time from Bayswater, with the aim of practicing our group riding, and riding over 100km. The weather was mild and taking turns at the front makes the ride a lot easier for everyone. As we headed south along the Kwinana Freeway PSP I couldn’t help but admire how slick we looked, all in our new jerseys and working together as a team.
In the end we rode 112km. Everyone’s recording devices were slightly different, so it was fun listening to random shouts of “I’ve done 100!” as we went along the South Perth foreshore.
Congratulations to everyone who achieved their first Century!
The next Club Ride will be on Sunday, 4th March. Check your email or Facebook for details
Mountain Bike Rides
As part of the preparation for the 2018 LifeCycle Off-Road, there will be regular, planned rides out on the trails around Perth on the second Saturday and last Sunday of the month.
If you are interested in having a go on the Mountain Bikes please have a chat to Roland or one of the committee members.
Christmas Night Ride
It seems ages ago now, but for those of you who couldn’t make it here’s a short run down on the Christmas Night Ride.
On a balmy Friday evening 16 WATCAC members and friends put on their best Christmas finery, attached musical, flashing, reindeer antlers to their helmets and lots and lots of lights to their bikes. Seven tandems and two single bikes then made their way from Hillary’s to Connolly to see the Christmas lights in Prairie Dunes Place. Every house in this street decorates their front yards with enough lights that I’m sure it could be seen from the International Space Station to raise money for Guide Dogs WA. As we walked up and down the street it was interesting to note the different descriptions provided by the tandem pilots. Erin wanted details about whether the lighting was warm or cool; Anthony gave a great commentary on the size, shape and colour of the decorations; however, by about half way through my description sounded more like this…“there are some lights, and some more lights, and lots of lights…: Sorry Dee.
The smell of a BBQ full of sausages lured us back to Roland’s house, where we agreed that the Christmas decorations, and Roland’s Christmas shirt, were the best in Perth. Thank you for hosting us Roland.
Pilots Needed
WATCAC has been contacted by a couple of vision impaired females, hoping to get into cycling. If you are available to pilot for a rec ride or two please let me know. We will run a mini-clinic before heading out, so don’t worry if you are feeling a bit rusty.
Skill Rides and Fitness Rides – A Change to Club Rides
As our Club Riding group has grown and diversified it has become apparent that we need to cater to a variety of skills and fitness levels. To do this, we are going to trial alternating skill focussed club rides with fitness focussed rides. (much like we accidentally did in February).
The skills rides will focus on developing riding skills, such as rolling-through, riding to a cadence, hills, cornering etc. Anthony has kindly offered to lead us through this, and we will also look to inviting other experienced tandem cyclists and coaches to help.
The fitness rides will focus on speed and distance, which should get easier as we become more skilled riders.
Jerseys
They’re here and they look great.
Almost everyone who ordered a jersey has theirs by now, but there are a few extras still available. Great value at just $60, let me know if you want one. $20 gets you a pair of matching socks to complete the kit.
Membership
Membership Forms
Your WATCAC Committee have now finalised the new membership form and nomination process as per the Australian Council for Not-for-Profit Charities Constitutional Model Rules. We advised members at the AGM that WATCAC have adopted the Model Rules as our updated constitution. With this comes the need for updated process such as the nomination for NEW membership process.
Updated membership forms were emailed on 20th Feb and are available from the Membership page.
Returning Members: Please complete the membership only section of the new forms, when paying your fees, as this will update your details and WATCAC then complies with the new Constitution. Please pay your fees by 31st of March 2018 to remain as a financial member – after this date you will be required to complete the full new member nomination process.
New Members: Please complete the full membership nomination form as per instructions in the attached document.
If you have any questions or difficulties with the form, please don’t hesitate to contact Trevor or Haylee.
Membership Fees
As approved at the AGM, membership fees have increased to $40 per year from 2018. Your membership now includes a Tagissar ICE (In Case of Emergency) Sticker, while stocks last.
2018 Membership fees are due by 31st March.
When paying fees into the WATCAC account by bank transfer please write “Membership Subs” and your name in the narration. Banking details appear at the end of this newsletter.
Tandem Hire
WATCAC will be recalling all Hired Tandems for mechanical assessment and servicing. Hab will be in touch with current hirers.
Bike Loan Fees
Bike loan fees run from 1st Feb to 30th June and 1st July to 30th Nov, at $50 per period.
If you have a WATCAC Tandem on loan, please contact us about renewing your loan or returning the bike.
Facebook
Have you ‘Liked” us on Facebook yet? Our page can be found here.
We will use the page to promote WATCAC to the wider community, post notifications of upcoming rides (in addition to your regular emails) and report on rides and other events. We will endeavour to do this while maintaining the privacy of our members. Talk with a committee member should you have any concerns.
WATCAC Website
After a long time in a dark, dusty, neglected corner of the world wide web, we are bringing the WATCAC website into the 21st century. (Love your work Beau, but it’s time to renovate) Some changes have been made already, but there is more to be done.
When you have a moment, please check out http://watcac.org/ and send feedback on accessibility, what needs to stay, what needs to go and what needs to be added.
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
4th March WATCAC Club Ride (Skills) Details TBA
10th -12th March LifeCycle On-Road Ride for CanTeen
18th March WATCAC Rec Ride– 8:30 from Bayswater Station
25th March WATCAC Club Ride (Fitness)
Happy and Safe Pedalling,
Jennifer
Christmas Night Ride: Peter and James, David, Debbie and Kerry, Trevor, Adriana and Anthony, Dee and Jennifer, Connie and Sue
There were quite a few items that came out of Sunday’s AGM, so I thought it would be useful to catch you up on what’s happening in the world of WATCAC.
AGM
Thank you to all who attended the AGM, and participated in the day to day running and ongoing governance of our little association. Anthony did a great job of thanking everyone who had done anything for the club over the past year. However, we were remiss in not thanking him for his continued time, effort and passionate support of WATCAC, in his (ongoing) role as President. Thank you, Anthony.
Recent Rides
Today’s Rec Ride prior to the AGM was a fun affair, and the usual WATCAC adventure.
It started with a bit of mix and match between pilots and stokers to make sure that everyone got to join in. Everyone = 7 Tandems and 3 single bikes. Anthony piloted for Peter, who re-joins us after a couple of years decades. Paul stepped up to pilot for Adriana and Roland piloted for Erin as both Kate and Trevor are recovering from injuries and unable to ride at present. Erin has earnt the badge of Most Adaptable Stoker and claims the record of the most ever pilots – now sitting at about 8.
We headed out of Rayment Park in Lathlain only a little behind schedule and made our way to Windan Bridge. Getting around Claisebrook continues to be a challenge. Today we opted to go around Claisebrook Cove and under the western side of Trafalgar bridge, rather than attempt the steep climb over the hill. This involved weaving between bridge pylons, bollards and the water’s edge, which all navigated safely, only to be confronted with pea-gravel and soggy grass on the other side. Those on the mountain bikes whooped with joy while the rest of us pushed on through.
Elizabeth Quay provides another set of challenges, with meandering tourists and photo opportunities. Again, we negotiated this safely and with many cheery “good mornings”, only to come across the very well attended Pram Walk. There were a lot of prams, and toddlers, and toddlers with prams and scooters and bikes, all going in the same direction as us. (I have to confess here that this event had popped up in my news feed, but the only attention I gave it was to think “Urgh! No thanks!” and I didn’t think to check the date.) There was more, cheery calling of “Bikes Passing” and “Please keep left” and “Have a nice day” as we high tailed it over the Narrows to South Perth.
The South Perth run was good until just before the Causeway, where we came across a Walk for Juvenile Diabetes. We were truly outnumbered, and weren’t going to win that one, even with our effusive charm – so we tactically made another detour up to Canning Highway and into Vic Park.
Finally, road works on Albany Highway resulted in one last detour (and a U-Turn for some) before we all made it back to our start point, all at roughly the same time. Gold Stars for everyone handling the challenges and obstacles without incident and a big thank you to our domestics for keeping us all together and safe.
Future Rides
MSWA Ocean Ride
The MSWA Ocean Ride is this Sunday- 26th November, departing from Fremantle Esplanade from 6:30am.
Several WATCAC Members are signed up for the 100km and the 50km rides. There’s a spare stoker seat on Roland’s bike if you are interested in trying the 50km route (hint – it’s the same as the 30km route with an option extra 10km out and back.) Contact me or Roland if you are game to give it a go.
Club Ride
We have one final Club Ride scheduled for Sunday 3rd December. In line with the request for an earlier start, but being mindful of public transport availability, we will depart from Bull Creek Station at 7:45 am and do the sprint to the services at Safety Bay. Get your Strava Segments sorted.
Christmas Night Ride
IT’S ONLY 5 WEEKS TO CHRISTMAS!!
That means it’s time to get out your best Christmas gear, dress your bike with lights and tinsel and come join us for the WATCAC Christmas Night ride.
Where: 4 Newport Gardens Hillary’s
When: Friday 8th December 6:30 pm for 7:00 pm departure
What: A leisurely ride to enjoy the sights and show off our bikes, followed by a BYO dinner
Rudolph Roland will lead us along the sunset coast as the sun sets, followed with a tour of the best Christmas Lights in the district. We will finish off at Roland’s, who has the VERY BEST Christmas Light Display (at least according to all our stokers) for dinner.
Note that we aren’t heading out until the sun sets this year, and dinner will be when we get back, at around 8:00. You might need to plan for a late afternoon snackle if you are the type that gets hangry. Summer Training
In preparation for the LifeCycle On-Road for CanTeen, which will involve several 100km plus days, back-to-back, some of us will continue cycling over the usual summer break. Connie is putting together a training plan so let her, or your WATCAC Committee, know if you want to join in.
There are also mountain bike training rides planned for the second Saturday and last Sunday of the month for the LifeCycle Off-Road. Details can be found here. Let me know if you want to participate and need help with a bike and/or pilot.
Jerseys
Planning for our new jerseys is well underway and we may even have them to you by the start of next year.
We are going with a “middle of the range” jersey from Black Chrome. It will be a little more fitted than our current jerseys but not as firm fitting as the pros wear. This, Performance Fit Jersey, features silicone grippers on the sleave hems and the rear hem, a full-length zip, 3 rear pockets and is made from a soft, lightweight fabric that is aerodynamic, breathes well and is comfortable. The jerseys come in men’s and women’s sizing, from small to 5XL. We are only offering short sleaved jerseys this time.
The design on the jersey will be the same as our current jersey, with a few updates. We have transposed the green and the purple colours. The bulk of the jersey will still be white, but green will be the secondary colour, which should keep the non-Dockers supporters happy. The logo has been tidied up and corrected and the font has been updated. After feedback from the AGM we have added the WATCAC website address to each sleave and across the centre-back pocket. The words “Supporting Vision Impaired Cycling” have also been added to the back. The design is still up for review but get in quick if you want to suggest any changes. A picture of the design appears at the end of the newsletter.
Finally, there is an option to add matching, cycling socks to our kit. They feature; Airtech fabric specifically developed with small air channels that offer optimal breathability and aerodynamics, an internal textured compound to keep the sock firmly in place and a high quality coolmax foot for increased comfort in all weather conditions.
We are aiming to get the jerseys to you for under $70 each and the socks are $20 a pair (apologies to those who I told $10) Please contact me with your order ASAP.
End of Year Housekeeping
Membership Fees
As approved at the AGM, membership fees will increase to $40 per year from 2018. This is the first increase in many, many years. Your membership now includes a Tagissar ICE (In Case of Emergency) Sticker, while stocks last. 2018 Membership fees are due by 31st March.
Bike Loan Fees
Bike loan fees run from 1st July to 30th Nov and 1st Feb to 30th June, at $50 per period.
If you have a WATCAC Tandem on loan, please contact us about renewing your loan or returning the bike.
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
26th November MSWA Ocean Ride – Fremantle to Hillarys: 30, 50, 70 and 100 km Rides.
3rd December WATCAC Club Ride – 7:45 am from Bull Creek Station
8th December WATCAC Christmas Night Ride – 6:30 pm from 4 Newport Gardens, Hillary’s
10th -12th March LifeCycle On-Road Ride for CanTeen
Happy and Safe Pedalling,
Jennifer
New WATCAC Jersey Design DraftWATCAC AGM Ride at Perth Bell Tower
Here’s a bit of a run-down on what’s been going on in the world of WATCAC over the past few months.
Recent Rides
Rec Rides
There have been two Rec Rides since the last newsletter.
I say Rec Ride, and that is what they could have been, but both were attended by our riders who like to go a bit further and a bit faster.
On the September and October rides, 4 tandems and 3 single bikes completed a relatively speedy 45km loop from VisAbility back to The Kettle for coffee. I recommend their Chai Spiced Fruit Toast.
Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 19th November, to coincide with the AGM. Check your email or Facebook for details.
Club Rides
There have been five Club Rides since the last newsletter (not counting the two “rec rides”)
Anthony and Roland looked after our riders in September so well that I have no idea of who was there or where they went. In the absence of any rumours or tall-stories, I can only assume that the rides went smoothly and without incident.
Trevor took on the mantle of ride leader for the first Sunday in October and dug through the archives for a route up into the Kalamunda foot-hills.
In the second October ride the WATCAC peloton rode 60km around the river to Fremantle and back. Jean and Jerry, newbies to tandem riding, joined us on the Fremantle to Vic Park part of the journey and hopefully will be along again.
We snuck in a third ride in October, to meet with Jenny and Steve from LifeCycle. Five tandems and 8 single bikes cycled 60km around the Swan and Canning River foreshores. (more on this later)
The next Club Ride will be on Sunday, 5th November. Check your email or Facebook for details
Mountain Bike Rides
As part of the preparation for the 2018 LifeCycle Off-Road, Roland is planning regular rides out on the trails around Perth on the second Saturday and last Sunday of the month.
If you are interested in having a go on the Mountain Bikes have a chat to Roland or one of the committee members.
Community Rides
LifeCycle Off-Road for CanTeen
On the first weekend of October 5 WATCAC members took their mountain bikes and joined the LifeCycle for CanTeen Off-Road ride. Anthony, Haylee, Paul, Roland and myself, with around 40 others, spent 3 days cycling the Munda Biddi trail from Pemberton to the Tree Top Walk in Walpole. We covered 200km with over 1000m of ascent through sand, mud, clay, gravel and water. It was an amazing few days in (and I may be a bit biased here) the best part of the world.
The event was the 6th Off-Road weekend for LifeCycle and the entire affair was well organised with transport, food and water and facilities on the trail and at the end of the day. Unfortunately, some of the Munda Biddi in this region would be extremely difficult to take a tandem through, but we arrived back home inspired to find more trails and tandem friendly tracks.
LifeCycle On-Road for CanTeen
Before there was the LifeCycle Off-Road event, there was the LifeCycle On-Road weekend. And Jenny had us signed up to the 18th edition before the off-roaders had even got off the bus in Pemberton.
Being on-road, this event can accommodate tandems, and it would be great for WATCAC to be there in force. As mentioned earlier, a group of us rode out with two of the LifeCycle organisers a few weeks ago, as they wanted to experience riding in a bunch with tandems. We were on our very best behaviour and got the tick of approval from them (you’re welcome 😉)
Details are as follows:
When: Sat 10th to Mon 12th March
Where: Bassendean to Busselton
How: About 110km per day (can be more, or less, depending on what group you ride in), fully supported and staying overnight in local recreation centres.
How Much: No more than $275 for all accommodation, transport and food. Minimum fundraising requirement of $200 for CanTeen.
WATCAC has been offered discounted registration, and will also be subsidising registrations. Please talk to a committee member very soon if you want to be part of this event, as a cyclist or volunteer.
Last Sunday we ran a clinic for our existing riders to help them increase their comfort, skills and endurance on the bike. Here are a few of the points covered.
Bike Comfort
If you are going to spend more than an hour or so on the bike you need to be comfortable. This means looking like a “serious cyclist” as it turns out that a lot of that extra gear isn’t just a show of pretentiousness. It actually serves a purpose. Just as you wouldn’t wear your gardening gear to the pool or your swimming gear to yoga (ewww), you are best off wearing your cycling gear when on a bike.
Most important are the points of contact between you and the bike; your hands, bum and feet.
Gloves serve several functions; they help absorb the vibration from the road, they protect your hands from gravel rash should you come off the bike, and they keep the sun off the backs of your hands.
Knicks (or cycling shorts) with a good chamois (padding), are essential if you are going to ride frequently or far. If you feel self-conscious you can find underwear style knicks, that will fit under your shorts. Finding a chamois that is right for you is a case of trial and error, but the more panels in the knicks the better the fit will be. You may also want to invest in chamois cream, especially if you are planning on riding a couple of days in a row.
Cycling shoes aren’t designed to make you look like a tap-dancing duck, that’s just an added bonus. They are designed to help deliver all the power from your legs, through the pedals, to your bike. The sole of a cycling shoe is a lot, lot stiffer than your normal gym shoes. The laces are also safely tucked away, or done away with altogether. And if you are riding clipped in, you get to pull the pedal up, as well as push it down – making your pedalling stroke twice as efficient. Just as important, you don’t have to worry about your feet coming off the pedals. Our V.I. stokers have commented that they can “feel” the bike much better, and aren’t surprised by gear changes when riding clipped in.
Nutrition and Hydration
Eating and drinking for cycling can make a big difference to how you feel on the bike.
Based on my data, one hour of a club ride will burn over 500 Cal; that’s a third of what I burn in a day without exercise. Your numbers may be different, but the ratio will be about the same. Fail to replace that energy and you will “bonk”, or hit the wall, or just find the rest of the ride difficult and unpleasant. It is important to eat before you go on a ride, and to snack every hour. There are lots of products out there specifically designed to be small and light and to go in the back pocket of your jersey, but bananas, jam sandwiches, muesli bars and good old jelly beans also work.
Hydration is just as important, if not more so. You will sweat on the bike. But due to the evaporation caused by the wind passing over you, you may not realise just how much fluid you are losing. Aim to drink one bottle (700ml) of water for every hour on the bike. If you are carrying two bottles, put hydrolytes in one – Gatorade or Staminade powder is a good option as you should also be replacing the salts you are losing. If grabbing for your bottle while riding isn’t your thing, have a look at investing in a camel-back.
If you have any questions about how to make cycling more enjoyable, please ask. There is a wealth of experience in WATCAC and we can all learn from one another.
Jerseys
Planning for our new jerseys is well underway. With a bit of luck, we will have samples for you to try at the AGM. Your feedback, before we go into manufacture, would be greatly appreciated.
Annual General Meeting
The WATCAC AGM is scheduled for Sunday 19th November 2017 at Rayment Reserve, 17 Lathlain Place, Lathlain (opposite the Kettle Café).
We’ll be heading off for a 25km ride at 8:30 am followed by the AGM at 10:30 am.
You’ll be pleased to know that most of the committee positions have been filled, so there won’t be that awkward silence when we ask who wants to be treasurer or secretary. Don’t let that stop you from putting your hand up if you want to be involved.
Due to changes to the Associations Law we need to make some changes to our constitution, and pass a few other motions. For that we need a quorum, so please plan on attending. (yes, Trev, I know I don’t have that exactly right. I’ll let you explain on the day)
NOTE: Only financial members can vote, or move & second motions
Christmas Night Ride
Following the success of our night ride last year, we will once again wrap up the year with a Christmas Night Ride. I know it’s a busy time of year but keep the evening of Friday 8th December free.
Details are still being finessed (check Facebook and your email for updates) but we will be riding along the coast from Hillarys as the sun sets, around 7:15pm. Dust off the bike lights and decorations and your best festive attire for an evening of Christmas lights, fun and fellowship.
Facebook
WATCAC now has its very own Facebook page, which can be found here.
We will use the page to promote WATCAC to the wider community, post notifications of upcoming rides (in addition to your regular emails) and report on rides and other events. We will endeavour to do this while maintaining the privacy of our members. Talk with a committee member should you have any concerns.
Please “like” and “follow” us.
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
5th November WATCAC Club Ride – 8:30 from Bull Creek Station
12th November WATCAC Club Ride
19th November WATCAC Rec Ride and AGM – 8:30 from Rayment Reserve
26th November MSWA Ocean Ride – Fremantle to Hillarys: 30, 50, 70 and 100 km Rides.
3rd December WATCAC Club Ride
8th December WATCAC Christmas Night Ride – 7:00 pm depart from Hillarys
10th -12th March LifeCycle On-Road Ride for CanTeen
