Now What?

For Sale

2011-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

bike for sale. $1500. This is the BMC SL01 roadracer. Aluminum frame, Carbon seat stays and fork. 61 CM frame. 10 speed Dura Ace 7800 shifters and drivetrain.

One Very Good Day

2008-06-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a good day for Capitol Velo. Nothing better than seeing the group ride along as one, talking and getting to know each other a little better. Just as great was the BBQ later in the day. This is a special club and I have to say, I'm proud to be a part of it. Enjoy the photos.

The start

Ronde Van Portlandia

2008-04-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Jim and I went to Portland and did the Ronde Van Portlandia. This ride was hard with 2 long climbs that required walking by most people. You can view photos of the ride at http://www.dmroth.com/ronde_08/ronde08.html . I don't think we ever had any flat roads at all. We were climbing or descending the entire 50 miles. At the end I said I would never do it again but with time to get over it I now feel I need to go back and conquer the big climbs.

It's Monday and I'm home sick. Not sure the ride had anything to do with it but I'm bummed for sure as my fitness was coming. I hope I can be over this by the Wed night ride and be ready to race on Sunday for the Icebreaker Crit. Well, wish me luck on getting better.

Tour of California

2008-02-24T16:39:00.001-08:00

So, I was fortunate enough to catch stage 3 of the TOC this year. I decided to climb to the top of Mt Hamilton and watch from there. I took video of the lead group and photos after that. I can't seem to post the video here but the photos are pretty cool anyway. I rode 20 miles to reach the summit of the climb and the last 6 miles to Mt Hamilton are very hard. The crowds were having a great time, even cheering me on as I rode past them. The energy was great and there's no doubt this is a special race. Enjoy!

George is dropped by the lead group but catches back on and attack before the final climb.

Bobby Julich is off the back here, at the top of Mt Hamilton.

Fabian Cancellara and Jens Voight are off the pace too, but Cancellara stays within striking distance of Levi on this stage. These guys are bad asses for sure. I like this photo because it shows the determination of the two of them.

Jason McCartney. I love this photo because it gives some idea as to how high this climb is.

Oscar Freire! It is him, but I didn't know he was even in the race. The picture is a blur because I quickly realized I wanted this shot. Freire is one of my all time favorite riders. As far as I could tell he was climbing pretty well on this day. He finished 22nd, 4:20 down. Okay stoners, you can giggle now. I'll wait............................................. Let's move on.

I didn't see Paolo Bettini coming. He's very small and was hiding behind a car or motorcycle or something. I took this picture very quickly and as a result this one also is a bit blurry. He was almost 20 min back at the end of the day but, whatever, he's the current world and Olympic champion. enough said!!!

A group chasing. I must admit the Rock Racing kit is one of the best looking in the peleton. As Chipo Models below. (not my photo)

Not the best shot of the two of them. Looks like they're having fun though.

Finally, Bradley Wiggins. He ended the day in the autobus that is just behind him here.

Photography at 25 MPH

2008-02-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of us in our new kit from the ride on Sunday. It was a great 4 hours and I think everyone had a great time. The 3 guys from Willamette were fun to ride with. I think their names are Dave, Scott and Scott. I bonked and one of the Scott's and I limped in river road together. I need to remember to eat before it's too late. Anyway, enjoy the photos. Sorry they're a bit blurry but at 25 MPH you do the best you can. I want to thank Matt for picking a great route. Too much fun. Oh, by the way, I should be catching a stage of the Tour of California so check back for photos from that if you care.

Jerseys

2008-02-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Jerseys are in and all seem happy. They look great and seem to fit well. Jesse wore his on the ride last Sun and they have a unique look to them. I managed to get Coby to model the kit for me so here he is in his first Modeling gig. This kid could go far. Look out Next Top Model!

Another Damn Cycling Blog!

2008-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted since October when Daisy passed. Life goes on and I've been very busy. Jeannie is starting her own business. (more on that at a later date) Very proud husband here. I have been working on the Capitol Velo Racing Club jerseys and other off season jobs. At this point this thing has no real direction but I suspect it will just be a place to write about racing and life in general. I know, just what the world needs, another damn cycling blog. I'll try to keep it interesting.

Goodbye

2007-10-21T19:42:00.001-07:00

A little over 4 months ago we found out Daisy had cancer. We were told we had 2 months so she doubled it. Even at the end she would run to us on 3 legs, tail wagging. The bump on her leg had gotten so big that she couldn't use her front right leg. Then it cut of the blood flow to her paw until it just got to be too much. Thursday night Becky came out to house and did what she had to do. (Thank you Becky and Jerry) she had 5 sets of hands petting her as she just drifted off.

The house seems empty without her and Jeannie and I are both still wanting to call her or say goodbye as we walk out the door. There is a 140 pound void in the house for sure but she is no longer in any pain. She was the best dog anyone could have and we'll miss her.
Goodbye Daisy!

Yard work, Daisy has no use for it.

2007-08-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well, Jeannie and I were working on the front yard the other day and Daisy thought it would be fun to just lie down and watch us dig holes and plant grasses in the beds. The house is looking good and Daisy is as cute as ever. Obviously still hanging in there. Not much has changed since the last post. Here are a couple of photos of her watching us work. Oh and Jeannie's pretty cute too.

Daisy

2007-08-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought, just in case people are looking at this thing, I should update it. Daisy is still with us and doing ok. We've had to increase her Codine and she is getting tired and breathing harder now, but generally doing ok. She has hung in there much longer than expected so we are happy for that. I'll try to do a better job of updating this in the future.

Dog date

2007-07-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Daisy on a play date with Shadow. She had a good day and was very tired when it was over.

2007-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

I would like to thanks Tina for getting me out on the bike tonight. I was at The Bike Peddler getting ready for the Wed night worlds but wasn't in the mood to go hard or even ride at all tonight. She suggested 10/10. 10 miles per hours for 10 miles. Seems reasonable. I ended up with 16/20. I've never been good at hitting my goals! I was very tired but feel good about doing it.

Daisy is in good spirits today. After I mowed the lawn she even wanted to play with her ball. I threw it but she didn't fetch it. That's not so unusual as she always thought chasing the ball was kinda stupid. She would rather play keep the ball from the humans. Oh, Daisy says hi.

office space- damn it feels good to be a gangsta

2007-06-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

I thought it was time for something funny on here. This is a great move. Especially if you work in an office.

Daisy's food

2007-06-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, My brother-in-law (James- AKA The Devil) just brought Daisy a bone that looks like it's from a dinosaur, and a huge steak. He tried to give it to her raw but she didn't want it. She likes her food cooked, so into the broiler it went and she loved it. Here is proof that shes eating better than we are. : )

Today she is limping pretty bad so it's back to see Dr. B tomorrow night, The Steak was a highlight for her today as she hasn't been too happy. Maybe it's the drugs, the pain, or all the above. It's so hard to say enough, but the point is that she does not suffer. A couple of days ago I thought she was looking good and we might have a couple of months. Now, I just don't know. So many people have sent kind words and treats and we just want to say thank you. It means a lot.

Robert

Riding in Oregon

2007-06-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't intend on this being a cycling blog but what can I say, I can't avoid it. Cycling is a part of who I am and what I do. I'm gonna write about it from time to time. I had a great ride tonight with a great group of people. Steve, Marcroft, Brian O, Duncan, and Craig are all good riding partners. I was suffering tonight but because of the these people it wasn't that bad. I love cycling and the people I ride with. Add to that some great roads and it draws you back again and again. I was talking to Brian O tonight about how much it hurts sometimes but in a good way. Cyclists are a strange breed but I am proud to call myself one.

Daisy is not limping tonight but I think thats because of the codeine. She seems happy at the moment. I tell you what though, she's eating like a king right now as table scraps are fair game. Why not! : )

A little lower. Yeh, right there!

Meet Daisy

2007-06-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

It seems that everyone has blog these days and I didn't think much about starting one myself because I didn't think I had anything to say. Well, that all changed last night.

Meet Daisy, If you haven't already.

She a beautiful Mastiff-Great Dane mix. She's 6 years old and the most loyal dog you will ever meet. Six years is mid-life for a dog of this size, (she topped out a 141lbs) but unfortunately not for Daisy. A week ago she went in to the see the Vet for a shot and everything seemed fine. Saturday that same week she started limping. I did what any good dog owner would do and started feeling for anything strange or unusual. I found nothing. The next morning she was limping a bit more so I watched her and looked around again. Still nothing. Sun afternoon rolls around and I give her bath and notice a large lump on her right leg just above the paw. I didn't waste any time calling my friend who also happens to be Daisy's Vet. So now it's Monday night and I take her in to get looked at. Sure enough, It's an aggressive cancer. It looks like we have another month or so with her and that's it. I'm not sure why I'm compelled to put this on a blog except that I know there are people who care and I will use this as a place to share stories about her and updates on her condition.

Beyond that I don't know what this blog will be. I'll try to post less depressing things as well. Who knows, maybe something interesting will came of it.

Thanks for reading,
Robert