You grew up in Brazil. Can you tell us about your biking experience there?

Yes, I grew up in Campinas, a “small” suburb (at the time 800,000 people) outside of São Paulo. I delivered newspapers on my bike 7 days a week. I got up at 4am and delivered 50 to 60 newspapers; but it was hilly and it was a subscription paper, so houses could be quite apart form each other. It usually took about 90 minutes. I was home by 6, took a shower, had breakfast then took the bus to school. After a while I realized that it was silly. If I could deliver newspapers by bike, I could ride to school, too, so I did. I was about 12 years old. And, to top it off, I was actually faster than if I had taken the bus!

The Sunday paper we could deliver Saturday night and often friends would help me to get it done quickly before we would go out together for the night

When I was in college, I worked during the day and took evening classes. I rode to the train station, slept in the train for a while, then rode to work. It was about 15min from my house to the train station, and 30 min from the train station to work. After work I rode my bike to college. And then I was always able to catch the last train back home. Because I used my bike to get to and from the train stations I ended up with quite a few miles everyday. I did that for four years and I saved a lot of money that way.

So then when you started working full time you had money for a car and drove it?

 I was actually working for an Italian company that made electronic parts for cars and we got discounts on cars. Well, I gave the car to my mom and kept riding. I was the only one in that company who rode to work! Unfortunately the company decided to move to São Paulo. That is not a bike friendly place – the major boulevards are closed to bicycles, even if you just want to cross them! You have to cross them as a pedestrian and you are resticted to riding in parks and neighborhoods. So I was relying on public transit –it is good there, with trains, buses, and subways providing convenient connections.

At that point my riding was purely recreational. I started mountain biking.

So then you came to the US?

No, I worked in Milan for a year first, since my company was based there. I didn’t bike commute there, either, but that is where I picked up road biking. I went out with colleagues and they told me it was just a beginner’s ride. But let me tell you, I was always the last one in the peloton and I didn’t expect it to be almost like a race! And when they said a Saturday morning ride I didn’t expect them to go 100 miles, either! It is an amazing bike country.

I then started at hp in Brazil. I lived in Campinas again and worked in São Paulo. Fortunately hp provided a free shuttle bus, as many employees opted to live outside of São Paulo. It is a very expensive place to live. I came to the US in 2000.

How was the biking experience when you came here?

Well, it was interesting. My wife and I were used to have public transit everywhere. But we couldn’t find it here! We moved to Rocklin and bought one car, which my wife used to get to work in Sacramento. I started to ride my bike. It was mostly a pleasant ride, except I had to cross 65 at Blue Oaks. Going East, I didn’t really know what to do as I thought I always had to stay in the bike lane. It led me right onto Highway 65, though! I tried to ride facing traffic, but that was even worse. It wasn’t until I took the class that I realized how to cross it safely and be predictable.

So you think the class was worthwhile even though you had been riding for a while?

Oh yes. I learned a lot about how drivers could see me better, be predictable and using the full lane if necessary. I also scan a lot more now!

Have you had unpleasant experiences?

I moved to Roseville and my commute is much shorter now. One time I came Pleasant Grove to make a right onto Foothills. A car passed me so close I got hit by the mirror! I sat down for five minutes, slightly in shock. The driver had moved on, but eventually managed to contact me later. She apologized and learned her lesson. I also learned in the class that I don’t have to right all the way to the right when approaching an area where a right run is authorized, and now I ride down that right turn lane in the center so this unpleasant experience won’t repeat itself.

The other experience I had was the police man who told me to ride on the wrong side of the road. That was on Washington Ave, and the bike lane on one side was closed for a while due to construction. Apparently this police man has not read the police accident statistics that say the most common cause of a bike car accident is wrong-way riding!

Could you tell us about your bikes and setup?

I have a commuter bike, a mountain bike, and a triathlon bike. I was born without my left hand, so I need a special setup for the brakes. I used to just use the rear brake with my right arm, but it has a lot less breaking power. I then switched the cables, so I could use the front brake instead, but that is tricky, too. It’s easy to go over the handle bar! Through the class I got in contact with a nice guy in Texas who sells special brake levers that control both brakes at the same time. You can even adjust the hardness of the front brake with a spring.

What other exercises do you?

So I commute three times a week. Twice I work from home. But everyday I also ride my bike over the Miner’s Ravine path to the 24 hour Fitness gym and work out. I play soccer at hp during lunch breaks. On weekends I like to go out running. I run marathons – in fact I just finished the California International Marathon with a personal best time!

I also do triathlons and joined a triathlon team in Rocklin. They do bike tests occasionally. I did it and they told me my biking was great and I should focus on swimming and running. I was surprised and told them I just commute. They said: “Well, keep commuting! It’s working very well as a training program.” I don’t do that much other riding and it is great to see how good a shape I can get into by just commuting. Sometimes I do special workout: If I have a meeting first thing in the morning I leave fairly late and then sprint to work!

I’ll be going to see family Christmas in Brazil, and I’ll join my brother and my cousin in an Olympic distance triathlon. I‘ll be renting a bike for that one.

What would you change in Roseville if you could?

Something that doesn’t work well for me is taking the bike with public transit. It doesn’t run early or late enough. I took a class at Sierra College recently, but it’s hard to get there via bus. And I can’t get home after the class at all. But I also realize there isn’t a big demand, which is too bad.

Overall I like biking very well here. I like the new surface on Miner’s Ravine and how I can trigger the lights. There are plenty of bike lanes, too.

So overall most of the improvements could be done with the bike-bus combination. Light rail works pretty well with the bike and I have even taken my bike on Amtrak to the Bay Area.

Do you ride in the winter?

You know, it’s interesting. I do ride when it’s cold, but I used to drive when it was raining. It was more of a motivational problem than not wanting to ride in the rain. My bike is next to my car, so when it rains it used to be too tempting to drive. But now I put my bike in front of my car door and my rain gear right next to it. That reminds me quickly that even a rainy day is a good day to ride!

Coming from Brazil, it’s a lot easier for me to ride in the heat than in the cold.

Have you found the BikingRoseville group useful 

Yes! I like getting the info about the events such as the Bikefest, the Bike Assembly and also the good communication with the city. I try to attend those events if I can fit them in my busy schedule. I also keep up with the info about the bike master plan update and hope we reach additional bike commuters with this effort.

Any traffic violations?

Yes, I once went on Wild Cat Boulevard. I had momentum from the downhill and I slowed down on the 4 way stop, but did roll through as no cars were there. A police officer doing speed controls stopped me and I asked if I was going too fast? But he gave me the ticket because I didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign. It was a hundred dollar ticket and he wanted to see my driver’s license.

I took the choice of attending a class in order to avoid paying the fine. The class was three evenings, and I rode my bike there every session. When everybody was telling why they had gotten tickets, I got the biggest laughs! The class was interesting as the teacher didn’t know much about biking. So in a sense it was not very helpful.

Every evening when I went home they said:

 “Don’t forget your helmet!”

“Don’t forget your lights”

“Don’t forget to stop at the stop signs”

The class may not have been helpful, but at least it was a funny experience!