South Perth Rouleurs

Ride Routes 26th Sept – 2nd Oct
EOI Club TTT and Criterium

For the past two years, alongside the National Elite time trials and criteriums, AusCycling has run two clubs focussed events. A Team Time Trial (TTT) and a Club Criterium. Both are age group based and both are club focussed. Unlike the majority of the racing held in WA, these events are for club representation only. Most races we normally see on our calendar are usually dominated by teams, in which case many riders are actually members of different clubs. Being an event run by AusCycling, the organisation in which clubs are affiliated, it makes sense to make this about club representation.

On Wednesday 6th Jan, for the Team Time Trial, there will be teams of four riders and they will complete two laps of the circuit that circles Bold Park. Team categories are the sum of the 3 youngest members of the team at the end of 2027 (Open, Masters 90 +, Masters 120 +, Masters 150 +, Masters 180 +). Much like ToMR, only road bikes are allowed, with no aerobars or disc wheels.

On Friday 8th Jan, the Club Criterium will be held in Northbridge. Again, teams of 4 and in the age group categories based on the combined age of the 3 youngest riders (Masters 90 +, Masters 120 +, Masters 150 +, Masters 180 +). Riders will be given points based on finishing position and sprints to determine the winning club. It doesn’t look like there is an Open category, so teams combined age of the youngest 3 needs to be greater than 90 yrs old.

We are putting out an Expression of Interest to see if any members would like to compete in these two events in the new year. If you wish to race and are keen to represent the club, we are looking at covering the entry fees for each event. Team based competition is a great way to train as it allows you to be externally motivated to go that extra mile. This is also a great way to show club support and we should have our new kit and branding available by then.

Some important points to remember-
• Team events are on weekdays and you may need to take leave from work.
• If you are a SPR Club add-on member you can only race with us if your primary club is not fielding a team in that category. It is your responsibility to confirm this before committing to a SPR team. You can transfer clubs, though, or do it when you renew if It happens before the event.
• All riders must have a valid Race or Club licence in order to compete. No Ride or Day licences.

This is potentially the last year that the Nationals will be in Perth as it is the last official year on the three year contract. No idea where it may be moving to next year, and we don’t get many opportunities like this to race around Perth city roads. If you are interested, please click on the link to the Expression of Interest and let us know. We will then form up some teams and get back to you with who you will be racing with and what training opportunities we can provide.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/09/24/ride-routes-26th-sept-2nd-oct-3/

Ride Routes 19th – 25th Sept
What Insurance coverage does a membership give you?

Ever since AusCycling moved to a new membership system this year, there has been a bit of debate about which licence type is best for you. Race, Club and Ride are all targeted towards riders with different goals in mind. However, the underlying insurance is pretty much the same. The difference in cost is basically reflecting the increase in risk between a recreational rider and someone in a race situation.

With the Gran Fondo early next year requiring a Race or Club licence to enter, this may encourage some people to join a club rather than just get a day licence. Just a reminder, however, although you can pay in monthly instalments, a licence and membership is a full year commitment. I have heard of some people that have taken up a membership and are intending to cancel it after the Fondo. Sorry to say, it doesn’t work that way.
The biggest complaint is often the cost of the membership, especially if you want to get a full Race licence. In all cases the club portion is a very small amount as the rest if made up of insurance and operating costs for AusCycling. So what I thought I would do today is breakdown exactly what you are covered for with your insurance. Bearing in mind that this is my interpretation of the policy and it is just to give you an idea of what you can ask for if you get in an accident.

Firstly, when are you covered? When you are involved in activities that are sanction by AusCycling and these include races, organised training (i.e. club rides), individual training rides, meetings, social rides and travel to and from these activities. Now I couldn’t find the definition of travel to and from, but it should be something that you could ask about if you get into an accident.

So, what is not covered? Medicare covered items (GP visits, surgeon fees, Medicare-listed scans), damage to your bike or equipment and non-sectioned by AusCycling events. What this means is that you claim via Medicare first and the things Medicare doesn’t cover, you can claim against your AusCycling insurance. Your bike, helmet, clothes, computer, glasses, etc are not covered and you should get a separate insurance policy to cover this. I have my bike listed on my home and contents insurance and have made a claim twice when I have crashed. Non-AusCycling events means that you need to ensure that the event organiser has their own insurance and you purchase a day licence for this event.

Most people know about all this, but what a deeper look shows is a bunch of cover that a lot of people won’t even ask about. Insurance companies are not in the habit of giving away money for nothing, so often if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.

The majority of the accidents that I have seen over my years riding the bike are ones that people walk away from and eventually get back to riding again. These are the ones that require a bunch of treatment to get you back but are not necessarily life threatening. For this you claim what you can via Medicare, then you claim via your private health insurance, then you claim the gap against your cycling insurance. You can claim 85% of these costs, up to a limit of $10,000. Dental is a bit of a tricky one here and often covers the initial injury, but not necessarily the restoration that follows.

Worse case scenario is that you die, have permanent total disablement, become paraplegic/quadriplegic, lose an eye, limb, or hearing. For all three membership types, you get a payout of $100,000. I didn’t actually realise that we could claim against the insurance policy if I died while riding. As morbid as it sounds, we do engage in a risky activity being on the road all the time, so I just made sure that my wife knows that we can claim against it too.
There is also an “income protection” benefit of up to $750 a week for up to 52 weeks. This one requires a lot more proof of temporary disablement and medical professionals to attest to it. It is worth asking about if you have to have time off work.

If you are injured and require someone to come and help you (not a relative, but a paid person) you can claim up to $200 per week for up to 52 weeks. Again this needs to be certified by a medical practitioner and is paid in arrears.

If you end up in hospital away from home but still in Australia, you can claim the travel and accommodation costs of your family to come and be with you while you remain in hospital. This is up to the values of $10,000 but covers “reasonable expenses” outside of 100km from home.

Funeral expenses are also covered up to the value of $10,000.
If any of the permanent disability things I mentioned previously occur, on top of the benefit amount, there is also a home and vehicle modification benefit. This allows up to the value of $10,000 for any medically certified modifications required for you to return to daily living activities. This includes thing like ramps in the home or changes to car (i.e. steering or pedals).

You can claim a one off “out of pocket” expense of $500 against transportation for the purpose of seeking medical treatment (i.e. you uber to the hospital), or also for medical mobility equipment (walking aids, scooters – probably doesn’t cover campagnolo gear).

Up to $20,000 is available for “Retraining and Rehabilitation”. This is after a temporary total or partial disablement but medical evidence must be supplied by the treating medical practitioner that the vocational training, tuition or guidance is necessary to rehabilitate you as a result of the Injury.

As a student you can claim up to $200 per week for up to 26 weeks to hire a tutor if a medical practitioner has determined that you are unable to attend class.

There is also an “unexpired membership benefit”. If you have prepaid for a gym, sporting club, etc, and have sustained a permanent disablement, you can claim up to $500 if a medical practitioner certifies that you can no longer participate.

There is a “Driver Service Benefit” to the value of $2500. On your return to work, if a medical practitioner certifies that you are unable to drive or travel on public transport, you can claim against using legally approved services like taxis or ride share.

And finally there is “Trauma Counselling”. If you or your family (partner, dependant children) require counselling as a result of a bodily injury sustained, then up to $1,000 per week up to $10,000 is available. Must be provided by a registered psychologist or psychiatrist and must be certified by a Medical Practitioner as necessary for your wellbeing.

Sorry for the length of this post, but I think that it is important for people to understand just what a membership can offer them. We, as a club, do what we can to provide a safe environment for you to pursue your passion for cycling. We pre-plan the routes, provide training for ride leaders, keep the groups sizes controllable, but there are so many unknowns out there that we may not see coming. Hopefully you never require to make a claim, but if you do, at least now you know what you can ask for.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/09/17/ride-routes-19th-25th-sept/

Ride Routes 12th – 18th Sept
Tuesday Rules of Engagement

I’ve been sick the last two weeks and it has been bad. Proper sick, too. Not some man-flu but a proper 6 days in bed with fever and aching joints. The weather gods were kind to me last week as there were a number of days where the club ride was washed out but I did manage to stumble out of bed last Saturday to kick off the groups. The morning drizzle has numbers down a bit but I still counted 55 riders that obviously missed enough rides during the week that they weren’t going to miss another Saturday. The previous Saturday when I was totally bed ridden, we had massive numbers, especially for a winter ride. It was estimated that between all the groups there were about 100 riders in attendance. Great to see so many there as it allows us to split into groups of like ability much better.

This week, though has been absolutely marvellous weather-wise, so I thought I better get back on the bike. It wasn’t pretty and I got dropped on the Tuesday Earlybird once we hit the hill on Preston Point Road. Something about a lack of lung capacity meant I didn’t make it up the hill with the group. But I’m a big boy and am capable to riding to coffee by myself. However, that ride has evolved quite a bit over the last year and we need to lay down some rules of engagement so everyone know what to expect.

First thing to cover is the meeting point. It has been under the narrows for the past 15 plus years and will continue to be there. However, as other groups also use the same starting point at the same time, it makes it hard to understand just how many riders we have and if we should split into multiple groups. As such we will slide a little further down the path and under the bridge itself. If you are approaching from across the road, we will be on the right once you hit the path.

Early in the year, Tuesday had two groups, a Relaxed and a Roll Through. Over winter, as numbers dropped this became one group with a variable pace. If we do build number back up, there may be a demand for a harder ride, but for now we are going to try to cater for both. The important thing for me is that the group stays together until it crosses the Stirling Hwy bridge. Even though it is early morning and traffic is light, riding solo over that bridge is not pleasant and an unnecessary risk to our riders. As such the first half of the ride will be “Relaxed”. Now relaxed does not mean Zone 2 as your Zone 2 and my Zone 2 may be two different speeds. Relaxed means that you take into account the whole group and maintain a conversational ride as we travel through the suburbs north of the river. Normal regroup at the water tower and then a controlled crossing of the bridge at Freo.

After that point we can let it get a bit spicy. The rest of the roads back towards Raffles are generally less busy and very much accustomed to having cyclists on them at all hours of the day. The aim would be to allow the spicier riders to get spicy and others try to hold on as best they can. It is also an opportunity to be smart about it too. If a bunch of riders get dropped together, then learn to work together to share the load.

Now this is definitely a divergence from how Tuesday has run in the past, but the club has been evolving over the last year and we need to try different things to maintain that attraction. There is a recovery ride the next day, so having a spicier ride on Tuesday is not necessarily a bad thing.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/09/10/ride-routes-12th-18th-sept/