A Day In The Life of Tony Rocha

Panorama of Chico from lower North Rim Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Panorama of Chico from lower North Rim Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:44:00 +0000

Video - Phil Lesh & Friends - Warfield

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:46:00 +0000

Here are a couple of clips I took while at the closing of the Warfield in San Francisco, CA, May 18th, 2008. Phil Lesh & Friends are playing Sugar Magnolia. The first clip is the beginning of the song as the balloons were falling. The second clip is the remaining 10 + minutes of the song, zoomed in for your viewing pleasure.

It was an awesome show, a long show, and the last show at the Warfield.

This Breaks my Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:39:00 +0000

I'm a computer guy by trade but practice my trade in the field of cancer registry. That being said, I see more cancer patient data then I'd like to. Most the time it's not a problem but other times you noticed the data and think, wow, that guy is my age. It's a bit scary when it's someone your age and provokes thoughts of you own mortality.

Well, the reason I bring any of this up at all is because of one blogger's experience with cancer in his family which he has been posting about on his blog, Fat Cyclist. You see, Fatty's wife, Susan has cancer. From what I gather, it's been an up and down road for them, as many patients experience.

Anyway, I won't tell their story here, you can read it over at Fatty's site. I'm posting this today because the last few posts have been both inspirational and very saddening; today's post particularly.

So, head over and check it out and you'll understand why my heart hurts today.

Chico Wheelmen Campout

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Yup, I said Chico Wheelmen! It's our own little touring group based in Chico, CA. It's little, only about 19 or so members so far. I don't think we've even met in person as a group, only via email and a message board. Regardless of it's lack of formality, we're doing a ride this weekend. I think there are four riders who are confirmed with one or two maybes.

The plan is to ride to Woodson Bridge, hang out, fish, drink beers, eat unhealthy foods purchased at a nearby questionable store, and camp. We'll then ride back to Chico the next morning, hopefully in time to get to the city plaza for, Chico Pedal Fest, the first of many bike to work events being held in Chico over the next week.

I'll twitter about the trip, take some photos with the iPhone to post along the way, and take pictures with my digicam for posting later.

What's Up AT&T?

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:57:00 +0000

AT&T, dude, what's up? One day you're advertising that iPhone users get free Wi-Fi access at more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including Starbucks and Barnes and Noble, the next, all the info from your website on the matter is gone. One day, we're using free Wi-Fi by providing our AT&T phone's number as authentication, the next, you want a user name and password.

So, what's it going to be AT&T? What do I really get for giving you $70 a month after spending $427 on an iPhone. Please exactly clarify what you are offering so us customers and potential customers better understand.

Bike Ride, DSO, Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:58:00 +0000

What a week!

Started things off with three days of bike riding from Chico to San Francisco; 190 miles.

Day one was 83 miles from Chico to Dunnigan. It was hot, dusty, and not all the roads we took were paved. We were out there from 9 AM until 6 PM but made many stops to take pictures, look at wildlife, and rest. We thought about camping out the first night, but after all those miles and no camp ground in the area, we decided it best to get a room.

Day two was Dunnigan to Lake Berryessa, covering about 60 miles. It was an up and down day on many levels. We met a couple of people from Chico on the back roads out of Dunnigan when they stopped us on the road for a chat. Hey Joyce and Mike from Durham! There was lots of wildlife along the trip since we were in farm land. Unfortunately, there were also hunters shooting quail, which isn't a problem for me, but Mat is not a fan of hunting or hunters. Me, well, as long as they eat what they shoot, then I'm cool with it.

It wasn't long before I had a similar problem as Mat when we happened upon kittens on the side of the road who were laid to rest most likely because the owner didn't want them anymore. As a cat lover, it was a very painful experience for me.

The ride into Berryessa wasn't bad but it was uphill. We arrived in time to get settled before a friend from Willits, Evan, arrived with food and beer. Evan, thanks a million, you made the day!

Day three took us from Berryessa, through Napa to Vallejo where we caught the Baylink Ferry to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We had hoped to make the 2 PM boat, but ended up arriving at 3:10, leaving us 10 minutes to catch the 3:20 boat. A couple of beers later, we pulled into SF. We and our newly founded buzz then rode around SF to the Sunset District where we were staying with a friend, Christian. Christian, thanks for the hospitality!

Day three was Monday and also the first night of the shows. I was dead on my feet after the ride and we barely had time to order a pizza and shower before heading off to the show. To get to the show, we took the N-Judah train over to Civic to save some $$ and the environment, of course. Oh, we were there for three nights of Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead cover band who play recreated Dead shows, song for song.

The show that night was awesome, if you closed your eyes, it was the Grateful Dead. They recreated a show from 03-16-73 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y. (Fri). The set list is as follows:

Set 1:
China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Jack Straw, Wave That Flag, Looks Like Rain, Ramble On Rose, Box Of Rain, Beat It On Down The Line, They Love Each Other, El Paso, Row Jimmy, Mexicali Blues, Bird Song, Playing In The Band

Set 2:
Promised Land > Bertha > Greatest Story Ever Told, Loser, Big River, Don't Ease Me In, Me & My Uncle, Dark Star > Truckin' > Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia

After each of the shows, we made a point to stop by Tommy's Joynt for sandwiches and more drinks before hitting the train back to the Sunset. Yummy!

Tuesday I was up early as I hadn't broken my work-week sleeping habit. I spent the morning wandering around the Sunset, going to coffee shops and the beach.
After arriving late the first night, we decided it was best to head to the show early and stand in line. We arrived early enough to check that there was no line at the venue and then headed over to the Edinburgh Castle Pub around the corner for beers and fish and chips. Afterward, we returned to the venue and were first in line, which helped us secure balcony seats directly above the stage. In line we met a taper and Mat was able to barter with the guy so that he could trade for the three shows we attended. Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting the CDs for which I'll use to lay over some of the video we took.

Being the first night we stood in line, we were able to people watch. As compared to the mostly acid tripping crowd on Monday, Tuesday was a bit more mellow. Granted, all the same dealers were cruising the street selling their wares, but it didn't seem as crazy as Monday. Tuesday's show was also a little different as DSO didn't recreate a specific show, but instead created their own set. Another great show, set list as follows:

Set 1:
Help On the Way > Slipknot > Franklins Tower > Music Never Stopped > Roses > King Solomon's Marbles > Masterpiece > Foolish Heart > Lazy Lightning > Supplication > After Midnight

Set 2:
Stranger > Visions > Easy Wind > Crazy Fingers > UJB > DS > Blues for Allah > Let it Grow > Cosmic Chuck > Alligator

E) Dedicated to Dr Albert Hoffman--Lucy in the Sky

Wednesday, show three. I was getting into the hang of things at this point and our day was much like Tuesday. In the line early, chatting with people about shows, songs, and rousing the band was they would walk between the venue and the bus. Mat was able to get most of the autographs of the band members on his two previous ticket stubs; too cool.

After getting inside, it was time to hit up the merch table to get a t-shirt and a poster. I got number 123 of 300 in the signed poster set of the DSO tour and someday, I'll get it framed with my 3 ticket stubs. After taking our seats in the balcony, we met and talked with the people around us which is always a treat. This last show of the stint brought the house down. The show was originally from 11-17-78 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, Il. (Fri).

Set 1:
Shakedown > Mama Tried > Mexicali > Peggy-O > Cassidy > Tennessee Jed > Passenger > FOTD > Miracle

Set 2:
Bertha > Good Lovin > Ship Of Fools > Estimated > Eyes of the World > Drumz > Terrapin > Around

E: Casey Jones
last "Casey Jones": 12-31-77 [63]

Filler: Midnight Hour > Brokedown

NOTE: The only song which was played more than once during this three night set, was Bertha!

So, great run of shows at the GAMH for DSO, so much so we talked about trekking to Portland tonight to see them again for two days and then to Eugene for another. Better judgment will undoubtedly keep us from making the drive.

Thanks to Mat's wife, Chichi for being in the City and for driving us back to Chico. Also, thanks go out to Mat for being a great travel partner.

Next Bay Area DSO shows will probably be in October and then possibly some New Year's shows. I've got my fingers crossed.

I'll be Trippin'

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Trippin' on my bicycle down to San Francisco this weekend.

People around work have been asking if I've been getting excited and the answer all week has been NO. Today, though, I'm feeling it. I've been slowly working towards this day all week; working on my bike, gathering gear, and replenishing supplies. All the while, not really excited about the trip, just kind of going through the motions. Well, today I realize that tomorrow, I leave and there will be no time to work out any further details.

I'm feeling prepared. I've changed the tires and tubes, replaced a water bottle cage, packed up the panniers and thought that was it. Well, yesterday I went out to check on the bike and sure enough, flat rear tire. I mean really, come on, how can it be flat when I just installed a new tire and new tube? Faulty bond between the metal presta valve and the rubber tube. So, after making an extra trip to the Sports LTD yesterday to swap out a schrader tube that was in a presta box, I'll be stopping by there again today to try and return the presta tube for another that isn't faulty. It'll be a little piece of mind knowing I have two spare tubes rather than just one.

So, once again, look for my Twitter updates via Twinkle. I'm going to try and post often and accompany my posts with a picture. The picture, for you end users, will be in the form of a link which you can click on to see the picture in the resulting web page.

After I get back from my trip, it'll be Bike Week and there will be all sorts of bike activities going on around Chico. I'll be sure to report on that once it occurs.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Happy Earth Day amongst other things...

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:51:00 +0000

Earth Day, Yey! The flags all around town look nice but a bunch of old republican types are bitching because this is America and we ought to be flying the American flag and if you don't like it, you can go back to where ever it you came from. Wonder what the Indians think about that?

Blind patriotism rocks!

Anyway.

Had a big weekend with my friends which, I'm only recovering from today. Getting old and acting young is getting more tough each day, whew!

As I said over Twitter, it's not the best way to start a week where over the following weekend you plan to ride a bike from Chico to San Francisco. There, it's in writing and backing out is now an impossibility.

The plan is to ride out of Chico this Saturday sometime in the morning heading south toward Arbuckle [Map]. Depending on our progress, we might spend the first night in a park or field, otherwise, we'll continue further south until we find a hotel about 10 miles down the road. Then, it's out to Lake Berryessa [Map]to spend the night in a resort campground, living the high life!

Then on Monday morning, it's pretty easy ride from Berryessa down to Vallejo [Map] to catch the ferry into Pier 41 before riding across the city [Map] over to our destination by Ocean Beach.

The ride is just the beginning of the fun as the intension of the trip is to see Dark Star Orchestra play Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the following week at the Great American Music Hall.

Yesterday, I spent a little time doing inventory on my camping gear and packing up my panniers. I hate waiting until the last moment to do this stuff because not having what you need while out on the road is not fun. But just as I type this, I recall that I've waited until the last moment to order, receive, and change the tires on the bike I plan to ride. Sigh.

So, if you want to keep up with my goings on during the trip, you can. I'll be making frequent updates via Twinkle, an iPhone app that allows Twitter posts but also allows me to add pictures and GPS's my location where I'm sending the message from. Unfortunately, if you don't have an Jailbroken iPhone, you can't use the app and apparently there isn't a web page for you to see my personal time line either. Sorry folks, but at least you'll get the messages.

OK, I'm tired of typing... do something good on Earth Day, like turn off a light or pick up a piece of trash, the Earth will appreciate it.

What A Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Hell yeah! The stars aligned for me this weekend in terms of riding and the weather, oh and work.

I cut out of work at 9:30 AM on Friday, which is a good beginning to any weekend. Of course, I had to run some errands before I could get to the meat and potatoes of my weekend. After errands, I was out on the bike and riding up to Centerville and beyond. Beyond being mostly up to DeSabla Reservoir on the gravel section of historic Centerville Rd. So, not much to report except it was beautiful weather, the water in the canals was running, and there was a new sign at the entrance to Butte Creek Canyon. Oh, I did ride down Nimshew Rd to see if one might be able to ride through to Skyway via Ponderosa, but nope; private road. Damn, I hate backtracking... In the end, I did about 70 miles.

So, Friday was such darn good fun, I figured I'd do it again. So, same ride but with a different bike. Friday, I rode my mtn bike with the panniers, which was fun, but fairly slow going. Saturday, I rode the Kogswell and even though it's not as comfortable in the gravel sections, it was much more efficient.

Yeah, so again, Friday and Saturday were so much fun, I was planning to do the same ride again. I met up with a group at the Has Beans on Humboldt Rd thinking that they were going to do that same ride, but no. They were headed in the same direction but not up the gravel. Once at the end of the road and the beginning of the gravel, we turned around to head back down the hill to climb up the other side of the canyon on Honeyrun Rd.

I was a little disappointed about not hitting the gravel, but riding with some other riders was nice as the past two days was solo. Anyway, these young guns I was riding with are Chico State students and pretty spry as compared to me, the old dude (only compared to them). Keeping up with these rail thin college kids wasn't easy but a great workout.

I also got to hear stories of bike trips to foreign counties and of a future bike trip from Chico to San Luis Obispo for a sustainability conference at the end of July. Wish I could go with, but it lands too near a family camping trip and my own summer bike tour.

So, that's it for now, I exhausted still and will rest now.

Bike Video

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:51:00 +0000

I was inspired by Gino taking some video of our down hill run out of Centerville on Saturday, to create this little video using JumpCut, a Yahoo property.

Gino was creating a video to use in testing Flickr's testing of it's new video upload offering. I'm hoping that they integrate some online editing tools kind of like what they did with Picnik for photos.

Anyway, my video is neither as good nor as exciting as Gino's, but hey, I had to hold the camera in my hand while riding, not as easy to do as to say.

Enjoy.

Whoa, Friday Already!

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:54:00 +0000

Last weekend and this week went past like they were nothing. Last thing I remember was going to a Jackie Greene show at the El Rey Theater and a 75 bike ride on Sunday. Both were excellent endeavors.

The Jackie Greene show exceeded my expectations though it was a little short but I did a swell job of making the fun last ALLLL night.

Then the Tour of the Unknown Valley, Northern section was on Sunday. I went out there by myself but ended up seeing some friends and then meeting new friends. Hi Bill, Shelly, Peggy, and Carla! They were all really strong riders and great conversationalists who made my day a much better one.

Yesterday, I finally had an MRI done on my busted up shoulder. It's not so busted since it's been over 3 weeks since I took the tumble, but I still wanted the piece of mind you get from an MRI as compared to X-rays. Should hear about that early next week, but I'm guessing everything is just fine.

Also, this past week, Chico Gino started up a new message board over at Google for a bike camping slash touring group in and around Chico. We've got our first overnight camping trip planned for Woodson Bridge on May 20th. I'm excited and I hope that we can build a nice little group who's interests are mainly touring and camping, oh and beer drinking; cause no great ride is complete without a few road sodas, yo!

So, on the agenda for this weekend... Yup, you guessed it, bike riding! I plan to do a nice little 2 hour jaunt around Chico before heading to Mattie and Chichi's how to meet up with the Mermaids for Italian treats and import beers.

I'll leave you with a picture from back in the day of my brother and I on our Big Wheels, Christmas day. This was my second wheeled vehicle which I could ride after a tricycle. The next year, I got a real two wheeled 20 inch bike that was much too big for me at 4.5 years. But, Dad had me out in the street, holding the seat for me, teaching me how to ride anyway. Thirty something years later, still rockin' the two wheel.

TGIF!

Personal Project #3

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Well, here's another addition to the personal project. Today's theme is me and water. Not much in the way of stories to tell, just pictures to show, so sit back and enjoy.

Today we'll start off with a picture of me on the beach. Most people who know me, know I have a fondness for the beach and hanging out, even some water sports. In this picture, I'm hanging out picking up on the babes on Waikiki Beach. The one year old beer belly look brings em runnin'!

We were in Hawaii because my Mom's company had sent her out to work in for a few weeks and me and Dad came along to help... help take in the sun!

The next, another beach picture, is a little faded, but you can still see I'm sporting the bathing suit fashion of the time; the banana hammock! Even better, it's purple. Ah, the year, 1979 I was cutting school for a month to visit the grandparents, once again, chillin' on the beach. This photo was taken at my Dad's ole' stomping ground at Ipanema in Rio, which explains the bathing suit, right?

And the last for the day. Sure we grew up on soccer, that's what happens when you have Brasilian roots, but in 1984 my Dad informed my brother and I that we'd be learning to windsurf. We weren't particularly excited, but after the first day, it was said and done, windsurfing was the new bestest sport I could ever do. The picture is from Sherman Island on a usual day; NW @ 25 knots and maybe even an ebb tide. I used to love jumping off the ramps out there in the river, let me tell ya. Oh, I'm the guy with the white sail.

Our family pretty much spent every weekend from dusk until dawn out at Sherman Island during June, July and August for years. Matter of fact, my Mom and Dad still go out there, but now only on weekdays.

These day's, I'm up in Chico and a bit landlocked so I don't get to sail like I used to when I lived down in the Bay Area. Someday, someday, I'll be somewhere I can sail all the time.

Well, that's it for today, hope you enjoy.

Personal Project #2

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Alrighty, welcome back for the second edition of the personal project. So, in the initial installment, Mom was a little embarrassed about her hair, as well everyone should have been back in the 60's. To help Mom feel a little better about her choice of hair style back in the day, today's post will depict my mad 70's style.

The first photo is of me and Twiggy, our family dog, in the play pen. Poor Twiggy! So, this photo doesn't do much to deflect my mother hair embarrassment, since at the time, I really didn't have much hair to speak of. What did you expect, I was only 7 or 8 months old.

Twiggy was such a cute dog. She was a mix of Pekingese and Chihuahua. These is a story behind my father bringing the dog home. I track that one down for you all or maybe Mom will leave a comment. Anyway, Twiggy, not only a good dog, but she had longevity in her bloodline, living over 16 years, until I was into high school. It's odd, when she died, it didn't really affect me as much as say when about 6 years ago, one of my cats died. But I remember the day and it strangely makes me sad now.

The next photo is of my brother and I in my Dad's recliner. Check out my hair cut, I did it myself. You like? It may not be fancy, but it hey, it kept the hair out of my eyes.

I recall my mother telling me that I used to cry a lot after my brother was born, but I don't remember nor are there any pictures of my crying that I could find. I really only remember being happy and have nothing but fun times.

One funny thing is that when my brother was born, I couldn't enunciate his name properly and therefore called him bobby when his name was Robbie.

The last photo of the day is from Carnival in Rio. My Dad grew up in Rio so we would visit the grandparents every so often, usually around Carnival. I'm not sure of the story behind this picture, but it looks like this little girl and myself were dancing, certainly much to my dismay, even though you can't tell in the photo. Kind of makes me wonder who that girl was and where she is today. Mom? Any ideas? Oh, and look at that shot mark on my arm, ouchie! I guess that was common when traveling outside the US to get such shots, still have the mark to this day.

Anyway, I don't remember much of that day other than a faint memory of all the confetti falling down around me though these types of experiences certainly play part in who I am today.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Oh and the photos of my awesome hair should make my Mom feel marginally better about her hair style choice from the previous day's pictures.

Personal Project

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:15:00 +0000

Hey, back from Easter at my parent's house. Good times! It's always fun seeing the family, which I hadn't done since Christmas, boy does time fly. Before I know it, my little nieces will be big nieces.

While at my parent's, I received a DVD my Mom had made after scanning a bunch of the old family photo albums dating back to 1966, pre-Tony Jr. That was my Mom's project and I've taken it upon myself to make it my project to upload and share a few choice photos from our family albums every so often and try to give some background story about each photo. Of course, the first photos were taken before I was around, so I'll just comment on them. With any luck, Mom will see them posted and add her two cents. We might be able to convince Dad to add as well, but I think he only uses the thing to follow all the soccer info around the world, but mostly pertaining to players from Brasil.

This will be the first post in regards to this personal project and these pictures you see are the first I've loaded. Mind you, I'll probably not post every picture in this blog, but you'll be able to find them all at this link. So, head on over and take a look, it's bound to be fun, I mean, funny!

Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Follow up to "Some things just piss me off" post from earlier this week.

So, I'm altering my schedule for Friday and cutting out early. As usual, I send out the all office email to inform users if they need my help, get it early on Friday. You know, you've seen these messages before, they're informational, not meant to be responded to.

Ah hell, my favorite email buddy has little email etiquette and sends a "thanks" in reply. At least the person didn't reply to all so maybe they are catching.... ha, I'm dreaming. Some people, not including me of course, must have too much time on their hands to send replies to messages like the one I sent; probably as much as someone willing to complain about it and post it to the web, right?

I think I need a vacation something along the lines of Bike or Bust 2008.

Some things just piss me off

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:26:00 +0000

Ok, you are all going to just laugh at me for this one, but really, this drives me crazy to no end.

Let me paint a little picture of the scenario for you. So, a co-worker makes a fantastic cake in the break room microwave. Many of my co-workers enjoyed a piece, unfortunately, I don't eat that kind of stuff at the office, so I'm taking their word it was fantastic. So, one co-worker feels the need to let the cake maker know how damn good the cake was, so rather than go over a tell that cake maker or better yet, send them an email, this cake lover sends an all office email to let the cake maker know. No big whoop eh? Well, why do I, as the none cake eater, give a rats ass about how she feels about the other co-workers cake? It just adds to the number of crap email I need to wade though to get to the important messages. Maybe I'm special, but this seems like total common sense.

Ok, one more of a similar nature. I send an all office email to let people know I'll be altering my schedule for a day so they know I won't be available during my regular hours to support their needs. This is not an uncommon occurrence in my office. But, we have one person that feels the need to reply back to each of those type of messages with a "thanks for letting us know!" Hello? Earth to computer user, it's an FYI! You don't need to let me know you're thankful for me telling you, I'm going to assume so.

I guess what I'm getting at is people who use the computer for work, especially email, should understand the etiquette for said system, that's all. I guess I'll need to send that email again about email etiquette, just shoot me!

Oh, and in case this post gives anyone the wrong idea, I really enjoy my job and the people I work with even though it can drive me crazy at times.

I Fall Down, Go Boom!

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:22:00 +0000

I'm just now waking from my drug induced coma, or at least that's how it feels. You see, last Saturday I was on a ride and managed to crash myself. Yup, I was screwing off when it happened, so what did I expect but to fall and hurt myself.

Basically, I swung wide on a turn and noticed a pot hole in my path which caused for me to swing further out than expected. So, I'm riding in the gravel off the side of an old country road. The group of 11 riders I'm with are behind me and thinking there could be a remote chance I might fall while navagating my way back on to the road, I let the group pass. Good thing because the unexpected became reality.

As I attempted to get back on the road with a slight bunnyhop, my front tire caught the lip of the asphault and I got highsided. Highsided, for those who haven't had the joy of experiencing it themselves, is when the vehicle you are in/on gets turned purpendicular to the direction you are traveling and as the wheels catch traction, you get catapulted. So, I pretty much slammed myself to the ground with most of the force being applied to my right shoulder.

As with most crashes, things happen quickly before you find yourself on the ground. I popped back up quickly and grabbed for my bike laying next to me and tried to ride off to catch the group. Well, the levers were bent in and my seat was bent as well. So after fixing those, I was on my way and moments later had caught the group at an intersection.

I knew that my shoulder was hurting, but I tried to pretend it didn't hurt, which worked for a little while. But after the group stopped for a rest, at which I got light headed and nearly passed out, I realized I was injured. I rode the rest of the way back into town but got a ride from a friend from the park to get home.

Then it was off to the ER for some X-rays and to stockup on some painkillers. That was Saturday and now it's amazingly Friday; boy, those drugs work well. Actually, there are parts of the week I do remember, like going to my doctor's office for more X-rays and drugs on Monday.

Anyway, I've got pretty good range of motion in the shoulder currently and it seems to feel better each day. I'll probably not ride my bike for another week, but will most likely be in the gym all next week to ride the trainer. I figure that barring any surprises with the MRI that I'll be back to normal in a few weeks and back to riding next weekend. After that point, the only thing that should be hurtin' is my pride.

Tour of the Unknown Valley - Southern Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:44:00 +0000

This comic strip best describes the conditions for the Tour of the Unknown this past weekend. It's a strip by Rick Smith, check out his stuff at yehudamoon.com.

Yeah, so it was windy and stuff. I knew it would be and confirmed the weatherman's prediction when I arrived to see the US flag standing at attention at the Willows fire station. I met up with a couple of friends upon arriving and then while checking in, I saw other friends I hadn't seen in over a year. They were already heading out and so we agreed to meet somewhere out on the course.
After gearing up, I found Jeff and Phil over by their vehicles and we struck out into the wind. The first 20 or so miles were pretty much all down wind which was verified by out nearly 27 MPH average. Nice way to start the day, but that changed quickly at the first right turn where the wind was not at our side. Nothing like trying to ride in an echelon with a 30+ MPH wind blowing, oh, further accentuated by the patches of gravel road.

Just before the first rest stop, we finally caught up with the other friends I had seen at the check-in and I dropped off the pace being set by Jeff and Phil; thank goodness! Jeff and Phil were attempting to do this ride under 6 hours of ride time and as they pedaled away from me, I wished them luck. They ended up with a ride time of 6:34, not bad considering the brutal head wind that faced riders for a better part of the day. Shortly after, I ran into Lori up on the Leesville Grade in one of the SAG wagons. A half hour later at the lunch stop, I was able to see Lori again, and while we were chatting, her husband and one of our cycling club leaders Rodney, arrived in the U-haul while making his round of the course.

It was great seeing Jonathan and his brother Tim. I hadn't seen either of them in over a year. Funny thing was each of us had a new bike since the last time we rode together. Jonathan had sweet ride the builder of which I cannot remember currently and Tim a new Nobilette cross bike with custom 190 mm titanium cranks; I totally forgot to take pictures of their bikes, sorry. Jonathan was happy to see my conversion from race bike to a steel all-around bike since he had preached the advantages of such bike to me in years past before I saw the light. The Kogswell was a treat to ride this weekend, with the gravel, the wind, and such.

The three of us had a good time catching up while enduring long stretches of windblown valley roads.

Our ride time was somewhere in the 7 to 8 hour range for the 104 or so miles. Even with the wind, it was a very pleasant experience. Thanks go out to Chico Velo, Rodney and Lori, and the volunteers who made this ride possible. Fabulous work and coordination! See you all at the Tour of the Unknown Valley - Northern Edition on March 30th!

What a Beautiful Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Too bad for me, I'm stuck inside working, my only reprieve from the desk is a two hour jaunt to the gym. I'm content since I rode 2.5 hours yesterday when it was nearly as nice.

After posting yesterday, I realized I had forgotten to mention a few items, so here I am again. So, tomorrow is the ribbon cutting for the Steve Harrison Memorial Bike Path, you already know about that but I'm driving it home.

Friday is the Leap Day, so I'm planning to do a Leap Ride in honor of the one day that comes only once every 4 years. Maybe I can find something to leap off or jump the Kogswell over to make the day complete. Hey, interesting little tidbit, if a year is divisible by 400 than it's a leap year but not if it's only divisible by 100. Or...

if ((year modulo 4 is 0) and (year modulo 100 is not 0) or (year modulo 400 is 0)
then leap
else no_leap

Yeah, whatever!

But heck, if we get an extra day this year, I think it ought to be used for cycling. How about you?

While on the cycling tip, I'll plug the Chico Velo century ride scheduled for this weekend, March 2nd. Come one, come all and join in for the fun know as Tour of the Unknown Valley, Southern Route. Essentially, this is the same Tour of the Unknown Valley as years past but now labeled as the Southern Route because there is a Northern Route ride the last weekend of March. Hopefully, the wind will not be too much of a factor since much of the ride is ridden in a northerly direction and in these parts, typically the wind is out of the north.

Oh, and the news I forgot to mention, Last Tuesday, I ticked over another year with my current employer. Yay for me!

That's all, please resume whatever you were doing prior to this interruption.

Welcome to the work week

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:51:00 +0000

Damn, as quickly as it arrives, it's gone. I guess that's what working stiffs have to look forward to in that revolving door called the weekend. This time around, the weather got a little crazy on us but not like it was supposed to. The winds didn't knock stuff down like it might have if they reached 50 or 60 MPH like they were supposed to.

Anyway, my weekend was filled with goodness from the start. Friday, I spent some time in the lovely gym spinning their stationary bike for a couple of hours while talking with a friend. It doesn't get much better unless said activity is being done outside on real bikes.

Saturday was all about Tour de Ed. From what I read, there were about 400 or more riders who participated and Chico Velo was able to raise $15,000 for Chico Cyclist Care Fund. Many thanks to all the people involved, especially those who planned the event, I had a great time.

The ride started around 10 AM from downtown Chico with a police escort. I was quite surprised to find they stopped all traffic on Main, Broadway, and then HWY 32 as the cyclists made their way out of town. The skies were pretty gray and dark, but there wasn't any rain until most of the riders were back in town. A few of us made an extra stop at the Ochs' residence, followed by an extended stop at the rest area which delayed our return. We got wet, but not too bad. I'm hoping this ride is continued next year as a fund raiser for the Chico Cyclist Care Fund; it's great to see the Chico cycling community come out for such a good and well needed cause.

Spent many hours at the gym on Sunday given the weather was so windy and rainy. Otherwise, I spent the day catching up on the Tour of California. The past couple stages have been pretty interesting. Nice to see the kid sprinter from Brasil take a stage win, even if it was won under protest. As well, good for Levi for taking his second title in two years, he really put the hammer down during the ITT to solidify his victory.

Ah, so maybe I ought to get to work since the post is called "Welcome to the work week", got some stuff to take care of this week. Then it's bike riding time since it's spring in Chico this week. Also this week in Chico cycling... Wednesday, February 27th at 4:00PM, there will be a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Steve Harrison Memorial Bike Path, meeting at the 20th St side of the path. See you there!

Recovering from the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:48:00 +0000

Two for two for excellent weekends. You'd figure that after the NAHBS it's be hard to top, but being that this past weekend was one of the three day varieties, I was ready to try.

I started it all off right with a few hours on the bike after work on Friday. I recovered with many shots of tequila with some friends afterward. It was an interesting bike ride home that night to say the least.

Saturday morning was also interesting as I had a mild hangover which, after a couple cups of coffee followed by a couple large glasses of water, seemed to go away. I then went to the gym for some light upper body and a little spin on the stationary cycle. Ran into a friend there and decided to go for a hike that afternoon. We ended up hiking from the Green Gate down the South Rim to Bear Hole and then back; about 7 or 8 miles with about 1200 feet elevation gain. I was pretty spent after that.

Sunday, I met up with the Easy Riders group for a short ride. The name of the ride group is appropriate. The ride was created for new riders to become used to riding in a group and to learn those skills as they become more familiar with the bike. We did about 15 miles and then a smaller group followed that up with another 20 miles before I rode the remaining 5 miles home. A nice mellow day. That night I watched the Prologue of the Tour of California. Very little cycling way too much fluff.

Monday, I decided to ride a longer route since the day prior was a little easy. We have an unofficial ride here in Chico called the Italian Triple that takes riders up three of the larger local climbs and covers a bit more than 100 miles. I did two of the three; Cohasset and then Honey Run with a lunch break at home in between the two. Ended the day with 75 miles and about 6000 feet gain covered in under 6 hours. Again, I spent the evening watching cycling fluff and a few minutes of actual cycling on VS.

With the weather change, it looks like I won't get out on the bike until Tour de Ed this Saturday.

Oh beautiful day

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:38:00 +0000

Oh beautiful day. How painful it is for me to watch you from my desk through a small window, eagerly awaiting the hour when we can frolic together. Oh, sorry did I forget to mention it'll be a threesome? Yeah, I'm bring my bike. Don't be jealous and cry, though I see your tears will fall again beginning Tuesday. Now I'm sad!

Portland & NAHBS

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:37:00 +0000

WOW!

I'd been to Portland on a number of occasions but never really experienced it like I did this past weekend. What an awesome city with what I consider the best cycling community in the country. Sure, I think Chico, CA is a fine cycling town and you're town is pretty damn good too, but really, go check out Portland.

Maybe it was because the North American Handmade Bicycle Show was in town, but Portland seems to be all about the bike. I got the feeling, though I'm sure it's not 100% true, that everyone in Portland commutes by bike This really shines through if you follow Jonathan Maus and his BikePortland site. The site really brings together all things bike in regards to Portland. I find it impressive the work they do with the police and the community to make cycling more safe. I enjoy following what's going on at the site just so that I may experience what bike utopia is. Anyway, enough gushing about BikePortland.

Let me gush a little about Portland itself. It's pretty flat as compared to say SF, which lends itself to being a bike friendly place. Another thing I like about Portland is when you look around, you see some nature, not just a city. Probably helps to have a large river flowing through town. I love how easy it is to get around Portland, with it's train and bus system, you can get anywhere relatively easy, and it's cheap. And then the people; very nice and friendly. Once again, maybe it was because I encountered most bike folks, but even at the Whole Foods, striking up a conversation with people in line was a breeze and enlightening. So, in a nutshell, I loved nearly everything about Portland; even the weather was nice while I was there.

So, now on to the bike show. Stupid crazy bike porn! 60,000 sq ft and 150+ booths was nearly too much to take in. Heck, it's taken me until now just to be able to write about it while using more words than "awesome" and "WOW"; what can i say, I have mad vocabulary skills.

Here is a link to a Flickr search for NAHBS + 2008 which results 3127 pictures, currently. Peep those if you want to get a feel for what all the hype was about. Some of the bicycle highlights for me personally , in alpha order so as not to anger anyone, were:

Ahearne Cycles
Calfee Design
Moots Cycles
Naked Bicycles and Design
Paul Components Home town fav
Pereira Cycles Us Portuguese need to stick together
Rene Herse Cycles
Sweetpea Bicycles
Vanilla Bicycles

Ahearne, what to say??? City bikes with impressive racks and beautiful colors.

Craig Calfee not only makes great carbon bikes but also out of this world cycles with crazy materials, like animal horns, hemp, and bamboo.

Moots, titanium masters, had a big wheeled bike that just blew everyone away.

Naked, the name itself is cool, but the main bike in his booth uber cool. So cool in fact, Lance Armstrong purchased it for something like $15,000.

Paul, what can I say about Paul. He's a local hero here in Chico and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Oh yeah, and he makes some of the best stuff in the industry.

Tony Pereira had a bike that was to die for, unfortunately, I'd be dead in heaven before I could spend that kind of coin on a bike. Not to say his are any more expensive than the rest, just better looking.

Rene Herse, the original or so it seems. Pure class!

Sweatpea Cycles because Natalie and Austin and also because they make bikes for women specifically; except for Austin's pink bike.

And last but not least, Vanilla. Here is where I use awesome and wow again. There is a reason why there is a 5 year wait for a $3500 frame and fork so I won't spell it out for ya. This picture of his daughter's bike ought to be enough.

So, as you can see, awesome and wow don't really do what I saw at the NAHBS justice.

OK, now it's time to thank my partner in crime, Gino, for encouraging me to go on this trip; Thanks Gino! As you can see, we didn't spend all our time looking at bikes. Gino has endless connections and he was nice enough to introduce to me all of them; like his buddy from high school in Georgia, the nice folks at Sweatpea, Yohei from Japan, Hugo from Stockholm, and Nate from Portland. I'm a better person for meeting them all.

Well, this post has to end eventually, and now seems like a great time. Undoubtedly, I've forgotten to thank someone or forgot to mention just one more bike builder who's bike I enjoyed. So, on that note, I loved you all and look forward to seeing you and your bikes again soon. Indy 2009!

Tour de Ed

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Rocha) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:27:00 +0000

I'm not sure how many of you who read my drivel are cyclists or even live in Chico but regardless, I feel the need to promote and support Tour de Ed because Ed supports all of us who ride in Chico and the surrounding areas. Without Ed and Chico Velo, the Chico cycling scene would not be what it is today. His many years of bicycle advocacy in the area have made Chico one of the best places, if not the best place, in the state to ride a bike. So, now is our chance to serve Ed and show our appreciation of all his work.

See you there!