Rolf Devinci

Dusted off the Nebula time trial bike today and got out for a short practice time trial on the Kearney Lake Road. Out and back it is 9 km,essentially flat with some rollers and a false flat heading to the turnaround. Thanks to the generosity of KS I had a surplus Ultegra 9 speed crankset and bottom bracket installed this past winter and was anxious to give it a try. It felt great and was an improvement on the old square taper setup I used last season. Thanks Applegirl.....you`re the bestest! I still need to work on my aero positioning,specifically the saddle as it is just not comfortable enough for my liking. It just might be the saddle itself.It was a awesome afternoon but with blustery winds blowing off the lake. That said I managed to do the 9km distance with a 36.4 kph average despite the crosswinds. Sad that my Stratus was stolen earlier this month and facing the prospect of financing another car loan I bought a 2008 Dodge Caliber this weekend. A compact sedan it has an unique...

The last Sunday of ball hockey was today under glorious warm and sunny temps. I should be riding my bike not playing hockey in a gym. That said being goalie means I play free but it comes with a committment of playing. Without a goaltender gym hockey sucks. I strapped on the gear, sweating profusely just thinking how hot it will be in the gym. I inherited the weaker squad so I knew it would be a tough slog defending the goal. The first match was close until we gave up 3 quick goals to lose 10-7. With only 25 minutes remaining we started the second game and held a 2-0 lead until the last 10 minutes when we collapsed and gave up 3 consecutive goals. In both games we didn`t have any finish.....once the lads got tired and stopped backchecking the superior speed and ball handling skills of the other team won the matches. I played well today and saw a definite improvement in my goaltending skills over the last half of the season. My second half record ends with a 23-16-1 record. My recor...

The weekend was forecasted with awesome warm and sunny weather so off I went to Bedford for the BPCC club ride. I stayed away from the wine Friday night so was feeling prime for a spirited ride this morning. The ride out along the Bedford highway was a good warmup but I quickly realized I was overdressed with a mid weight winter jersey as a base layer and my CSC jersey as a top layer. Ditched my gloves in AA`s car and joined the second group leaving the shop.We pacelined using the CCW rotation which worked well in the experienced group of riders. After a easy climb past Canadian Tire the pace picked up. We opted to cycle through Fall River Village which added some distance and climbing to the route.Exiting the subdivision we climbed the Fall River hill which hurt. Ugh! Jumped in a different group out to Laurie Park and with the tailwind it was awesome!We were cruising! Heading back I(essentially)was in the same group with the addition of EW having SM opt to ride back with a following p...

Headed off to Sunday ball hockey today under sunny blue skies and nice temps. I knew it would be hard to motivate myself to play indoors on such an awesome Spring day. Great day for a bike ride(wink). To add to my lack of motivation was the fact I inherited the weaker of the two squads.I was not seeing the ball well in the warmup which is usually a sure sign of a long day in the nets. The first match I was brutal but so was the other goalie. We both took time to find our game and the match ended up tied at nines. Despite my average play we had a chance to win against a faster squad but a rising slapshot beat me high on my left shoulder to cement the 10-9 victory for the other team. The second game was a trainwreck! I gave up a soft goal in the first couple minutes and the speed of the other team started to take it`s toll. They were just faster on the ball and much of the second match was played in our end. It felt like a perpetual powerplay and at least six goals were scored from th...

Under sunny skies but cool temperatures(2C) I departed for the morning club ride.As in previous Springs I have developed the same nagging tickle in my upper chest. It feels like a feather stuck just above my diaphram. The lungs are OK but I have a tightness and dry cough. It`s most annoying.Could it be an allergy? Dispite the cough I cycled out to the shop and joined in the second group on the road. It was a nice easy warmup pace to the Fall River hill. The climb was decent considering my tight chest and the legs felt strong. At Sobey`s I jumped into another group heading out to Laurie Park against a pretty strong headwind. We were riding the CCW rotation which became rather skittish as holding one`s line and pulling off the front became an issue combined with the heavy traffic flow. I was glad to make Laurie Park. Leaving Laurie Park all the groups kinda got mixed as everyone departed at the same time. There was a string of riders which wasn`t a good thing on that busy stretch of p...

Jumped into one of the several group rides today in sunny and warm weather. I really needed a good chance to burn off some stress and today I accomplished that goal. We left the shop with eight riders and, rather surprisingly, the tempo was fast from the outset.I am amazed how well everyone is riding so early in the season after a long winter. We experienced some swirling winds that caused some suffering on the way out but meant we might benefit on the return trip. Heading into the Fall River hill I found myself in the unfortunate position of leading out the climb. Fully expecting to be passed forthwith I pushed hard on the bottom half of the climb and remained on the front until I pulled off midway up the hill. The group had split and three riders passed me so I grabbed the last wheel and hung on until we crested and began the descent to Fall River. Yeehaa.....it`s not often I enjoy any climb but that was fun. Thanks to AF,GM and CH for pulling me up over the top of the hill. The r...

The big bad world just handed me another solid kick to the ribs last night when I discovered my car missing this morning. "No #$&%ing way!", I exclaimed this morning at 6:15AM when I was heading out the door on my way to work. Car stolen right out of my driveway. Second time in the last 10 years. To add insult to injury I have sunk about $4000 over the last couple years to keep my 98 Dodge Stratus in good operating condition, including $2200 for a complete exhaust system and new rocker panels only two weeks ago. #%@& me! Today I alternated from seething anger to desperate resignation,experiencing a wide variety of emotions. Times are hard! Domestically my finances are on the razor`s edge so I find myself between the Devil and deep blue sea. In need of a vehicle but unable to carry a new car loan. I doubt insurance will offer me much for a 10 year old domestic vehicle with 200 000 kilometers on the dial. I hope for the best but I suspect this won`t end well for...

The Atlantic Path that is. I volunteered this afternoon to take part in the 30 year cancer study currently looking for 30 000 Atlantic Canadians as part of a national initiative. Having completed the survey part beforehand the process was quite smooth and efficient. Signed the waivers, gave my samples(blood, urine, saliva and toenails), got my measurements and out the door. Took about an hour. One of the benefits was coming home with some test results. It was interesting to look at the numbers; some were expected and some were not. Blood Pressure - 158/75 at a heart rate of 75. Hmmm.....the systolic number was much higher than usual but the diastolic was about the same. Odd in that the systolic was indicating stage one hypertension but the systolic was below normal. Thinking my stressful day at work combined with rushing to get there, 4 straight days of exercise and lack of sleep this week(my spouse is keeping me awake with her pinched nerve)might have some impact on the numbers I r...

Actually I volunteered to face the beasts. With my ballhockey winding down for the season I found myself goaltending for the better squad on Sunday. We easily won the first match 10-5 led by superior passing, better defense and my decent netminding. There were rumblings from the other squad about the fairness of the draw(teams are picked by random)so I offered to switch teams. I was hoping there would be another trade as well to even out the teams but alas.....I found myself facing down the juggernaut I had played for earlier. It was a good opportunity to see if my good form was the result of hard work and good conditioning or more the case of just playing in front of the better teams. The second game started close and was a see saw affair until the other squad opened up a 8-4 lead. It wasn`t looking good but we rallied(or the other team eased back) and we actually tied the game at eights.If anything it was a moral victory. Sadly we gave up two goals and dropped the match 10-8. With...

In the glass tonight is a 2006 Laboure-Roi Pinot Noir. This French red in honor of the Acadian settlers of Maritime Canada commencing in 1604 is..."Fin et a la puissant, aux aromesde fruits rouges(framboise,groseille).Il possede une robe brillante et claire avec une coloeur rubis profonde." Very nice.Fine but boasting lots of berry flavor with a deep ruby color.MMMMMMM The weather is warm but comes with a price......lots of rain and wind for Saturday. Looks like the club ride is a wash out so I`ll head to the gym in the morning. The strained groin survived ball hockey last night but I did take a slapshot off the forearm while fighting for position in the slot. Ouchie! That`s gonna bruise! Two weeks of Sunday and three weeks of Thursday ball hockey left in the 2008/2009 season. Then it`s all about cycling.