South Perth Rouleurs

Ride Routes 29th Aug – 4th Sept

One of the four cornerstones that the club was built around was “inclusion”. Back in 2008 when the club was in its formative stages, it was important to us to define what it was that we were trying to achieve. Many of the clubs back then concentrated primarily on racing as you needed to be part of a club to be able to race. We didn’t have the 100 year history that many of the clubs had back then, so the skills to organise and run an event were very foreign to us. Coming to the Perth cycling scene from the outside, I did however see a fairly big gap. Many clubs back then had minimal group rides. This was often handled by the “shop rides” and some clubs even directed riders to do the shop ride instead. Our main differentiator was that we had club rides that catered for a variety of people.

When we first met at Coode St, there was only one group. This made things easy, but didn’t give any space for those that were not at a particular fitness/skill level. As the group grew, a faster segment wanted to push harder, so we split. The “fast” group would leave first, and at one stage did a slightly longer route, and then the second group would follow. The second group could not be called the “slow” group, so it became the “main” group.

As time went on and the club grew, it was clear that we were beginning to attract brand new riders that have never ridden in a club let alone a group environment. Social media was in its infancy but we maintained a very active website, so our club was often the first thing appearing when people were looking for rides in Perth. The development or novice group was formed to cater for these newbies and then a “transitional” group that bridged the distance between the novice and main routes.

People often commented that they were attracted to other aspects that mirrored our other cornerstones – “organised” (ride routes published and downloadable), “social” (coffee afterwards) and “safe” (even before ride leaders, there was a standard that was upheld in the groups).

The inclusion part was also in how we ran the club. We have never forced anyone to join the club to be able to ride with us. It is certainly encouraged and if you do ride regularly with us and feel that you are getting something out of it, becoming a member is an easy way of giving back. But another part of that is that you need to be a member to get the kit, so we also don’t enforce a kit policy either. We want people to be proud to represent the club, not have it forced upon them. As much as we love to see as many people in green as we can, we would rather just see them out riding with us.

The rebranding process is currently underway and the EOI for kit suppliers is still open. I have met with a few companies to fully understand what they can do for us and it is great to see such high quality products available to us in Perth. The logo and font is almost finalised, which when added to a new kit design should give us a fresh new look. There has been questions to me an others about when kit can be ordered. Please bear with us, this process takes time and we want to do right by both the club and the members. So as much as I want you in new kit, I want to see you in the right kit, with the right design, for the right price.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/08/27/ride-routes-29th-aug-4th-sept/

Ride Routes 22nd – 28th August

Road racing has been a little light on this year with it becoming harder and harder to put events on and we are getting pushed further out of town. If you are eligible to race masters or like time trials, then there are options, but for the younger road racers, the pickings are slim. However, it now looks like there are a few bright sparks to close out 2026. Midland has just announced a three race program with two races in Pickering Brook in Sept/Nov and the Midland Traders 100 in October.

The Pickering Brook circuit used to be a staple of the Perth road racing calendar with many races held up there every year. Unfortunately, certain neighbours tried to spoil it and the circuit has been lightly used ever since. It’s not a flat circuit, but no lengthy climbs either. A good race for the punchy riders that want to try to animate the race. It’s also a fairly short course, so if you are new to racing and are worried about getting dropped or lost, then you can’t go to far wrong with this one. Midland also usually run grades down to D or E plus have juniors as well. There should be something for everyone.

The Midland Traders 100 is usually on a much harder course and the premier event for this is the 100km “A” grade men’s race. Again, there should be lots of grades to suit all riders, but expect a harder course and race than the Pickering Brook circuit.

Also in November, Peel are running the State Road Champs on behalf of AusCycling. With the usual Elite and U19 fields, there are also age group masters fields for both male and female riders. Definite bragging rights on the line at this event. Held down at Boddington, this is a much more testing course, as it should be for a state champs. This is always a good day out and lots of opportunity with so many age groups being available.

What this is all leading towards is the last year of the Nationals in Perth and therefore, potentially the last chance at the Gran Fondo. Held on the 10th of January, this is an event not to be missed as racing around Kings Park and the City on closed roads doesn’t come along very often. There were about 850 spots last year and it sold out quickly. So quick that I missed out but managed to get a transfer from someone that unfortunately injured themselves leading up to it. Entries open on the 3rd of Sept, so my advice is to get an entry in even if you are unsure. You can always transfer it later if you don’t want to race.

There will hopefully also be Team Time Trial and Club Criteriums held as part of this cycling festival, so we are hoping to also field teams in these events too. As we did last year, there will be weekly training sessions for the Fondo, hopefully starting in October all the way up to race day. The intent is to follow the same format as last year, with a Women’s only session on Tuesday morning, a shortened three lap session on Friday and a full course session on Sundays. Again these sessions will be open to anyone, not just SPR members.

So after a very slow start to the year and a slew of legacy events no longer running, it is good to see some good solid road racing on the calendar. Time to shave the legs and burn off some of that winter hibernation padding that we tend to put on during the colder months.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/08/20/ride-routes-22nd-28th-august-3/