Rolf Devinci

Saturday morning I managed to do a Gym triathlon. I was feeling spry so got to Nubody`s bright and early and had the opportunity to get in quite the workout. Started with a series of core/ab exercises combined with some compound free weights/machine strength training. Transitioned to the treadmill where I got in a two mile run@6mph until the last kilometer where I upped the tempo to 7mph. All the while keeping an eye on any potential lineup for the usual hour spin class. Transitioned off the treadmill to my fav bike for a kickass sixty minute hammerfest spin class. Nice! Showered then out to the bike shop to hang out with some of the lads. It was a good morning. Sunday it was off to my usual ball hockey sporting my new(to me)gloves. Would it make a difference? I felt good today and was seeing the ball well. Considering my Saturday workout the body was feeling prime. It must have been that bowl of traditional,thick as cement oatmeal with ground flaxseed followed by a Swiss che...

Rose Campbell. A fellow student and classmate growing up in Bridgewater. I raise a glass of wine in memory of a life that appears to have been well lived, albeit,far too short. Rose Mary Campbell, R.N. 45, Vancouver, formerly of Bridgewater; in a time of heartfelt sorrow, we as a family regret to announce the passing of our beloved daughter, Rose Mary Campbell. On November 4, 2008, she lost her life after a courageous battle with cancer in the Lions Gate Hospital, Vancouver, BC. She was surrounded by her partner, parents, sister and friends. Rose was born in Middleton, however, she spent her school years in Bridgewater NS; she then went on to St. Martha’s School of Nursing where she graduated as a Registered Nurse. Rose lived a full life, she left Nova Scotia and maintained two jobs in two Emergency Hospitals for over 20 years in Vancouver, BC. Rose loved the outdoors and became an avid hiker and runner, completing several marathons. Rose is survived by her partner, Dr. Roy Morton; ...

Friday Night and Saturday saw us Maritimers knee deep in an early season snowstorm. We usually do not get such large amounts of snow in November so my usual Saturday morning training was with a shovel and not at the the gym. The snow drifts in the driveway was substantial and required a good solid 3 hours of stoop labor to remove. The rail on the(sheltered) back step is a pretty good indicator of how much white stuff actually fell overnight. While downtown to attend a Halifax Feast Christmas party I managed to check out these snowshoes at Mountain Coop Equipment(MEC). A neat modular concept that enables you to adapt the shoes to the type of snow and your weight, with or without extra gear by using optional tails. Hmmm.....snowshoes are now back on the front burner if these November snows are a portent of whats to come this winter. " MSR Denali Classic Snowshoes Weight: 1.65kg Instead of traditional frame-and-decking, these snowshoes are made of a tough, snow-shedding, Profax pol...

In the glass tonight is a Peller Estates French Cross Selection.I`m enjoying a Malbec-Cabernet red wine on a cold, snowy night......"Flavors of ripe blacberries and currents are enhanced by enticing cherry and plum aromas." Considering the first big snowstorm is due to arrive tonight with snowfall amounts listed at 30cm+ beginning around midnight and lasting into Saturday I bought the 1.5litre jug.(wink) I`ve decided to officially end the outdoor cycling season after the events of last week so,in traditional Holiday spirit...."let it snow!" I might go for my usual Saturday morning spin class or stay home if the weather is nasty. Time will tell. It truly is the calm before the storm in more ways than one. My spouse and children opted to go see a movie at the theatres so I`m home alone with only the ticking of the clock,the clicking of the keyboard and a glass of wine. All while basking in the halogen glow of the space heater. The quiet is deafening! Priceles...

Saturday morning brought very mild temps but the roads were wet with foggy conditions. Rain was forecasted for the entire weekend. I admit I debated going for the club ride but in the end I opted for the comfort of the gym and a spin class. Turns out it was a good call on my part as the first group on the road - the fast group - crashed on the notorious railway tracks on the Rocky Lake road. Having gone down on them before(twice)in wet conditions I fully understand how treacherous they can be on soggy days. Looking at the list of seven riders in the group,five of whom fell,I discovered that they are the guys I usually ride with so there is no doubt in my mind I would have been with them had I opted to cycle yesterday morning. Whew.....lucky me!Discretion was the better part of valor on my part. Thankfully no serious injuries other than KB`s shattered wrist which will require surgery....tough luck for him. A lousy way to end the season.That sucks! Ball hockey saw me playing well aga...

In the glass tonight is a 2004 KWV South African Roodeberg. " ...all occasions, easy drinking, medium bodied red wine has summer berry flavors and complimented by hints of chocolate and spicy vanilla oak...." This is a real nice wine with a decent working class price point($16CDN). A quaffable wine if tastes great......maybe too great since the bottle is now empty. It`s been a long week at work so indulge me.....LOL. No worries.....I didn`t drink the whole thing myself.My spouse is home to share the bottle. The weather MIGHT just cooperate for a bike ride in the morning...the temps will be unseasonable but will the rain stay away? Time will tell!

After a morning paying respects to those who have served this country on the 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War I decided to go for a bike ride. The lack of traffic on the Rememberance Day holiday is nice and enables one to reflect more upon the day than on the threat posed by traffic. I headed out the Bedford highway to the Rockey Lake road and onwards to Waverley. The winds had come up and were blustery and cool, alternating from head,tail and cross winds. It ended up being a tougher ride than I planned or anticipated and the 6C temps were cooler considering the wind chill. Heading into Dartmouth I had solid cross winds which hurt the legs and pushed me around quite substantially so the lack of traffic was definitely a boon. That said the sound of my tires swooshing upon the pavement combined with the swirling maple leaves in my path made for quite the Canadian "cycling moment". The winds had become increasingly chaotic - one moment I`m struggling against a he...

It was a warm but wet/foggy weekend hereabouts so I opted out of the usual Saturday club ride. With wet conditions, traffic and lots of leaves on the roads I figured it was safer to visit the gym. Got in an hour spin class, core work, weights and a mile run after the spin class to practice my transitions from bike to the run. I intend to continue participating in duathlons in 2009 so a winter run regimen will be part of my offseaon traning plan. My shifters look great with the new caps and will look new when I install the new rubber hoods with some new(clean) bar tape for next season. Got my eye on a Shimano bottom bracket to fit my(unused)175mm Ultegra crankarms since a shifter purchase is now not necessary. Currently on the Nebula ITT bike I`m running older Dura Ace 172.5mm square tapered cranks and BB that are not my(prefered)size. Ballhockey turned out to be my best effort thus far early in the season.It looked grim as the teams were randomly chosen at the start. The opposing sq...

Greetings from a damp,wet and dreary Halifax. Chin up all.......it`s Friday night! In the glass tonight is Barefood`s other selection available in the NSLC, a Cabernet Sauvignon. " A medal winning cab...",says About.com. Like it`s sister Shiraz this is a very nice wine at a very nice pricepoint....." A jammy wine with robust flavors of wild berry and currants. Hints of toasted oak and clove enhance the velvety finish." You can`t go wrong at $11.99 CDN. Barefoot Cellars is definitely one of my fav wine producers. After my spectacular crash over the infamous Rocky Lake train tracks I ended up losing one of the caps on my Shimano shifters. At some point I lost or misplaced the other cap. This past summer my shifter hoods started to show wear after 6 years and began to look their age. The shifters worked fine but looked rather shabby. Since the shifters are now out of date the vintage spare parts have been tough to locate. I ended up finding replacements hoods and...

Since last night was such a landmark moment with the election of Obama to the Presidency of the United States it was only appropriate I open up a bottle of American wine while watching history in the making. In the glass last night(and again tonight)is a delightful Shiraz blend from Barefoot Cellars - "...is full of jammy, blackberry flavors and is velvety smooth." "Really,really good Shiraz!" quotes the Wine Wench Sue Straight and I concur. I had read somewhere the Barefoot brand made great wines at affordable prices and was pleased to stumble upon this gem at the local NSLC. Absolutely delicious wine. Speaking of gems I also discovered Omega Crunch at Farmers Clem`s market on the Bedford highway. I stopped in for some potatoes and squash this past weekend and picked up a bottle of the shelled flax. What a fabulous idea by a local company. The benefits of Omega 3 in flaxseeds that does not need grinding and has a long shelf life. Priceless. I add it to my homema...

Another weekend in the books as I type this on a Sunday night. After an enjoyable Halloween night with the help of a nice red wine(wink)I was keen on getting in a Saturday morning club ride. I actually was running late in the morning so opted to drive out to the bike shop and quickly geared up as the pre ride meeting was taking place. Without any warmup on a cool Novemember morning I jumped in the first group on the road. The pace was fast from the outset but the legs felt good until the Fall River hill. As usual I was the last of the group to summit but stayed in touch with two of the other lads. That hill always hurts.....always! The ride out to Laurie Park was better as was the return trip to Bedford. The longer the ride went the stronger I felt and managed to hang with the group right till the traffic lights in Bedford. I failed to reset my computer at the start but the numbers(from another rider in the group)was 20km with a 31.2kph. From Fall River out to Laurie Park then back t...