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There is a group of people in Perth who meet every Saturday morning for a cycle around some part of Perth. Their name was given to them by a vocal bloke going past on a racer. The Mountain Men. (With apologies to Helen, but hey that is what the bloke called out to us.) Click here for some photos of a recent wet cycle Click here to send an email to all membersThere are some vague guidelines and rules for the meetups, which are delivered by a mysterious committee, but no-one is quite sure who is on this committee. Because we all live in different parts of Perth, the club meetings are a great opportunity to learn new cycle paths. The general guidleines are: Cycle starts no later than 7am and takes 2 to 3 hrs. Route chosen by the host that week, minimum distance 40 km, or penalties apply. Mountain bikes only, slicks OK, clip in pedals OK, carbon fibre not OK, excessive use of lycra frowned upon. Start from a different members house each week. Some kind of breakfast sustenance usually offered at the end of the cycle by the host for that week. If it is a big group, we go to a cafe, and at the moment our favourites are Cafe 130 in Leederville, and Avenue Nine in Mt Lawley. Click here for details of the club members, so you can contact them for secret training, or get details of how to find their place when they host the cycle. Cycle Details Upcoming and recent cycling events, in reverse chronological order are summarised in the table and described below:
Saturday 17 November From Murrays, over every hill in Perth, then a big breakfast fry up. Saturday 10 November From Vus, around the coast, Peter fell off. Saturday 3 November From Hungs, big cycle to Fremantle and back. Saturday 27 October Cold, hailing, cancelled Saturday 20 October From Simons place, the usual shorter loop around Guildford/Narrows, back to Avenue Nine for breakfast, dolphins in the river at East perth, Darryn managed a stck on the Grassy Knoll. Saturday 13 October From Hungs place, down the coast to the roundabout, back along the railway line to West Perth, up Mount St into Kings Park, a full loop of the park and on to Leederville for breakfast. Vu tried to chat up some girls by falling on them on Mount St, but it turned out they were already married to some of the cyclists. Saturday 6 October From Simons place, the usual Guildford/Narrows river cycle, but also added the Mt Henry loop. Followed by a nice big breakfast at Avenue 9. Saturday 29 September Grand Final Cycle (The return of the Grand Poobah after eight weeks out). Simon, Hung, Vu, Kevin. To Kings Park, up the Broadwalk, down, up and down Mount St, out to Mt Henry bridge, round to Atomic for coffee, back to Hungs place. No major incidents other than Vu doing an unplanned dismount from Murrays bike. Saturday 22 September Cycled from Hungs place.6 Attendees; Hung,
Vu, Hao, Graeme, Gerard & John Hao got a puncture after travelling 2Km's. Vu used Murray's Bike and looked like a little kid but still managed to get up Mount Street twice. Gerard & John were working for the Secret
Service and covering us from the rear, while Graeme borrowed some of Vu's
Juice and covered us at the front. Saturday 15September Cycled from Hungs, the night after Vus birthday. Three turned up, Hung, Graeme, Kevin. Saturday 8 September Went from Swan View, round the Mundaring loop, bit of rain, no one fell off, but someone was penalised for using a light in teh tunnel. Saturday 1 September Distance covered 45km to breakfast, then a
leisurely cycle back to my place for 3km so Total 48km (but only the ones
before breakfast really Members present: Darryn, Hung, Muzza, Vu, Gerard, Hao, Graeme, Heath (welcome back stranger!!!), Emil. (Simon, Fleur Dallas breakfast only no cycling but did walk all the way to and from the cafe). Start Darryn's place. River route to Guildford
then Burswood, South Perth back over the Narrows then a beeline from the
Belltower up Barrack St and down Beaufort St to brekkie at Avenue 9 to
meet up with Simon Fleur & Dallas.All members were present and ready
to go for the proposed 0700 Sharp start time except our newest member
Emil failed miserably with his 7P's (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss
Poor Performance) and his application for junior member status looks a
bit in doubt whilst the permanent members decide the appropriate sanction
to be imposed for turning up with a bike with two flat tyres which then
requires two new tubes and is filthy to boot! (geez the mechanic even
had to gets his hands dirty, Heath do you have any of those nice little
white cotton gloves they all wear in Japan handy?)I don't believe the
penalty round of coffees was actually supplied??Other events, Vu got a
puncture at the hill in BelmontNobody fell off! Saturday 25 August Distance - 46 KM from Gwelup to the city via the Freeway, down to the Canning Bridge, across to Mount Henry Bridge and back to Leederville for Brekkie. Attendees: 5 - Hung, Murray, Darryn, Vu and John (Inaugural ride). Absences: Simon (Hand Injury - 3 weeks), Kevin ( Hung-over ), Danny (late notice) , Gerard (sick) Memorable Moments: Murray with 3 broken spokes. Lost John for a while. Saturday 18 August From Hungs place (again!), lovely day. Distance
- 52KM from Gwelup through Millington Reserve in Karrinyup, down the coast
to City Beach, up Oceanic and Reybold Hill, Up Mount Street, Down the
DNA Tower run towards the Water Playground, around the back of Kings Park
and up the Hill towards the City Entrance, Down Mount Street through St
Georges Tce to East Perth, back to Leederville for Brekkie and then back
to Gwelup Saturday 11 August From Hungs place, over lots of hills, finishing
at Benion St cafe. Distance - 42KM from Gwelup to the City via the Freeway,
up Mount Street, through Subiaco to City Beach via Underwood, Up Reybold
Hill in reverse, North along the coast ending up at Bennion Street Cafe
for Brekkie and then back to Gwelup. Saturday 4 August From Darryns. 10 people, fine day, round the river, finished up at Avenue Nine, where Murray (damaged ankle) and Simon (broken arm) caught up for breakfast. Danny almost made it without falling off, but then managed a spectacular stack on the footpath next to the breakfast table. Saturday 28 July From Simons place, small turnout, rainy. Three punctures, running late, cut it short and went for breakfast. General applause and ovation when we went past a womens eight on the river at Bayswater, not really sure what Hung was showing them at the time, but they seemed to like it. Saturday 21 July From Hungs place, into the city, through Kings Park, down and up Mt St, round Mt Henry. Danny came off three times, the first one into a curb and railing! Got rained on, had breakfast at Cafe 130. Saturday 14 July From Simons place, same loop, Murray was back for this one. Handicap timing at Narrows bridge, Danny was 8 min behind, needs to work harder! Did the loop in 1 hr 46 min cycling time, not bad for 10 people, although we lost one on the way to Avenue Nine for breakfast. Saturday 7 July From Simons place, usual loop. Stopped at Narrows bridge to time the stragglers, last cyclist was 6 min behind the front group. Breakfast at Avenue Nine. Saturday 30 June From Simons place, up to Guildford, down to the Narrows, back along the river through Maylands. The cycle path was a foot under water in several places, but we didnt get rained on. Tried Avenue Nine for a post cycle breakfast- pretty good. Only Simon and Hung made it over the grassy knoll in East Perth, more effort next time boys. Saturday 23 June Murrays last cycle before Exmouth. From Hungs place, down the steps at Karrinyup, down the coast to Mosman Pk, and back to Benion St cafe. PISSED down most of the way. Saturday 16 June Simon, Murray were away, Hung organised a
cycle from his place. Those attending; Darryn, Vu, Dean, Danny, Hao, Graeme
(inaugural ride) and Hung. Off the bikes and up the DNA Tower for some
extra Hamstring/Calf work-out. with a bbq breakfast afterwards. Saturday 9 June Simon, Murray, Darryn were away, Dean was getting his bike fixed. Hung organised a cycle from his place down the wooden steps at Karrinyup and along the coast. Saturday 26 May Cycled from Murrays. 10 people attending. Got absolutely drenched in the rain. Didnt notice when we hit the big 1000 cumulative kilometers because it was too cold wet and windy. Did a loop up the lakes from Murrays place and back down the coast. 5 cyclists took a short cut back to Murrays, but it turned out to be longer than the route the front group took. Finished up with an enormous breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages and pizza, that took two bbqs to cook. Saturday 19 May Cycled from Darryns, up to the Swan Valley, 8 people. One group headed back a shorter route, the front group did some extra kilometres at a steaming pace. All met up again at a couple of cafes in Maylands. Notable for Vu leading the front group on his new bike, Murray being full of snot, Dean for a stonking pace through Guildford, and Danny attempting a face first dismount in front of a high speed car. Saturday 12 May - as reported by club secretary Hung Total number of attendees 9; Murray, Darryn,
Heath, Peter, Hao, Danny, Vu, Kevin and myself. Saturday 5 May - as reported by club secretary Hung A light cycle covering 40km from my place
in Gwelup down the freeway to the Narrows, around South Perth to Burswood
and then to Cafe 130 in Leederville for a light breakfast before trekking
back to Gwelup. Saturday 21 April Cycled from Murrays place, down to Freo, up the coast, stopping for breakfast at a beachside cafe. Big cycle. Attending were Murray, Hung, Dean (on mountain bikes) and Simon, Darryn (on racers). It was a big reintroduction for Hung who had just got back from holidays. Saturday 14 March Lots of people still away and Simon still had a splint on his hand. So Simon, Murray, Darryn went from Simons place to Freo and back on racers. Saturday 7 April Easter Saturday, so everyone was away. But Simon did 24 km on a racer with one hand just to prove we go every week. Saturday 31 March From Hungs place, down to the city, out to Mt Henry, back to Perth Water, up to Burswood, across to Leederville for breakfast at Cafe 130. Attending were Hung, Vu, Darryn, Murray. Not attending were Dean (kitchen), Simon (just got out of hospital after a chainsaw accident), Mark (in hospital with a dodgy disc in his spine). Saturday 24 March A longer cycle again, up the river to Guildford, down through South Perth, up Mount St, a hill loop in Kings Park, around Lake Monger, a stop at the bakery for supplies and back through the suburbs to Darryns place. Discovered that the bike path round the building site in Belmont no longer exists. Our route guide adopted a "lead from the back" approach, not surprising given Emil was hammering along at the front at an enormous pace. Attending were Darryn, Murray, Hung, Mark, Emil, Simon. Followed up with a spectacular large and varied breakfast including mini quiches of various types, sausages and mushrooms. Saturday 17 March Attending were Hung, Murray, Simon, Mark, Helen, Vu. Cycled through the Karrinyup limestone trail, down the coast, over Reibold, into the city, across Graham Farmer Bridge, down to South Perth, back to Hungs via Mount St. Murrays bike computer didnt like the downhill steps, but with some help from Google Earth and Marks map gadget, it looks like it was a 51 to 54 km cycle. No penalties issued, everyone ascended Mount St, but certainly an unconventional approach by Hung, who elected to lead the cycle from the rear. Overtaken by a noisy lady cyclist on a racer in South Perth, so we overtook her back. Finished up with an enormous breakfast and smoothies, courtesy of Maureen. Saturday 10 March We met at the Swan View carpark and did the old railway loop up to Mundaring/Sawyers Valley/Helena Valley and back. Attending were Mark, Helen, Simon, Murray, Hung and Vu. Stopped for a celebratory muesli bar on the Goldfields pipeline after passing 500 km cumulative km for the group. Then did the downhill leg at a decent clip, through the tunnel, and met Bob at the carpark. Bob had brought up a champagne breakfast put together by Fleur. Only one minor unplanned dismount, which wasnt bad considering the loose gravel, plus a couple of close calls. And one warning issued for failing to cycle through the darkest bit of the tunnel. No excuses next time, concentrate on the light ahead of you and keep cycling! Saturday 3 March An even bigger contender for most challenging this year. 73 km, including most of the decent hills in Perth - Mount St, Heart Attack Hill above Meads Restaurant, Reibold, and Hale Hill. There were 5 of us - Murray, Simon, Hung, Dean, Darryn, although Darryn had to bail out early to get to a wedding. Cycled along the coast, the freeway and the river, between Warwick and Fremantle. Stopped at Mosman Park, overlooking the beach, for a muesli bar snack provided by Murray, before tackling the rest of the hills. Back to Murrays afterwards for a big breakfast, including hand crafted pancakes. Saturday 24 February A contender for most challenging cycle of the year. Attending were Dean, Darryn, Simon, Murray, Hung. Went from Glendalough, down the coast to Fremantle, up the south side of the river. Chased down and held on to a few people on racers, including one who tried sitting on 42 km/hr but couldnt shake us off. Then for a laugh we did Mount St, before heading to Deans for breakfast. Saturday 17 February We had 8 people along for the first 25 km loop going north along the coast (plus Reibold Hill), and 6 people kept going for another 30 km loop south along the river. Great scenery, some hills, a well planned ride. Followed by an excellent breakfast which to Murrays relief wasnt "quick" at all. Attending were: Mark, Helen, Paddy, Simon, Murray, Hung, Vu, Dean. Saturday 10 February Cycled from Vu's place at the northern part of Perth, along the coast, 41 km in total, which just scraped over the minimum. Attending were Vu, Hung, Murray, Dean, Mark. Big effort from Vu to provide breakfast afterwards. Saturday 3 February It was about 40 degrees, very humid, with little breeze. Hard work, especially with cycling up the Broadwalk in Kings Park, then cycling down and back up Mount St. Bit of a debacle with Peter left behind at Mount St and the rest returning to look for him. Warnings issued to Peter and Vu for dismounting on the Broadwalk. Attending were Hung, Vu, Peter, Dean, Darryn, Simon. Back to Hungs afterwards for an excellent breakfast. Friday 26 January Heath didnt make it, his paving excuse has now been around nearly as long as Darryns air conditioner excuse, and the committee may decide to censure. Bob and Peter also didnt make it. But we still had our biggest turnout ever, 9 people who were: Simon, Murray, Darryn, Mark R, Mark, Helen, Dean, Hung and Vu. Cycled from Bayswater, up to Guildford, down the river across the Narrows bridge and back. Saw all the fireworks preparations on the foreshore. Helen had a dodgy bike day, stuffed gears and a puncture. Warnings issued to Vu, Darryn, Helen, Mark for non completion of the compulsory hill climb in East Perth. Finished up with smoothies and breakfast pies as provided by Fleur. Saturday 20 January Making it for the cycle from Murrays place at 5:30 pm were Murray, Simon, Hung (first cycle after his overseas holiday), Darryn, Mark R. Not making it for the cycle was Vu, who actually turned up at Murrays place at 5:30 am, and wondered if we had all left without him! There is some debate as to whether the 40 km minimum was achieved, which will be resolved by an independent auditor being brought in to calibrate the respective bike computers. Cycled up the coastal path, where the number of kite surfers around was a good indication of the wind conditions, back down along the freeway to Warwick. Hung tried to slow us down by deliberately getting a puncture, but it was fixed in no time. Followed up with a curry dinner attended by partners, very tasty. Saturday 13 January Mark Raynor, Simon, Murray, Heath enjoyed a spectacular cycle from Warwick, up a coastal path to the north, inland to Joondalup, then south along cycle paths and reserves following the chain of lakes starting at Lake Joondalup. Bit over 50 km, did it in under 2 hrs, spectacular scenery. Nice short sprint obstacle course across a couple of parks and through a school near the end, including an abrupt halt at a fence. Mighty fine breakfast of fruit, French toast, bacon and mushrooms enjoyed at the conclusion. A potential contender for cycle of the year in 2007. Saturday 6 January We cycled from Darryn's place. 60 km, around the grape vines in the Swan Valley, a really nice scenic cycle that we should do again, a contender for cycle route of the year. Spectacular eggs benedict provided post cycle. Attending were Simon, Mark, Darryn, Murray, Heath. Saturday 30 December We cycled from Deans place in Glendalough, up to Hillarys, down the coast, and around the lake back to his place, followed by a jolly fine bacon and egg breakfast. There was an unfortunate incident involving a young lady wearing birkenstocks, less said about that the better, it makes Murray start twitching. On that cycle we had Darryn (sans clip in shoes), Murray, Dean, Simon, Peter and Peter. Looking forward to Peter and Peter coming along to a few more cycles. Saturday 23 December Started from Mark and Helens place in City Beach. Past Reibold Hill (not over, don't go thinking the committee didnt notice), through Subiaco, through Kings Park, down the river to Mosman Park, back up the coast. Lovely cycle, especially along the river near Mosman Park. Memorable for a spectacular face plant by Murray at the Narrows, but he bravely completed the route. New rule. Don't stop unexpectedly in the middle of the path on a corner. Also memorable for pancake and bacon and egg breakfast. Cyclists that day were Mark, Helen, Simon, Darryn, Murray, Heath, Dean. My brain doesnt go back any further than that, but we have been meeting up and cycling every week for at least a year. |
