Clackline to York and Back Again

WATCAC members Hab, Trevor, Adriana, Janelle and Beau with friends AJ, John and Forest took the opportunity to get out of the city on Saturday the 23rd of April. Driving out to Clackline, the intrepid bunch had a leisurely 45km ride to York stopping there for a coffee and a snack – in John’s case a pie and sauce – before saddling up for the return.

While they were taking their ease in York, the wind freshened and swung to the south, so the 45km trip back to Clackline was more of a challenge, but everyone made it back in good spirits. Janelle and Beau’s spirits were further raised by lunch and beer at the Parkerville Tavern.

Busselton Half Ironman 2011

Following up from last year’s successful debut, WATCAC again entered two teams in this prestigious event and they performed very well finishing 43rd and 61st out of 246 teams.

Team Out of Sight Deep South consisting of Monica (swimming), Hector (accompanying Monica in a kayak), Gerald and Darren (cycling) and Paul Garwood (running) finished in 5hrs 28mins. Team Out of Sight Metro consisting of Margaret (swimming), Paul (accompanying Margaret in a kayak), Hab and Adriana (cycling) and Steve Atherton (running) finished in 5hrs 43mins.

Additionally vision-impaired athlete and tandem cyclist Jeremy McClure competed in the solo category, exhausting his three guides (one for each leg) in the process. He won the Athletes with Disabilities section in the very very good time of 5hrs 3mins and also received a standing ovation when he was awarded the “Courageous Award” after being judged to be the athlete who displayed the most courage on the day.

Once again, the organisers were very welcoming and very inclusive, allowing our swimmers with their kayaking guides to start ahead of the pack and once again, the commentators and the spectators were vocal in their support. Of the 7 disabled athletes that competed, 5 were vision-impaired and all received a commemorative medal.

Well done to all who participated and thanks to Hab, Adriana and Gerald for all of their work in organising the teams.

WATCAC Members in The 3 and 5 Dams Challenge

On the 17th of April, members Janelle Graham and Beau Tang participated in this event, Janelle taking the 150km 3 Dams option and Beau taking the 235km 5 Dams option. Both options started and finished at Barrack St Jetty.

Janelle and her mate Shirl rode past Mundaring Weir, Canning Dam and Wungong Dam had a riot and could be heard miles away. Riding up the very steep hill out of Canning Dam struggling riders looked on in disbelief as Janelle passed them by singing “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain”.

Beau was to ride on a tandem with his mate Leon, but with a bad case of the flu keeping Leon off the bike, Beau rode his single bike. Unavoidable delays and a flat tyre saw Beau start well behind the main bunch, but undeterred he completed the ride alone in 9hrs 40mins, passing Mundaring Weir, Churchmans Brook Dam, Wungong Dam, Canning Dam and Serpentine Dam.

Well done Janelle and Beau. We’ll get some vision-impaired cyclists out next year!

Rottnest Weekend Update

Plans for the weekend are progressing well. The proposed dates are the 19th and 20th of November. Participants will have the option of making it a day trip on Saturday or staying overnight and returning on Sunday.

The Committee has budgeted $2000 to contribute towards ferry fares and accommodation for members. Depending on the number of attendees and the number of Companion Cards that are available, this will cover 30% to 60% of those costs. Members’ families are welcome to attend but will not qualify for a subsidy.

The accommodation will have cooking facilities but at this stage WATCAC is not planning to do any catering. Last one to the pub is a rotten egg!

Upcoming Rides

The next Recreation Ride will be from Victoria Park on the 22nd of May and the one after that will be on the 12 of June. For more details, contact Adriana.

Trevor has Left the Building

Member and Club Secretary Trevor is off to the USA for the holiday of a lifetime. Among the highlights, he will be looking for the King in Memphis Tennessee and cruising California’s Pacific Highway in a Mustang convertible. Trevor being Trevor, the minutely planned itinerary was developed in one of his beloved spreadsheets!

Entertainment Books for Sale

WATCAC has 50 of these books to sell and they’re going out the doors quickly. For $65, purchasers get a thick book full of discount offers at restaurants, hotels, activities and retailers around Perth. If you use two vouchers for dinner you’ll get your money back. For each book sold, WATCAC will receive $13. To order your copy, contact Beau (beau.tang@gmail.com).