Roccia & Roll
Boys will be boys, regardless of age.
The male members of the Roccia family proved as much when three generations came together recently to do a 240-mile bike ride along the Katy Trail in Missouri.
Bob Roccia, 86, of Cranberry Township joined sons Don, 65, of Michigan and Wayne, 64, of Zelienople, and grandson Wayne, 36, of Gibsonia for the six-day bicycling excursion.
“Dad and I did part of the Great Allegheny Passage, from Cumberland (Maryland) to Ohiopyle, last summer, and it was so much fun,” Wayne Roccia, 64, said. “Since then, we've gotten information on other biking events and have thought about going back out.
“When we saw the trail, Dad wanted to do it. He retired from the railroad out there and the trail follows those tracks.”
So the two scheduled their ride for mid-October. This time, they picked up some company.
The youngest member of the team opted in immediately.
“This was the chance of a lifetime. I wasn't going to miss it,” he said. “Pap loved working on that railroad. When I was growing up, our first dog was named Katy, and Pap trained her.”
“When this trip came up, it was a no-brainer he would want to do it,” he said.
In May 2013, Don Roccia suffered a heart attack. Three weeks later, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. A portion of his stomach and esophagus were removed and he underwent chemotherapy.
Don Roccia's final chemo treatment was in April.
“We scheduled that trip about a year ahead of time and it became a goal of mine to take part in it,” Don Roccia said. “Most of my adult life has been spent away from home. I've lived in Chicago, Minnesota, Orlando, now Clarkston in Michigan.
“I never had the opportunity to do anything together with my father, brother and nephew since we've always lived apart. Dad's 86, I've had the health issues ... now was the time,” Don Roccia said.So he incorporated bike riding into his rehab. Once he got clearance from his doctors, he rode five miles a day for two weeks, then 12 miles a day along the Rails-to-Trails course in Michigan.“Being on blood thinners, I had to be careful not to fall, suffer any cuts or bruises,” Don said.“But I got clearance from my cardiologist, passed all of the tests. If my body couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have gone. I was grateful for the recovery,” he said.Now cancer-free, Don got himself in shape for the Katy ride. He joined his father and brother for the drive to Clinton, Mo. The youngest Roccia of the group flew to Kansas City and met them in Clinton.And the one to take a tumble was the 86-year-old.“I was trying to get on my bicycle to get going one day, hit a soft spot or something and flipped over,” Bob Roccia said. “I got a couple of bruises, but that wasn't going to stop me.“I started that venture. I was going to finish it.”The four Roccia men had one thing in common, for sure — mutual admiration.“I was pretty impressed with what Don did,” Bob said of his son. “He went through a lot just to make this trip. He set the pace for us at about 9 mph, which was pretty good for trail riding.”Don Roccia was equally impressed with his father.“We were worried about each other,” he said, laughing. “He worried about my health, I worried about his age. And we were both fine.“There were times we had to reel him in. Our pace was 9 mph, and he'd start pedaling at around 10 or 11. The guy is unbelievable,” he said.Wayne Roccia, who coached track and field for 33 years at Seneca Valley before retiring in 2007, wasn't surprised his brother and father participated in and completed the adventure.“Not at all,” he said. “We've always been an active family. This wasn't a race among us. We all rode together and spent quality time together.”“Being a cancer survivor, we let Don set the pace. We wanted to be careful not to tax him more than he could go, so we followed his lead,” Wayne Roccia said.
Bob Roccia was a sales representative for the Missouri railroad for 23 years before retiring in 1988. His grandson marveled at how much history he knew on the subject.“The tour guides were asking him questions, gathering information they could use for future tours,” the youngest Roccia said. “Pap was like a celebrity there. Everybody knew him.“He'd be asked about this guy, that guy, if he remembered some name from the past ... He knew them all.”And his stamina during the week of bike riding earned further respect from his grandson.“Pap felt badly because his legs were sore,” Wayne said. “I had to laugh. I said, 'Pap, my legs are sore and I'm less than half your age. Of course our muscles are sore. We've been riding a bike for 200 miles.'“Pap has always been an inspirational role model for me. The guy just refuses to stop. It's just amazing.”The foursome refused to stop in general. Rain fell on the first day of their adventure. They rode 38 miles anyway. They had bed-and-breakfast accommodations nightly as part of the tour.Only seven other riders were doing the tour on this particular week.The younger Wayne said the time flew by all week.“We laughed the whole time,” he said. “Three generations of family and we all got along. We ribbed each other, poked fun at each other — a lifetime memory as far as I'm concerned.”More memories are on the way.The quartet will reunite again in January at the Pittsburgh Pirates' fantasy camp in Bradenton, Fla.Don, Wayne and his son will all get in uniform and play baseball. Bob will be a spectator.“That one, I'm a little old for,” Bob said of playing baseball.But their bicycling days are far from over.“We still have to finish that (Great) Allegheny (Passage) ride. It's going on the calendar,” Bob said.“We'll get it done,” his son, Wayne, said. “Dad won't rest until we do.”Members of the Roccia family have gone hunting, canoeing and camping together. The 36-year-old Wayne ran track and cross country for his father at Seneca Valley and later played college football at Johns Hopkins.“About 10 years ago, Dad and I walked the Appalachian Trail,” he said. “I'm sure this bike ride won't be the only thing the four of us will do together.“Whatever the next venture is, it will be active, athletic and fun ... definitely fun,” he said.
