Happenings
Happenings » Marcello NZ Updates
Marcello NZ Updates
- Author:
- Marcello and Janiece
- Date Published:
- June 16, 2009
06.16.09 Email
Hi Janiece, hows things? Things are going well over here, but we are getting excited to get back to summer. Heidie moved her office to our house last weekend, and it has made her life alot less complicated. The boulder problems I have set have really taken off, it seems that nobody really was interested in setting a variety of routes, and now there's talk of a bouldering club and stuff, kinda cool. Heidie has been taking some mtn bike skills courses here, she really likes to learn the technical side of proper riding. She also had some specific blood lactate testing done to help her train properly for cycling. It is cool to see her so stoked on getting fit. Say hey to Dan, I'll see you later, Cheers, Marcello
05.21.09 Email
Hi all y'all, just thought I'd send a brief message out to let you know that my New Zealand residency has been granted this morning! Heidie and I are stoked that we can now plan our life over here with a bit more certainty. On practical level, I now have access to government provided heath care, including accident coverage, and access to a generous government subsidised retirement fund. While no place is perfect, it is so nice to live in a country where one doesn't have to fear for ones financial life over something that any civilized and developed country should provide for their citizens- reasonable health care for all. Those of you waiting to visit 'cause you were waiting to see if I was gonna get deported can now book your tickets...Heidie and I look forward to seeing many of you when we come to visit in Oregon for the month of August. Cheers, Marcello
02.09.09 Email
Hi Mom and Janiece, just wanted to forward these photos that appeared recently in the local paper. Things are going well and I'll write more later. Thanks for the letter mom. You guys should consider a visit some time, the US dollar is strong and it's sunny and warm over here. Cheers, Marcello.
10.05.08 Kia ora from NZ
Hello family and friends, Heidie and I are back in NZ, finally riding our feet after hitting the ground running. We had a very pleasant flight from San Fran to Auckland, arriving at 4:30 am. Heidie's mom, Margo picked us up and delivered us to Rotorua, a 3 hour drive, during which I did not see a single Hummer or Obama/Mcain '08 sticker...how nice. I arrived at the shop at 10:00 am and went straight to work, helping a couple from Madison, WI (on their honeymoon), another couple from San Fran (on their honeymoon), and a couple from Oz (australia, on their honeymoon, I'm totally serious).
The day after getting back I had to teach the first session of a recreational mtn bike class, the next day Heidie and I had to prepare for the Whaka 100, NZ'z toughest mtn bike race. The race went well enough, I forgot just how hard the racing over here is, with a $1000 first prize this year, the top racers showed up in force. It's one thing to ride the local trails fast for a few hours, it's another thing altogether to go flat out for over 5 hours. I finished with a slightly faster time than last year, but was sufficiently humbled by the top field. As soon as I crossed the finish line, my attentioned turned to Heidie, who was still out on the course, trying to be the first woman to finish the 100k on a single speed, I went back out on course and waited for her to show up and rode the last 20k with her - she finished in just over 8 hours and looked good doing it!
So, now, 5 days after getting back, we finally have time to put our stuff away and get some food in the fridge. I hope that this e-mail finds eveyone well enough back in the US, the news about the state of the union doesn't look so good, so get some veggies going in the garden and be nice to each other. Cheers, Marcello
09.04.08 Race Report
Hello friends, as many of you know, Heidie and I had the honor of crewing for Thomas Lindup in Canada for the 24 hour Solo World Champs. It was probably the coolest experience ever. I thought that all y'all might enjoy his race report. I am delighted to report that since returning to NZ he has picked up some additional sponsorship and will not have to rely on just one race bike anymore! Hope all is well with every one, Cheers, Marcello
08.26.08 2008 Single Speed World Champs report
Well, as they say back home, the 2008 WSSC's are done and dusted. On a hot dry day, on a brutal course, the man in the Zorro mask wearing the black man-kini won the day- that is to say that Giant pro Carl Decker showed a field of 398 riders how it is done it's done. Our man Garth brought it home in 16th, against a top field. The women's race was close up to the end, with NZ's Annika Smail finishing in 2nd, 1:03 min. behind Rachel Lloyd. Heidie and I had a great time cheering on the field, doing such a good job that our own Graeme Simpson told us to "@#*&!!" as he rode by, cheers bro!
We are back in Oakridge, hosting Garth and showing him the local goods. Even though Durango won it for 2009, the buzz was all about Rotorua NZ hosting the champs, so book your tickets now to "pre-ride" the 2010 SSWC venue. Cheers to all and goodnight, Marcello
08.22.08 Napa World Single Speed Pre-race
Hey friends, hope all those in the northern hemisphere are having a great summer, those in the southern hemisphere, sorry, it's winter for all y'all.
Heidie and I are in Napa to support Garth and Annika in their quest for World titles in the single speed category. We attended a group ride in Fairfax this morning, the town featured in the mtn bike movie "Klunkers". Heidie and I met Jackie Phelan in the parking lot as she was rounding up riders to head out to the trails, so off Heidie went with one of the true legends of the sport, as the rest of us waited for a group of 40+ single speeders to get motivated to head out...after we finally got going, we past Heidie and Jackie talking to a few other women, turns out she was chatting with Marla Streb and Rachel Loyd, who is one of the stonger women racers out there, anxious to do well on Sunday.
It was so cool to be riding in the birth place of mtn biking with single speeders from all over the world, there was a Swede riding his new Retrotec for the first time, a Brit who drank too much the previous evening, pro Carl Decker on a carbon SS with a coaster brake, Sam from Singular bikes in the UK, and Nick and Dave from Surly. As you can expect, getting a group of hung over single speeders to ride with out too many stops or "safety breaks" can be a challenge, so a lil' tatoo'd racer offered to take any takers on a longer tour with fewer stops, so of course I volunteered Heidie and myself.
Our tour guide was a great rider and really stoked guy, Matt Chaney, 2007 World 24 hour single speed champ- he took us all over the place, and a few places that we really aren't supposed to be. We had the chance to ride the infamous Paradigm trail, then finished the ride on the only legal singletrack around mtn Tam, Tamarancho. After 5 hours on the trail, we ended up back in Fairfax, where I proceeded to do my civic duty of spreading the rumor that the 2010 SS Worlds will be held in Rotorua NZ, the boys from Surly thought that would be really neato. More later, after the big ride on Sunday, Cheers, Marcello
7.28.08 - Greetings from Canada!
Hi friends, Heidie and I had the honor of being the Pit Crew for Thomas Lindup at the 24 Hour World Solo Championships in Canmore, Canada this past weekend. It was an experience like no other, and one we will not forget. Thomas won his class by a full lap (under 25), and came in 7th overall! Every other competitor in the top 10 had mutliple race bikes, Thomas did it on one bike, his Ellsworth Evolve. I look forward to seeing some of you soon. Cheers, Marcello
4.29.08 - kia ora sis
hey sis, Kia ora kinda means greetings in maori. Howzit? The first ever NZ single speed champs were here last weekend, it was a pretty cool event. you can see a bit of me at www.vorb.co.nz , I'm the guy wearing only boxer shorts and arm warmers in the video clip, and I did a pre-race interview as well, which is also on the site. It was a hard race, I ended up 14th, after a course marking mix up and having hit the wall (you know, I got real tired) towards the end. Heidie had a great time, she cruised the hardest sections of the course and had heaps of fun. Marcello
SS:Champs - Pre Race Interview Marcello Ojerio
Singlespeed Champs Rotorua - 26 April 2008
SS:Champs - The Speights Video Remix
3.27.08
Things are going pretty well over here. I applied for residency this week, which hopefully won't take too long to get sorted. Heidie's sports massage business is going well, we went camping last week and did a bunch of cool mtn bike rides.
5.21.07
I have my visitors permit extension validated, so that I can legally stay in NZ, my work permit has been filed and should be taken care of before Heidie and I return to the US.
The bike shop has proven to be lots of fun, with national level events occurring most weekends (even during the winter), there is always a steady stream of customers needing our services. The focus of the shop is off-road riding, so we don't even stock bicycles below $700.00, with many bicycle sales averaging $3000.00-6000.00. The shop owner is pro-active in growing the business, he has a business coach with a bicycle industry background and we utilize the latest point of purchase computer software to track inventory levels, sales trends, profit margins, customer sales histories and such. We installed a customer counter on the front door last weekend, so that we can try and track conversion rates (the percentage of customers in the store that actually made a purchase).
Everybody that works there is on a salary, so there are no punch cards or time sheets, and there is this funny habit of taking morning tea, a full lunch break, then afternoon tea- they actually pick on me for working too hard, shaking their heads and grumbling that Americans work too much and need to learn to slow down and enjoy life (The shop closes at 5:30 pm everyday, so that people can have a proper dinner time with their family). The thought of opening the shop on Sunday is unthinkable, and we close at 1:00 pm on Sat. so that we can go riding!!!!!
On the weekend it is not uncommon to see entire families on there mtn bikes, all riding together, or taking part in a local triathlon series- last Sunday I ran into one of our customer's riding with her whole family, and she was kickin' her husbands and her sons' butts on the tight, fast single track, it was really cool!
This weekend is the first in a series of 5 winter races, starting at 30k and ending in a 100k in Oct. They expect hundreds of people from all over the country to show up, with the course being an old school single lap format, and a full on mass start- it should be interesting.
I have been riding 4-5 days a week, but have decided to chill a bit so that I'll have some energy left for when I get back to OR. I have pretty much cut wheat and gluten out of my diet as well, as Heidie doesn't tolerate it very well. It has been kinda fun to really focus on my nutrition and get fit again. Heidie has suggested some new workouts for me to correct my slouchy cyclists posture; she says that I grow at least an inch when I stand up straight.
Heidie is full on with her rafting training right now, with her trip to Korea and China less than a month away. She is happy with her team; they are all paddling string and working well together. The funding has been arranged and the tickets have been bought, and she has equipment sponsorship from Smith Optics and Teva, so have some new gear on our trip to Oregon.
The trip to China was unexpected, so it's just icing on the cake that the tab is being picked up by the Chinese government. She will be training for an outrigger race in Sept., so keep an eye out for a canoe that we can use while we are in Oakridge. Her job as trainer is going well, with many of her clients looking forward to continuing to work with her when we return to NZ in Oct. I hope that all is well with all of my dear friends… See you all soon, Marcello
4.22.07 (from an email)
...My work visa is in immigration limbo for the moment, so I have been riding, and riding, and riding some more.
Heidie has started working as a trainer at a new gym here in Rotorua. She was officially invited to be a part of the New Zealand woman’s white water rafting team that plans to compete in the World Championships in Korea in June.
We try to get out in the Whakawarewera forest 2-3 days a week and ride together, she is kickin' butt on her 29'r single speed, she spent 45 minutes yesterday working a technical section of Gunna Gotta, a grade 4 downhill trail (grade 4 means that it is pretty d*mn tricky), she nailed the section and we celebrated by riding a bunch more and then going for a swim in Blue Lake, followed by a long soaking of our tired feet in one of the thermal pools in the park.
Mom and Dad would really like it here, there are lots of free things to do and see. All is well, We'll let you know as soon as I am official to start working…
3.5.07
I have been living out of a tent the last 10 days, guiding with Boyd for the Great New Zealand Trek. It was an awesome time, perfect weather, and magical scenery. Heidie came along at the last minute, and spent the week setting up tents and doing a bit of horse riding (she's a pretty keen rider).
On the last night of the trek, on a bluff overlooking the bay, under a full moon, in front of 300 people, I asked Heidie to marry me - she said yes. We plan to get married in a small ceremony sometime in late May/June at a friends vineyard in Martinborough, North Island, NZ.
Heidie and I plan to spend August and Sept. in Oakridge, paddling and riding and running. I'm getting stoked to come back and see everybody and spend some time there, Heidie spent the week here with Boyd and Kat, who had nothing but great things to say about you people and the area. She is looking forward to meeting everybody.
In our perfect world, we will be spending half the year in Oakridge, and the other half in NZ. Heidie and I believe that such things are possible, so we are going to make it happen.
With much love and gratitude to my friends, Marcello
3.4.07
Congrats to Marcello & Heidie!
I received a call from Marcello and I am really excited to announce to everyone that Marcello and Heidie are engaged. This is a momentous moment full of happiness for them, friends and family!
I am really happy to see that Marcello is living his life to the fullest. Most of us don't realize how small and insignificant our lives are - just being a blip within an infinite amount of lifetimes. This realization can either humble us and/or allow us to rejoice that we can possibly fly higher than any Icarus could imagine.
Our lives are what we make of it, and living in normalcy, that everyone demands we live in, is not what makes our individual lives unique and memorable. The challenges in our lives are not necessarily mistakes. We are the mirror image of our life’s challenges and our triumphs over our challenges, and this is what we should embrace in ourselves and in our loved ones.
Marcello has shown me repeatedly that he can triumph over challenges in his life many times over. He has risen past the normalcy, past the barriers that tried to suppress him, past the hands that tried to hold him down, and he has flown right past our lingering, avaricious, out-reached hands.
I am proud of my brother and happy that he is doing the things that I wish I were doing. I can only smile, love him more, and congratulate him once again for flying higher than most of us would dare not fly - unconfined by supercilious "advice".
My full love and support goes out to my brother, Bert-Marcello*, and his beautiful fiancé Heidie.
Love, ja
*Because I loved him before and I love him now.
2.15.07
I am happy to say that Marcello will not be returning to the states. I say this because he has really found people, a place, and a way to be happy. Although, I'll miss him a lot I'll be just as stoked to visit him in New Zealand!
He will be staying in New Zealand thru July and then visiting Holland, London, and Paris, back to Hawaii, the States and then back to New Zealand. He'll be traveling with his partner in crime, Heide.
This is all very exciting and I am bursting with ebullience...we should know he is happy and wish him our best! Love, Janiece
2.4.07
Things are pretty awesome here; I'm now in Rotorua for a couple weeks. Staying at a co-workers brother’s house just a few kilometers from the trails. I did a huge group ride yesterday, we were out on the bikes for about 4 hours, then made a run back into town for a tune melt, then it was back to the forest to pre-ride the Nationals course for race coming up next weekend. The course was really cool, mostly all single track, with rock drops and double jumps. I'm thinking about doing it, but we'll see, I fell off a log ride today at the end of my ride and bruised my ribs on the left side, but I should be good to go in a few days!
(I'll be posting more photos in the next few days...stay tuned! -luv, ja)
1.26.07
I'm still at the beach, it's totally awesome. The beaches here are the prettiest that I have ever seen, not crowded, absolutely no trash, perfect in every way. I do plan to look into property while I'm here, I will meet with a real-estate agent down in Rotorua next week (this is from me bugging him to buy property so I can visit -ja).
Last night we went out with headlamps and caught crabs on the rocks at low tide. It's sunny again today and getting warm, I’ll probably go for a sea kayak in the bay, then jump off the bridge at high tide, followed by a trail run before our BBQ dinner, topped off with a evening walk on the beach. Have a great weekend, I'll try and get out some pics as soon as I can.
Love, Marcello
1.22.07
I've been working at a bike shop here in Auckland for the last few weeks, there is a real shortage of bike mechanics, so work is easy to find and the pay is twice as much as in the states !!!!!! Boyd's friend Allister has been kind enough to put me up at his house, which is a short ride from work.
I spent a day in Rotorua, site of the 2006 World Mountain Bike Championships, with some co-workers. The trails there are beyond cool, I have to say that they are ruly the best ever. One of my co-workers, Mike Metz, has a few national titles to his name. He and his brother Rob have built some of the best trails in the forest there, very cool, very smooth, with lots of double jumps, and few gap jumps and step ups. Nobody rides a single speed here, let alone a rigid 29'er, I usually find myself the focus of a bit of attention on the trail, I suspect I might just have to stay here and spread the one speed gospel to the masses.
This weekend I'll be headed 2 hours north of Auckland with a friend, Kathryn, to her family's beach "bach" (kiwi for vacation home) on the east coast, just east of Whangarei. She is a high school health teacher at one of the larger high schools in Auckland. She is very funny and makes me laugh my arse off. I'll send some pics as soon as I can!
Love Marcello
