Who in the hell is writing this web page??? My name is Daniel Rooke, but I am called RJ by people who know... I am an aging computer geek - 31 - living and racing bicycles in Belgium for the summer. I came here to experience what is know to any American cyclist, as the most open and most challenging amateur racing scene in the world.
I was initially inspired to race bicycles by the exploits of cyclists like Greg Lemond in the 80s. I was also influenced by my uncle - who was a bit of a cyclotourist and the Boy Scout cycling adventures of friend and former neighbor Dave. I purchased my first race bike in 1989, but sold it after the first race I tried - Prescott-Skull Valley. I hadn't realized that you had to train for this sport and rode about 50 miles on my own. I was surprised to find that the other racers actually pedaled on the downhills... The leg-shaving thing was also a definite drawback - I was really proud of that bushy velcro growing from my limbs.
I attended NAU for five years and, after the first year, spent several years studying Physics and partying myself into oblivion. I spent the year after graduation, 1994-95, traveling around the country in a large, ugly van - The Famous Coachmen - and windsurfing in the Gorge. I went to work at American Express after spending all of my money and started commuting to work by bicycle. I purchased a nice mountain bike to commute to work and then took my dad's 1986 Takara road bike out of the garage to hit the road training rides. My first group ride was BOS on some Saturday morning. Bill Burke took pity on the poor geek in the long-sleeve cotton tshirt and sweat pants who got dropped before Jomax and rode back to the start with me. I was racing the China Mist crits and MBAA mountain bike races for Bill's China Mist/Procon team shortly after and in 1996, committed myself to 10 years of self-discovery - and pain and suffering, apparently - to find out how fast I could actually become.
I turned out to have a bit of aptitude for cycling (read - skinny bastard with pretty good power-to-weight), and became an expert mountain biker in my first year of racing. I then spent a couple of years racing for the Rhino Racing/Cytomax mountain bike team in AZ and at the Western NCS races. It took a bit longer to advance on the road and I became a cat III in the second year and then broke my hip at the end of that season in the State Championship criterium. I recovered and became a Cat II in 1999. At the end of very successful 2001 season as a Cat II, I won the AZ State RR Championships and upgraded to Cat I. I now focus primarily on road racing because I enjoy the tactics, scenery and history behind the sport. I am still a sandbagging expert mountain biker since I don't get much opportunity to attend mountain bike races anymore...
The Coachmen is waiting in my front yard, much to the neighbors' dismay, for my eventual return to the roots...