Tandem Talk October 2016 - Western Australian Tandem Cycling Advisory Council (WATCAC)

The calendar says October, but it is another wet, windy, cold Sunday morning, so I am sitting at my computer instead of being out on a bike somewhere.

Here’s a bit of a run-down on what’s been going on in the world of WATCAC.

Recent Rides

Rec Rides
There have been only two Rec Rides since the June newsletter – the July ride was cancelled but in August a group of us finally gathered at Bull Creek Station to cycle to Kent St Weir; the third attempt to do this ride.

For the September Rec Ride 10 of us (4 tandems and 2 single bikes) cycled from Vic Park to Maylands via Garrett Rd Bridge, Ascot. Aaron did a sterling job piloting for Kate and showed great adaptability in moving from riding his usual, BMX bike to a drop-bar, road tandem. Kate may have just about recovered by now.

There are only 3 more Rec Rides scheduled for this year – Oct 9th, Nov 13th and Dec 11th. Put them in your calendar now.

Club Rides
There have been four Club Rides since the last Tandem Talk in June, with bad weather resulting in three rides being cancelled. (Are we getting soft?)

Most of the rides left from VisAbility and a did a version of the Kwinana Freeway/Roe Highway Jandakot loop, finishing up at The Kettle in Lathlain, a very satisfactory replacement for Sassy’s which has been closed over the winter.

It’s been great to see Anthony (Hab) come back from his injuries, progressing through a range of bikes and distances to now be back on the Kerminator with Adriana.

Our next club ride is scheduled for Sunday 16th October.

Community Rides
WATCAC Members haven’t participated in any big, community rides in the last few months. However, there are a lot coming up. (with apologies if I have missed anyone or anything out)

Around the Bay
Adriana, Anthony, Haylee, Paul H and Forest have been training diligently for the Around the Bay in a Day ride, where they will be joining thousands of others in cycling around Port Philip Bay, Melbourne. They will be doing the 210km Anti-clockwise ride, which starts in Alexandra Gardens, travels to Queenscliff via Geelong where the ferry then transports riders to Sorrento for the ride back to Melbourne via iconic Beach Rd, to the finish line in Alexandra Gardens.

Ride to Work
On Wed 12th October Deanne and I will be cycling from Oats St Station to the free breakfast at Elizabeth Quay. Be at Oats St Station for 6:45 if you want to join us.

Trek the Trail
On Sun 28th August Deanne and I made use of one of the WATCAC Mountain Bike Tandems to ride 20 km from Darlington to Mundaring Community Sculpture Park and back on the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail. This is a wide, easily accessed trail right on our doorstep. If you want to try out trail riding it’s an ideal place to start. Let me know if you want to give it a go and need help with a bike.

Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
9th Oct – WATCAC Rec Ride (and every 2nd Sunday)
9th Oct – Around the Bay in A Day, Melbourne
12th Oct – Ride To Work
16th Oct – WATCAC Club Ride (and every 1st and 3rd Sunday)
12th Nov – Tim’s Ride
19th Nov – Tour of the Jacarandas
19th Nov – SENSES Camp
4th Dec – Ocean Ride for MS

Fund Raising High Tea
On Sunday Sept 18th, 24 WATCAC members and friends participated in a wonderful High Tea hosted by Susan Murphy. The tables were set beautifully with fine china, champagne flutes and blue serviettes tied with sparkly, silver ribbon. In the centre of each table was an amazing 3D paper cut-out of two riders on a tandem bike, designed and made by Connie.

Sue produced scones, cake, mini chocolate muffins, friands, sweet and savoury slices and delicate sandwiches for us all to partake of. And partake we did. The coffee, tea and champagne flowed into the evening, along with the conversations and a staggering $1,085 was raised to put towards WATCAC’s operating costs and future projects. A huge Thank You goes out to Sue (and Connie) for organising and producing such a wonderful event.

Celebration Dinner for Greg Madson – Life Member
Last Friday Life Members, current members and friends gathered at CAFE BELLA ROSA in Carlisle to acknowledge all that Greg Madson has contributed to WATCAC and award him with a Life Membership. It was great to catch up and hear tales from Greg of cycling from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, participating in the Para-Olympics and overtaking trucks going down Greenmount Hill at speeds in excess of 100 km/hr (just to be clear, that’s while on a bike).

Greg continues to be a strong voice in the community, and Australia-wide, advocating for people with blindness and vision impairment. Anthony spoke for all WATCAC members when he congratulated Greg on all his achievements, on and off the bike, and thanked him for all that he has done to develop and support WATCAC.

Bits and Pieces
Is Your Information Up To Date?
We are currently updating all our membership data and contact information, including Emergency Contact information. If you who haven’t yet done so, please complete the WATCAC Membership form and email it to watcac@googlegroups.com or hand it to a committee member. A copy can be downloaded from our website under About >> Membership, or click here: http://watcac.org/about/membership.

WATCAC Jerseys
There are a limited number of WATCAC jerseys still available for purchase, so if you didn’t get one the first time around, or yours is worn out, $50 will get you a new one.

Sizes available are:

M Short Sleeve (2)
M Sleeveless (1)
XXXL Sleeveless (1)

Track Tandem Bike Available for Hire
Casey Hyde has a track tandem bike (pilot 52 and stoker 52 cm) that she would like to hire out so blind people in Perth can give track cycling a go. Contact Casey via email: caseyhyde@mail.com

Riding For Transport Course by Befriend
The Term Four Sweet Skills program kicks off on the 15th of October with a brand new course- ‘Riding for Transport.’ This unique course aims to build up your comfort and confidence in riding a bicycle around Perth so you can enjoy the many benefits of doing so- getting fitter, saving money, enjoying nature and having good old fashioned fun. Bring your bike or borrow ours and learn everything from how to fix a flat to how to plan a good route with as few hills as possible!

More details on this course are available at http://bit.ly/2d4IPfS.

Bike Ergonomic Assessments
Ian Wee, at Perth Integrated Health is a passionate cyclists, cycling coach and occupational therapist. If you are serious about cycling and eliminating all the associated aches, pains and numbness he is the man to see. Adriana and Anthony recently took the Kerminator – the tandem they have been riding for years – to Ian for assessment. Despite feeling that they had a pretty good set-up, Anthony reported that Ian changed everything on the bike save for Adriana’s cleats, even raising her seat by 2cm (that’s a lot). Adriana says she can now ride without her hands going numb and feels a lot more comfortable on the bike. Have a chat to Anthony or Adriana if you are interested in finding out more.

Avoid Bonking on the Bike
Last but not least, I found this great blog article: http://blog.mapmyrun.com/2016/09/avoid-bonking-on-the-bike-with-these-easy-tips/. If you are training for longer rides it’s worth a read.