I went to a high school with over 1,600 students. Of the males, there were 34 Mikes, 27 Stevens, 23 Toms... but I was the only Geno. When I was much younger I thought it would be cool to be a Mike or a Steve so I could be a part of that special club that only required others with the same name to join.

As time passed I liked being the only Geno. In the rare occurrence I met another, It was like discovering the twin I never knew I had. It was odd and sometimes uncomfortable. To find another Geno running in my circle of friends was something I never thought would happen. I have come to the conclusion that Geno is rare in your circle of friends also.

So let me clue you all in. There are two of us in the Chico Cycling community...

I am bit nervous addressing this issue, as the last two issues (the neck and the low back) have brought about personal experience. So I tepidly bring attention to another area vulnerable to our passion for speed, drive for success and thrill of acceleration, our knees.

The knee has several structures that enable an efficient and smooth bend (flexion) and straightening (extension). An overlooked movement of the knee is a rotation while the knee is flexed. Simply spoken, the knee is the joint between the tigh (femur) and the shin (tibia). There is also a bone that adds direction and protection to the front of the knee, the knee cap (patella). As for muscles which enable movement and stability of the knee, the quadriceps come across the front of the knee as the patellar tendon. The hamstrings attach at to back of the knee and provide the primary force of flexing the knee. Also to be added in this group is the calf (gastrocnemeus) which attaches at the back of the knee as well. The flat surface of the tibia contains two 'moon-shaped' ligamentous menisci (meniscus x2) which flat and twist with the knee when flexed.

Nothing can cause knee pain and suffering quicker than ...

Wow! I can't believe that cross season is over! It was a great one but now the long wait is on. What to do until September...

Any hoo...

Well, if you remember back to my last entry I mentioned my friend Karl was going to cross nationals. Here is how it played out; He was chasing Ned Overend and staying in contact ready to pounce at any time when he (Karl) slid off course, hit a curb, and cracked his fork. This all happened about 100 yards past the pits so he had to run all the way around the course to get his spare bike. Yep, that put him well behind but he chased back to finish 9th, one place behind his team mate Brook Watts (co-promoter of Cross Vegas). Like Karl always tells me, "I'd rather be lucky than good".

Closer to home, Chico Corsa had...

Come Join us at Mt. Mikes Pizza at 5th and Nord.
We always have fun and sometimes we even talk about the club. This month we will introduce the two newest additions to our Board of Directors.

So the cross season comes to an end with Roy snagging the Shasta series overall and doing well in the Sac series. The most exciting part of it all is the turn out Chico Corsa had at the cross races. Great job gang.

The first race of the season, the Mt San Bruno hill climb saw Tyler Honeymoon take 2nd. In the first road race of the year Corsa wins CAT 3 AND CAT 5 with two new additions to the team.

Mt. San Bruno Hill Climb
2nd Place - Tyler Honeymoon- CAT 5

Patterson Pass Road Race
1st Place - Yacov Spivak- CAT 3
1st Place - Tylor Honeymoon- CAT 5

I am still working on the 2008 calendar. I have the race schedule posted through March but still have the century rides to get in there. Until I do, I thought it would be nice to get some of the local ride dates out for you to start getting ready for.

Rice Valley Tandem Rally 2008

Chico Wildflower Century 2008

Tour of the Unknown Valley South 2008

Tour of the Unknown Valley North 2008