Rolf Devinci

Although I usually try and fly under the birthday radar I will admit that today I turned forty five. Yippee!(wink). I`m not a birthday "grinch" but rather refuse to be a slave to the numbers, be it age or weight. Chronological age is unimportant as youthfulness is really a state of mind. The kids had a chocolate Oreo cake for me when I got home and it was certainly not the recommended pre time trial meal but alas......I couldn`t hurt their feelings now could I?(wink) The Thursday night club ITT series continued tonight and I tied my personal best with a time of 14:58 for the 10km hilly course. Not bad considering I had a belly full of cake and ice cream. Sadly we only had 5 riders tonight which was pathetic considering the size of the club. We are in prime vacation time but it is frustrating to say the least. I guess most folk just don`t like to suffer like some of us. The best part of the day was my son getting a haircut. As you can see in the pic he really does have ears...

Heading back to work Monday I had great expectations for today`s scheduled ride around Peggy`s Cove. It would be the first time in at least two years I`ve done the loop and was looking forward to the challenge of riding with the fast boys. That said I was tired this morning and the little voices in my head said it would be a good idea to chill on the couch with coffee and watch a promising mountain stage of the Tour De France. At 7:45AM I finally made the call and ignored my "little voice" and scooted out the door for a 8:00am rendevous. Arriving late at the carpool parking lot on St. Margarets Bay road the boys were gone but I spied the tailend of the paceline so I hammered to catch on, successfully I must add. That was an early sprint in a 100km ride.....whew! The tempo was high and the pace fast. Approaching the Prospect road split I prepared for the first climb of the day and was out of the saddle and pushing hard when I heard a PING. I immediately knew I broke a spoke...

The legs were feeling heavy this morning after a hot,humid night of fitful sleep. Humidity and too much alcohol don`t mix well. Regardless I got up and out on the road to make the 9AM start. The 10km warmup ride out to the shop was definitely required to clear both my head and legs. Jumped into the second(fast)group to leave the shop and rode well on the way out to Fall River. Got dropped on the Fall River Hill(as usual) but recovered on the descent to get latched back on the group. The jaunt out to Laurie Park was rather subdued even though we had another group within sight. Seemed like the lads didn`t have the chase in the legs until,with one kilometre to go,C assumed the pull and dropped the hammer. I was on his wheel and redlined on the small ascent to the park`s entrance. The ride back to Bedford was a hammerfest. The lads were flying with speeds in excess of 40kph for much of the return trip. I redlined on a couple occasions but managed to recover and stay with the main group u...

Friday was another great day. We headed out to the Maskwa Rowing club for some swimming. Once again I opted to run out in the midday sun(30C)but actually remembered to track my time. The distance from home is just over 5km and which I did in 29:10:32. The water was wonderful. Simply wonderful!

Another awesome day here in the Maritimes. Since we all had too much sun yesterday we opted out of the lake today. Instead I used the time to sit in Access Nova Scotia and got my drivers license renewed and did some grocery shopping. Home to scrub the kitchen floor before I headed off to Fall River for the Thursday night time trial. My previous two attempts at the hilly 10km time trial course were disappointments. Tonight I went in with a different mindset. Rather than take the hills at a moderate pace and then push hard on the easy sections to make up time I opted to follow Chris Carmichael`s advice which was the polar opposite of my technique. Gleaned from watching the TdF coverage,specifically the first ITT,I pushed hard on the tough sections and recovered on the easy sections. Supposedly this is the best way to recover time. As a result I saw a vast improvement in my time and actually broke the 15 minutes barrier with a time of 14:58 over the 10km course. Other than the fact I se...

I reckon that a long day in the July sunshine sure makes a cold beer taste wonderful. Day five started with coffee and the Tour De France coverage on OLN. It was such a great day we decided to head to Kearney Lake. While the family was getting ready I opted to run out to the Maskwa Rowing club to get in some exercise. Needless to say I forgot to set my watch so I have no idea of my time or distance but it was HOT on the powerline trail.Whew! Once at the lake I proceeded to dive in and the water felt absolutely prime! Spent the afternoon at the lake getting too much sun but enjoying the cool water. Home for a quick nap then up and on the bike for the 6PM Purcell`s Cove training ride. Considering my run, swim and day in the sun the legs felt strong on the bike. It was probably my best PC ride this season. Home to grab a shower then off to Applebee`s where I enjoyed a couple cold beers in frosty mugs while watching the sun set over Clayton Park. With the exception of a sun burn on my b...

Awoke to foggy rainy weather that the weatherman promised would depart by the afternoon. Arranged a 2PM ride from the shop so I was hopeful the sun would shine. Left the house at 1:30PM and before I clipped in the pedals the rain started to pour. Considered aborting the ride but within minutes I was soaked so off I went singing(wink) in the rain. Figured I would ride out to Bedford and if no one was there I would just come back home. On the Bedford highway I crossed the weather line between rainfall and dry pavement. Met three fellas at the shop and we did a variation of the club ride. Ended up with a 50km ride with a 30kph average. Heading to Laurie Park I touched wheels with the rider in front of me but kept the bike upright. Amazing how instinct kicks in and you react without thinking. Whew! I suffered on the two big climbs on the route and was on the bubble of being dropped but managed to hang on by just digging deep and keeping the pedals ticking over. Fittingly I arrive home to...

OK....I was due. Today saw lots of rain but,in fairness, we needed rain. Watched a great stage of the TdeF, got my race photos developed and headed to the gym for a spirited spin class complimented by weight training and core work. Looks like rain for tomorrow as well........lets hope it changes overnight.

Home after a long day in the July sun at the Tour De Wenworth - our club`s stage race hosted in the ski capital of mainland Nova Scotia. The time trial went well but the stiff headwind after the turnaround and short climb to the finish made for some grim faces crossing the line. A quick bite of food then off to my station at the bridge crossing to prepare for the 1PM road race start. It was a beautiful sunny day(28C - 30C)but with stiff winds to the chagrin of the racers. It was a godsend for me as the increasingly blustery weather kept the insects at bay and cooled off my location. Situated in a little valley along the Wentworth river it was a crucible of the sun with no cover or shade. I was on station from 1pm - 4pm at the mercy of the direct sunlight for the most part. Managed to snap some photos while directing traffic as the racers passed across the one lane bridge. Most were with my old school film SLR but I did manage to get some digital shots as well. I will post up addition...

Today I officially started my second vacation week of 2008 and the Tour De Geo began with the usual Saturday club ride. I suppose,in recollection, the title should be edited to "Day One`s Fall" since I doubt I`ve ever found a state of grace. After several days of recovery the legs felt real good this morning. It was a beautiful, hot sunny day and my ride out to the shop was nice. Once there I was chatting with some of the other riders, straddling the top tube with one foot clipped in my pedal. Lost in conversation I rocked the bike to my right and lost my balance and was unable to unclip my right foot. Down I fall like a 206lb clydesdale and drove my knee and elbox into the pavement. Ended up with a nasty little puncture wound on my knee but the greatest damage was to my ego. Nothing like being a veteran cyclist pulling a newbie move.(sigh)Yup......my fall from grace. Despite a sore, bloody knee and road rash on my elbow the ride went well. I had the right stuff today and ...

With great sadness on Harlington Crescent we said goodbye to Gina, Jordan, Robin and Bradley who moved back to Great Britain to join their father,Sanyo, who returned earlier in the year to resume his medical practice. It was sad to see them leave as they became close friends to many in the neighborhood and were,in laymen`s terms, wonderful people. We will miss the good company, conversation and friendship. I`m sure the classmates of Jordan, Robin and Bradley will miss their companionship as well. They are three of the finest, polite,gregarious young men you will ever meet. My thanks to Gina who introduced us to Ghanian cuisine and culture during their short stay here in Canada.We wish you, Sanyo and the boys the best of luck. You will all be missed!

July 5th/6th was a great summer weekend complete with beautiful sunny weather,cycling,food,drink and,of course,the start of the 2008 Tour De France. Saturday began with a rousing 70km club ride with the majority of it seeing me riding with one of the faster groups on the road. The legs felt strong all day and it was an awesome hammerfest back to Bedford.....hoorah!Home afterwards for some sun on the deck to blend out the "cyclist`s tan" complete with a couple cold beer.Pizza and wine while watching the first stage of the TdF later in the evening. Does it get any better? Sunday I headed back out to Fall River to participate in the club`s testing of the time trial software for our race on July 13th. Essentially we held a club ITT to make sure our timing system was accurate. I was the holder so didn`t ride the 10K time trial till the end but it was fun. We currently have a time trial series at the club level so this was my second attempt at the course. I`m still playing with m...