CTA - Cycle Touring Association of Western Australia

[casual_cyclist]

I was asked today who CTA are. Here is what it says on their website (http://www.ctawa.asn.au/):

Promoting and Enjoying Recreational Cycling and Cycle Touring.

The Cycling Touring Association of WA is a recreational cycling club which organises a wide variety of recreational & social rides, including short and long day rides, weekend trips and longer cycle tours of a week or more.

The club has rides every Sunday and some Saturdays throughout the year. Ride distances range from 20km to 80km in a day, and cover city, coastal and country areas. During the warmer summer months, we have mid-week evening rides. These are normaly held on a Wednesday night and are usually relatively short (eg 20km).

At various times the club organises longer tours. Each year in the spring, the club organises the week-long "On Your Bike" tour. This is a fully supported tour which visits the country areas of Western Australia.

They have a calendar too: http://www.ctawa.asn.au/calendar

[Aushiker]

G'day

Cavebear (Perry) rides with them regularly. I have ridden with them once, but with the other ride options (e.g., Bike Force, Audax); their limited touring rides (despite the name) and time commitments have decided to not do more with them.

However they do appear to be pretty social group so may work well for others.

Regards
Andrew

[heavymetal]

their limited touring rides (despite the name) and time commitments have decided to not do more with them.

However they do appear to be pretty social group so may work well for others.

I was a member for several years and went on quite a few rides. However as Aushiker mentions, the limited touring rides, I went elsewhere. They are a good social group and the local rides were good and catered for all types of riders. Whatever you ride, you are welcome with them.

Kev.

[roysm]

Hi Guys, Could you please Explain what you mean by the ( Limited touring rides) . Just wondering what you mean..

Roy.

[just4tehhalibut]

Can't comment on 'limited' but they still run some awesome rides, the '10000 in 8' coming up is a killer and strangely popular enough to be run twice a year now and with a half-the-torture version also.
I used to be a member when John Martin and a few enthusiasts went beyond the popular Achievement Rides and brought in that new thing, Audax events. We also had some good weekend-long events based from Northam, Donnelly River, Albany so they did tours. They also organised some timetrials, such as the 12-hour time trial at Mundijong, before we had ATTA come along. I left just before there was a split in the CTA, a few disgruntled members didn't want these new-fangled distractions from the social scene and peeled off to form 'Cycling 4 Pleasure' (although why someone would want to ride without a saddle on their seatpost I don't know). That was over 15 years ago. Since then the CTA has also organised larger tours like the OYB but somehow let Bicycle Victoria run bigger and better events in their own territory. So half of the CTA calendar is rides that have been done for decades but still popular. They also still do the short cafe raids.
I would guess that the CTA, C4P, Over-55s and lots of other groups survive around this small city because the cycling really is good here, whatever ride you want.

[Aushiker]

Hi Guys, Could you please Explain what you mean by the ( Limited touring rides) . Just wondering what you mean..Roy.

Hi Roy

Well for me it means they seem to only run a few touring rides a year and they are generally longer ones, whereas when I was considering them I was looking for much more frequent tours; weekends and three day rides in addition to the longer ones.

I come from a bushwalking background where I regularly did at least one weekend pack carry a month. I even led a ride of the Waterous Trail for the Perth Bushwalkers. It seems CTA does not do this sort of shorter camping based tours from what I have seen.

Happy to be corrected but.

Regards
Andrew

[casual_cyclist]

I would guess that the CTA, C4P, Over-55s and lots of other groups survive around this small city because the cycling really is good here, whatever ride you want.

You are right about Perth having great riding - the weather, the locations, the people. So many groups, I haven't even heard of half of them. It's a pity that more are not promoted on this web site. Maybe someone should contact the secretary of each group and ask them to post notice of rides which are coming up.

[roysm]

Thanks for that Andrew, Just to let you know CTA does a lot of weekend and long weekend trips away, most long weekends are a three day trips and on an average every 5-6 weeks is a weekender, It's not quite once a month but it's hard to find people to lead these rides, just keep an eye out on the CTA web site for the overnighters and come and join the fun.
Done the Waterous Loop a few times now, it's a good ride isn't it, Might get another weekend trip organised Down there soon.

ROY.

[Aushiker]

Thanks for that Andrew, Just to let you know CTA does a lot of weekend and long weekend trips away, most long weekends are a three day trips and on an average every 5-6 weeks is a weekender, It's not quite once a month but it's hard to find people to lead these rides, just keep an eye out on the CTA web site for the overnighters and come and join the fun.
Done the Waterous Loop a few times now, it's a good ride isn't it, Might get another weekend trip organised Down there soon.

Hi Roy

Thanks for the update. Just took a look at the website but nothing there at the moment. Will try and remember to keep an eye on it and see how it plans out.

Regards
Andrew

[Baalzamon]

The rides can been see here. I have done some rides with them a few years ago. I am thinking about doing the next weekend with the for the 10000 feet hills over 110km's.

[Aushiker]

The rides can been see here. I have done some rides with them a few years ago. I am thinking about doing the next weekend with the for the 10000 feet hills over 110km's.

Yes, but we where talking about touring rides, not day rides.

Andrew

[cavebear2]

Nice tour with the CTA this past long weekend. Great night at the Spencer's Brook pub on Saturday night, best roast I've had in years! Great company, great riding, great locations, fab. bakery food, perfect weather incl. temperatures and very well organised by Colin Prior. Toodyay even has Uncle Vince's Italian restaurant (used to be in Northbridge but has 'retired' to Toodyay) does great pizza & chilli mussles. The riding around Toodyay is brill., I've spent a bit of time up there riding this year, lots of hills, quiet bitumen roads. On Sunday we had a lovely ride from Spencers Brook to Toodyay, very gentle and scenic, stopped in Northam, at the Alpaca farm & an olive oil farm, both just east of Toodyay. I even bought 2 bottles of olive oil to lug back to Perth! On Sunday arvo I went for a play in the hills around Toodyay and got back just after dark. Almost reached 60 kmh on the MTB (with 1.75 inch Marathon Cross tyres) down Julimar Rd. We tented at Spencers Brook and stayed at the Freemasons Pub in Toodyay. A fair bit of red wine was drunk, some late nights were had and we had 2 stops at the Bakers Hill bakery, best bakery in WA. Best of all, my wife Helen managed 234 kms for the 3 days which I'm pretty proud of. Those k's included carrying 13kgs in her panniers on a flat bar roadie and with plenty of hills on both Saturday and Monday including Ryecroft road in Darlington.

Link to my route here

[casual_cyclist]

Nice tour with the CTA this past long weekend.

Nice Thanks for the ride report too. Sounds like a great weekend.

[roysm]

Hi Perry, Sounds like I missed a really good weekend, but the FLU got me on Wednesday night and i'm just starting to recover, but glad it was a good ride.
Andrew, I'll get in touch with the ride coordinator and find out when the next over night tour is and let you all know.
Baalzamon, How are you, have not seen you since the Great Escapade, It's 10,000 meters over 110kms in 8hrs, it's a good one for personal satisfaction.
TO tell the truth I don't mind riding with any of the clubs in Perth, they all have something to offer. And I just enjoy riding, so stay safe catch you out there.

Roy.

[redned]

Cavebear2:
Must have just missed you inToodyay. My wife and I came up Julimar Rd from Kingsley on Sunday (108 km) and overnighted over the road from you at the Victoria Hotel. Met up with Vince in the hotel bar after closing while we were having (too many!) night caps with Margaret and Geoff (the owners). Returned down Toodyay Rd which wasn't much fun with the traffic. Great weather for a weekend tour.

cheers

[cavebear2]

Cavebear2:
Must have just missed you inToodyay. My wife and I came up Julimar Rd from Kingsley on Sunday (108 km) and overnighted over the road from you at the Victoria Hotel. Met up with Vince in the hotel bar after closing while we were having (too many!) night caps with Margaret and Geoff (the owners). Returned down Toodyay Rd which wasn't much fun with the traffic. Great weather for a weekend tour.

Hi redned, I saw you 2 guys on Julimar Rd getting near dusk! I was the guy on the red MTB going the other way. Great to find out who it was. I whipped back into Toodyay just after dusk for a nice roast with the CTA. Helen & myself visited Vince for a coffee after the evening meal and sat around the fire for a bit.