Training for the Timid

This is a summary post of the training rides that I have been doing in order to get me ready for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer. Mostly I have done these rides solo, sometimes with a buddy. They are not routes for big groups as they mostly involve Principle Shared Paths.

South Perth/Freeway/Roe Highway/Railway Parade – LOOP

The map on Bikely is here, this variation includes the Tony Discerni pathway through Maylands.

I do this one fairly frequently if I am by myself as it is 90% principal shared path.

The diversions around Fiona Stanley Hospital are constantly in flux, so all of my Freeway South rides will have slightly different wiggly bits around that area.

Bayswater/Bells Rapids via Middle Swan Road – OUT AND BACK

Middle Swan Road has a poorly maintained Principal Shared Path along it’s length. It has a lot of root damage, narrow parts, and power poles in the middle of it. Sometimes large groups of cyclists riding together to the wineries get in the way. This is the way to ride if you want to take your time and be as separated as possible from traffic.

Bayswater/Bells Rapids/Bells Lookout via Reid Highway & GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY – OUT AND BACK

Click for the GPS generated map of a ride I did out along Middle Swan Road/Railway Parade and then back via Great Northern Highway, crossing the river at Reid Highway.

I now prefer to ride Great Northern Highway, as it has a great, smooth, wide bike lane. There are multiple large trucks using the route so this can be off putting as they try to suck you in as they go past. The Reid Highway part is not actually on Reid Highway, there are a series of back roads with connecting bike paths running parallel to the highway which go past the Prison.

If you combine these two rides you can make a loop instead of an out and back ride. Obviously there are more climbs that you can ride around Campersic Road but I was battling a fierce headwind the time I went up there and so wasn’t up to much more than one climb!

Bayswater/City/Freeway North/Scarborough/North Fremantle/Bayswater – LOOP

This is an excellent summer ride. I ride down the Midland rail line Principle Shared Path, through the city, up the Freeway North path, then get off at Cedric Street and work through the back streets to the beach. Then you can follow the coast to Fremantle, then ride back via the Fremantle rail line.

Freeway South to Singleton – OUT AND BACK

My GPS generated map is here.

Patagoni Road has a wide sealed shoulder, the section of Mandurah Road has a rather rough sealed shoulder, and Singleton Beach Road is narrow and full of hoons, so I used the shared path.

Freeway South to Rockingham/Safety Bay Road and Wellard Road – OUT AND BACK/SMALL LOOP

GPS-generated map here on Bikely.

I found this loop on a Department of Transport website, but the Wellard Road route is by far the most pleasant way in to Rockingham. Safety Bay Road has a disappearing sealed shoulder and a couple of two lane and very busy roundabouts to negotiate. I want to try riding down the coast, as the area in between the Freeway and the coast in the vicinity of Rockingham is not very scenic!

So…

I hope that these rides give you some ideas. After you’ve done all these you might want to spend more time on the road or doing hills, or whatever else you want to do. The greatest thing about riding in Perth is that the number of cyclists on the road is constantly growing, and there is safety in numbers.

 

Training: Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer

I am pleased to announce that I have made my fundraising minimum for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer. Training is going well too, as you can tell via the graph below, plotting my actual kilometres against the 1,000 km goal.

Last weekend topped it off with a 135 kilometre ride from our place, down the freeway, and a loop to Rockingham. We rode down Safety Bay Road to Point Peron, along the foreshore to Rockingham’s cafe strip, then back to the freeway via Wellard Road.

I found the route on the Department of Transport website here. The Safety Bay Road ride involved a rather skinny sealed shoulder at one point, and then on the Rockingham side of Warnbro Station there was a nasty roundabout crossing that felt like a game of ‘Frogga’ where you are a frog that has to dodge the cars to get across the road. It was very busy.

We stopped for lunch in Rockingham and watched the little yachts racing in the bay. There were a lot of bikes rolling past, and dogs of all sizes as well. It was quite a busy little strip and the weather was perfect.

The route back via Wellard Road involved a really crazy intersection between Kwinana Beach Road and Patterson Road which I would not recommend cyclists turn right at, as directed by the map online!

Wellard Road has a good shoulder and would be a good ride if it wasn’t for the road works that are happening closer to the Freeway which have covered the shoulder with rocks and dirt. Also, to get onto the Freeway shared path, you need to be on the dual use path once you are on Bertram road, which is also ripped up due to roadworks. We had to get off our bikes and walk them through the sand to get there, otherwise we would have ended up on the Freeway proper.

We took a little break at the water fountain just north of Cockburn Central, and I needed to stretch out a little.

I am not planning on doing quite so many kilometres in October because I’m planning on tapering a little the week before the Conquer Cancer ride. Longer distances are certainly getting easier and I am really enjoying being fitter and faster when I am commuting and running errands on the bike. I will have to pick a new challenge after the Conquer Cancer ride to keep up my motivation levels. Any suggestions?