Back in 2000 when I was still dreaming I could be a bike racer (not just a person racing bikes), I had the opportunity to meet Jon and support him at the pro1,2 races while both of us were on the Guys Racing team. He was an outstanding character and pretty darn humble considering his talent. He also was the reason I had always wanted to ride in Upper State NY, as he was wicked strong from all the big hills he would climb up there.
We all have to fight for rights on the road...
Cyclist killed near Rochester, NY
By Alan Coté
American cyclist Jon Dechau (33) was killed after being struck from behind by a motorist on September 13. The accident occurred in Lima, New York, USA, about 20 miles south of Rochester.
The Livingston County sheriff’s office said that Dechau was riding westbound on the shoulder of route 20 approximately two feet to the right of the white line. A sheriff’s spokesman said a westbound vehicle driven by Sharon Cameron, 61, crossed the white line and struck Dechau from behind at approximately 45-50 mph, and Dechau died at the scene.
Cameron could not provide an explanation to police as to why her vehicle drifted from the travel lane to the shoulder. She freely submitted to a blood test as part of the accident investigation, and police do not believe she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Results of the investigation will determine if charges will be filed against Cameron.
Dechau was a champion cyclist who began racing with the Genesee Valley Cycling Club in 1989. His cycling accomplishments included winning numerous medals at the Empire State Games and State Championships, competing in the 2000 Olympic trials, and two top-20 finishes in the US National Time Trial Championships. In late 2000 he signed to ride as pro for the ill-fated Noblehouse team, before turning his attention to family and work in more recent years. A man of deep Christian faith, he leaves his wife Debbie, 9 year old son Tyler, and new born baby Lillian Page.
(A funeral is planned for 11 AM on Monday, September 18th. Zion Fellowship Canandaigua, NY 14424 www.zionfellowship.net)
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
OD'ing on Chocolate in Hershey PA
Went with Thea up to Hershey for her firms 80th anniversary celebration this weekend. We had a blast and really enjoyed the luxurious Hotel Hershey they put everyone in. The food was incredibly good and as could be expected, the deserts were good...too good as I had some lunch with my desert on Saturday afternoon and ended up with a thrashed stomach the rest of the day. DAMN the Reese's peanut butter pie was yummy, I'm still glad I ate too much, even though I felt bad the whole day and night!
Both Saturday and today we rode all along the winding farm roads which surround Hershey. Yesterday was a long slow ride as we got our bearings and busted out the map every 3-5miles of the ride, as since the firm was buying every meal, we didn't want to miss the 2 hour window for lunch. We barely made it back in time, as we became uber lost at one point, as we thought we were North of Hershey by a few miles and we were actually SOUTH of the town by a few miles...
Today the ride was short and sweet, just 25 miles of crazy rollers with sharp blind turns. It would've been a perfect course for a road race.
Gotta fly,
ride on,
-bc
Both Saturday and today we rode all along the winding farm roads which surround Hershey. Yesterday was a long slow ride as we got our bearings and busted out the map every 3-5miles of the ride, as since the firm was buying every meal, we didn't want to miss the 2 hour window for lunch. We barely made it back in time, as we became uber lost at one point, as we thought we were North of Hershey by a few miles and we were actually SOUTH of the town by a few miles...
Today the ride was short and sweet, just 25 miles of crazy rollers with sharp blind turns. It would've been a perfect course for a road race.
Gotta fly,
ride on,
-bc
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
You only get a few chances, make sure you don't pass 'em up!
Went to the funeral of one of my grandfather's yesterday (9/11/06). He lived within 4 days of his 93rd birthday, which was actually 9/11/13. http://miva.delawareonline.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?obits.mv+62737
During the funeral I was really glad I took off from work a few weeks ago to ride in DE and then visit him, as even though he appeared ok that visit and looked like he could keep on going a good while longer, my family felt that things weren't the best for him. Sure enough, his lungs finally gave out from the Mesothelioma which he had somehow been living with undetected that past few months.
There's one thing I'm not happy about though because I had told him about my trip to Ecuador in January 2005 and had promised to bring him all the pictures for us to go over; as he had traveled widely throughout his life and documented it extensively with photos from all around the world, though he had never visited Ecuador and so he was quite interested to see my shots.
So I'm going to post a link my bro created for me way back when so the rest of the world can see. http://dcadmail.dcad.edu/design/bryant/ecuadorhtml/
and post my favorite shot of all from the trip.
During the funeral I was really glad I took off from work a few weeks ago to ride in DE and then visit him, as even though he appeared ok that visit and looked like he could keep on going a good while longer, my family felt that things weren't the best for him. Sure enough, his lungs finally gave out from the Mesothelioma which he had somehow been living with undetected that past few months.
There's one thing I'm not happy about though because I had told him about my trip to Ecuador in January 2005 and had promised to bring him all the pictures for us to go over; as he had traveled widely throughout his life and documented it extensively with photos from all around the world, though he had never visited Ecuador and so he was quite interested to see my shots.
So I'm going to post a link my bro created for me way back when so the rest of the world can see. http://dcadmail.dcad.edu/design/bryant/ecuadorhtml/
and post my favorite shot of all from the trip.
I had a good weekend of riding, with many things on my mind, it's amazing how hard and long I can ride without realizing it until I get home, eat and then am totally trashed from it.
And one last comment on life and luck. Throughout my life I've had this uncanny ability to wish something, to desire something and for it to happen. Tonight it just happened as I was writing this. There's a really good trance track that's been running through my head today and out of one of the 100 live shows I have, it's just about a 2 minute track out of about 5000 minutes of shows. So tonight, when my Itunes was giving me trouble I went to my file "121" clicked on the first show I thought I hadn't listened to in a while, this was without thinking or even knowing that it was the show which had the track I've been hearing in my head all day. Also I don't listen to any of my live shows anymore b/c I have iTunes to listen to 24/7.
Crazy stuff...
I'm happy to say that the new job is going great. You sure can't beat a stocked fridge of drinks, hot Starbucks and 10 kinds of fresh tea every day. Plus everyone there is wicked cool and helpful. Plus the trading platform we get to use is SICK!
Alright now, time for bed. Thanks Chunky-Monk for the pics of me riding.http://iamchunkymonkey.blogspot.com/
That was the coolest thing running into Marky-Marc and da Monk 2 weeks ago and then this past weekend running into Tom Dearlove riding out here. In a city of 1.somethingmillion people and I see a friendly face 2 weeks in a row. You can't beat that luck, so I bought a powerball ticket today...
Ride on,
-BC
Don't disregard your chances, they are few and far between!
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