Rolf Devinci

Friday night.Yahoo! The weather is nice, the weekend looks promising and I have the IG Triathlon Team event to look forward to on Sunday. Happy Canada Day....especially to my expatriot sister Cari and hubby Steve. Aussie beer will surfice as long as you say "eh" at least once on Sunday.(wink) I`m being a good boy and DIDN`T buy any beer though I did have a glass (or two) of wine while soaking in the late afternoon sun. I have Jim and Paul expecting a strong cyclist on Sunday morning so my "extravaganzes" will have to wait till Sunday afternoon. Cheers! Geo

OK....it was a great week off work and very enjoyable to just kick back and relax. Nuff said......back to work today. I`m a routine guy so it`s kinda good to get back in my "day job" groove and, of course, a new found focus for the bike. The Investor`s Group Triathlon is this weekend and I will ride the cycling leg for Team Biome. Yesterday I geared up the bike with aerobars although the course can be ridden without them as it is fairly hilly. I`m just hoping the return 10K back to the start/finish and the gradual descent towards Lake Bannook will facilitate the use of bars to gain a little additional speed. Went out on Kearney Lake road yesterday for some sprint intervals while in the bars to zone in the aerodynamics. Back out tonight and did a 15K mock time trial in swirling winds and ended up with a 34.6kph average. Not too bad. Aerodynamics felt decent but a time trial specific bike would be real nice instead of road bike geometry tweaked to become more aero. Looks lik...

Just a few of my favs. Geo

Last day of vacation for this month. Awoke to a spirited spin class with Cynthia at Nubody`s at 9:15 AM.Just me and Carl representing the male species today. Rough huh?.....lol.(wink) Home to sunshine and the deck to work on blending out the bike(re;farmers)tan before Josh got home for lunch. Mon and I then went to the Lone Star in the afternoon for a meal. MMMMMMMMM......Tex/Mex food. Priceless! Picked Chelsea up at school and ran into Marilyn; a former employee at Maritime Life. Had a chat and found out she is also competing in the Investor`s Group Triathlon in a couple weeks. Cool! Home(pt 2) to the front deck(I follow the sun) after some afternoon rain to continue the bronzing of the body while having a few beers and a glass or two of wine. Chatted with the neighbors but generally people watched on a beautiful Friday evening. Looking forward to a spirited club ride and some decent milage tomorrow if the weather cooperates.........stay tuned. Geo

Yup........rained cats and dogs today, at least in the morning and early afternoon. No bike ride but I did get to the gym for some core and upper body work. Managed to do the CS Crit Series last night and had a blast. Fun, fast and furious. Not many riders but those there rode hard but safe. Seems we have some dissent in the BPCC`s Masters racing ranks as one competitor annouced today he was gonna race for another club next year. It`s an unfortunate situation where we have too many podium contenders riding in the same Cat. I don`t know the details but I surmise we have a couple alpha dogs competing for the leadership of the race group who have differing opinions on race strategy.Those racing egos......(sigh). Decided to refocus on my diet as I have fallen off the wagon.Started cutting back on the refined carbs/processed foods and gone back to simple, basic foodstuffs. Bought a container of baby spinach and will start eating more fresh salads, fruits/veggies and lean protein choices. ...

Nah...not really. The bees were busy around the back deck today but I was kicking back getting some sun on my pale body. I know that it is not vogue to sunbath nowadays but it just feels so darn good. To quote Edwin," ...ain`t it good to be alive,to feel the sun strong against your face..." I planted some kind of flowering perennial for a patio plant and the bees just love it. While watching the insects hard at work I realized bees are pretty amazing critters.I remember reading somewhere that scientists don`t understand how they fly because their size, wing span and lack of aerodynamics should preclude them from flight. Day two of my vacation week. Weather came around by Noon with some sunshine but the winds were gutsy. Tucked in the corner of the back deck it was toasty hot so I think I`ve left the pasty white winter flesh behind.....lol.A nice golden brown...at least on the front side. Walked down to the gym mid afternoon and did some strength training and core work then ...

I guess the title sums up my raceday in no uncertain terms....today was a disappointing day at the Riverport road race. Concerned about my lack of training time heading into the race(I did an easy club ride yesterday but that was after seven days off the bike due to weather and parental obligations)I thought my preparation was good. An easy club ride on Saturday, good hydration and carb loading Saturday night, avoidance of alcohol and a good night`s sleep. Up early for a good breakfast. Unfortunately I realized rather soon doing some warmups this morning that the legs just did not feel good. They felt stiff and unresponsive which did not auger well for the race start. I admit I was concerned with the condition of the course with some serious pothole concerns that just decreased my enthusiam. Looking about the Master B/C field was smaller than usual but those in attendance were the cream of the crop. Needless to say I was feeling rather timid from the outset. Once we got going it be...

My first week of vacation starts today. Here`s hoping the dreafully wet weather stops soons so I can work on the tan next week since the kids are still in school and I have an empty agenda for the most part. The Riverport road race is on Sunday and I`m hoping to head to the Shore and visit Mother on Wednesday but other than that I have no plans. Today is my wedding anniversary as well but Mon is working so I guess we will celebrate next week. Perhaps a nice brunch. A McWilliams Shiraz is tonight`s selection. C`mon sun......I need a good pre race ride tomorrow. Cheers; Geo

A week from today I will(hopefully)be posting a race update after completing the BNS rad race at Riverport hosted by the Lunenburg Bike Barn. It was my first ever race and remains my favorite. A 28km loop(3 circuits)along the Lahave river on a relatively flat course of gentle rollers and one moderate climb. A good course for us heavy vertically challenged cyclists.....(wink). Last week I was unable to make the CS Wednesday night crit or even the gym due to family obligations so heading into Saturday I was anxious for a good long Saturday club ride. The weather cooperated and I managed to ride out to the shop,the club ride(including a fast jaunt out to Laurie Park and back) and home to Halifax via Dartmouth and the "around the basin loop". Probably around 75K and the majority of it spent at a tempo between 30-40KPH. I actually felt strong considering my lack of activity the previous week and bridged a gap on the Fall River Hill and crested the climb strong, maintaining 28-30...

The weather has improved and by the afternoon it was sunny and hot. Perfect weather for some criterium racing at Shannon Park but, alas, I`m benched. My spouse needed the car tonight for an offsite staff meeting so I`m enjoying a bottle of Beaujolais, late afternoon sunshine and some pizza on the deck! Heck......sometimes it`s good to kick back and just indulge yourself.Cheers! Geo

Awoke to a sunny day and the usual Saturday club ride. There was a good turnout and I jumped in with the fast guys for a moderate pace out to Fall River. The spin out to Laurie Park and back to Bedford saw an increase in the tempo and the last 10K developed into a hammerfest. It was a blast. Fast but safe riding. Home to the back deck where I got some sun on my pasty white body while transplanting my root bound houseplants. Accompanied with a few cold beer it was definitely a good back yard afternoon. Out to Applebee`s for some more beer and food with friends complete with good conversation. Back home to catch a spirited hockey game on the TV. Yup....a good day! The Provincial road race is being held today in Yarmouth which I cannot attend. Distance and my domestic situation makes the logistics difficult so I have opted out again this year. Good luck to all the club racers. Some non racers are heading to the Valley for a ride on quiet country roads but I think I will plant my veget...