Rolf Devinci

Today the 2011 Halifax Crit will be held around the Commons as part of the HRM Bike Week celebrations.....an inititaive of the city to increase bicycle awareness and facilitate further cycling friendly infrastructure in the city's long term development planning. Weather Forecast Since the "modern" day crits were ressurrected by Bicycles Plus Cycling Club we have almost always been plagued with wet, cool weather. It has amost become part of the planning process.As of this writing the pavement is dry but it is overcast and foggy. Hopefully it will burn off shortly but the forecast is predicting afternoon showers. With half the crit course repaved last week with table top flat conditions it will be a fast race so here's hoping the rain holds off till this afternoon. Race Meal If you read my(future) race reports this will become rather routine. My pre race meal today was home smoked nitrate free bacon I sourced at the Seaport Farmers Market yesterday along with th...

Since one of my current goals is to cut back on fructose I have the challenge of eating more vegetables over less fruit. It is now a convienence issue......throwing a banana or apple in the back pack was alot easier than assembling pre cut veggies in a bag....you know the drill. Happy that I have cut way back on my fruit consumption I am a little concerned about my acid/alkaline balance now that I consume more acid ash forming foods than alkaline. Protein,(some) dairy,coffee and eggs but less fruit and about the same amount of vegetables. The fats I consume(butter and coconut oil) are basically neutral or slightly alkaline. Lemon water is a powerful alkalining agent,relatively low in fructose and easy to incorporate into any way of eating. I might adhere to a Primal WOE but I also acknowledge the balance that comes out of the Alkaline Diet. In fact I would argue that both the Paleo and Alkaline diets share some basic truths. I have began consuming lemon ...

 Under unseasonal cloudy and cool skies I opted to do a Sunday afternoon ride with some of the lads out to Enfield and back. After Saturday's club ride(Day One) I was unsure how the legs would respond since yesterday was a fast pace for me...in excess of 34KPH compliments of some of the faster riders in the club.  Today we were facing a steady headwind out past Laurie Park to Enfield and it was a hard effort. The legs were pretty stiff and even sitting in the seven man paceline it felt like I was pushing hard for the entire distance. AB mentioned post ride we averaged over 30kph but the wind made it seem far slower. Once in Enfield we opted to ride up towards Goff's Corner, a stretch of road that is a series of climbs over pavement that is potholed, rutted and rough. It is definitely a "Hill I Love To Hate". It was a slow ascent to say the least.Ouchie!  The ride back to Bedford was a different story thanks to the benefit of the tailwind. The speed of the group ...

Falmouth Flyer Update Due to a malfunction of the finish line video for the final sprint of the Cat C race at Falmouth the results have been delayed beyond the top three podium positions. That said I did get unofficial confirmation I placed sixth which was a good result. My winter training regimen payed dividends as my overall conditioning and power was much improved over the 2010 season.I attribute my early season form to my focus upon developing lower body strength,keeping my core strong and avoiding winter weight gain by adhering to a low carb Primal WOE.Falmouth was a good early season test and set the benchmark for the rest of the season.Since my Achilles heel remains my climbing(work in progress)I am definitely looking forward to the second race on the BNS schedule. Thanks to the city new pavement has been put down on half the loop which is awesome. The remainder of the course is in very good shape. The only issue is the forth corner which is a little rough from where the n...

Overview Today the inaugural race of the 2011 BNS road series takes place in Falmouth Nova Scotia under overcast and rainy skies. We can hope the weather clears by the Noon start but at the time of this writing(7:30AM) it is damp and chilly.Forecast looks foreboding with showers and a high of 10C this afternoon. Complicating the unseasonal temperataures is the fact I awoke this morning with a sore throat. My son was complaining of feeling peckish on Thursday and Friday of this past week and I think I got what he had just in time for race day. Swell! The course is a 11.5km loop comprised of rolling terrain with one 750m hill. Cat C will race 6 laps for a total of 69 kilometres.I have not pre ridden the course but expect typical rural Nova Scotian roads complete with rough patches(NS "cobbles") and omnipresent chop. Finbar's Racing Since starting racing in 2004 I will be sporting different colors. I opted to race under the Finbar's banner this season after the...

 Picked up a package of soft unripened Chevre style goat's milk cheese yesterday while out foraging for coconut milk. Having recently bought some local Goat's milk to try(and hope the family will drink it) I thought the cheese might be worthy of a taste test.  Similar to cream cheese but dryer and more crumbly it imparts a delicious tanginess, just enough to let you know it is not made out of cow's milk.This unique flavor is due to the unique qualities of goat's milk fatty acids..... "The fat globules in goat milk are significantly smaller than those in cow's milk.The smaller size, along with the lack of a protein known as agglutinin, which causes the fat in cow's milk to clump together, means that the fat in goat milk stays dispersed. Goat milk is thus naturally homogenized, resulting in a creamier texture in both the milk and cheeses. Second, the percentage composition of three medium chain fatty acids--caproic, caprylic and capric acid--are three t...

 As part of the Saturday morning club ride the jaunt over the Fall River hill usually represents the first "sprint" of the day. Since we all reform on the other side of the hill before continuing the ride out to Laurie Park the climb literally becomes an individual effort - you climb as fast or slow as you wish. In the faster groups it certainly can become race pace.  I love this hill for what it offers. A steep little pitch at the beginning that usually dislodges riders it is always the first goal to hang on the pack there knowing that the grade will ease somewhat as you head into a false flat about midway up the climb.Even the false flat can burn the legs but gives you a little respite before it pitches upward for the final third of the climb.  I hate the hill for that very reason.......that knoll at the bottom just plain hurts especially when the lads/ladies hit it hard from the outset. Ouchie! For me it's all about letting the elastic stretch but not bre...

 A month ago I was foraging at the Bulk Barn when I noticed they now carry loose teas in bulk. I had recently discovered the abundant flavors offered by steeping loose teas, specifically green and white, but also the traditional black teas.Needless to say I was intrigued by the selection and was drawn to a Vanilla Rooibos. Pronounced "roy boss" the red/orange tea indigenious to South Africa had a wonderful vanilla aroma.Not knowing anything about it I took a leap of faith and purchased a small bag. In reality there was no leaping involved as the beauty of the Bulk Barn is the fact that you can purchase as much/little of a product as you want. It`s absolutely delicious! It is now a paleo staple and I keep a tea ball and container of Rooibos at work. Caffeine free it is loaded with antioxidants but without excess tannins it is a pleasant easy drinking brew. It has become an important part of my intermittant fasting regimen as well....

I finally have gotten around to my poor neglected Norco hardtail and managed to give her a good cleaning. After a muddy Fall of cyclocross and a salty Winter of commuting the bike was in dire need of some TLC. I know some folk think a MTB is best in it`s element if it is dirty, as if the layers of grime were testiments to a bike well ridden. I generally adhere to the belief that a clean bike is a happy bike, less prone to tempermental mechanicals but that may be the "roadie" in me. I say this most every Spring but I hope to get out trail riding much more this season. It is a shame to have the bike sitting idle in the basement. Been toying with the idea of using the Rails To Trail network for some "get away from cars" cycling though the ATV's may be as much as a nuisance. How cool would it be to cycle to Bridgewater on the old rail bed?I may also race the Cyclesmith Short Track MTB series at Seaview Park Lookoff this summer as well. On the same course as the cy...

Picked up a new pair of runners yesterday since ball hockey and winter running had signaled the death knell of my former Aesics. I ended up with Adidas shoes as they seemed to be a good fit for my orthotics, available in my size and on sale. When it comes to runners I could care less about colors or style as long as they work for me and my wonky back. Since my cycling plans were put on hold with possible inclement weather I opted to go for a trail run and give them a test drive. The Uraha 2's are, by no means, an expensive shoe but perfect for a cyclist who dabbles in some light trail running and occasional intervals. They actually felt pretty good with my orthotics, much better than my last pair of runners. The Aesics were a little big for the inserts and resulted in the orthotic moving and bunching up. It was miserable. These shoes seem a better fit. Managed to get in some running, intervals and jumping including some short vids of step jumps and hill path intervals. All ...

Yup. I should be cycling somewhere around Enfield right about now but the cold, windy and ominous rainy looking weather has delayed plans. So........ ....what better time to tackle the subject of NADs.  Within the Paleo/Primal WOEs there are issues over what foods we evolved to eat and what we did not.There are lots of debates over what we should not consume whether it be tubers, dairy, starches, nuts/seeds or nightshade(New World) vegetables. Despite these differences of opinion all generally agree that there are certain neolithic foods that are NOT optimal for health. I am unsure who (Dr Kurt Harris?) but the term Neolithic Agents of Disease was adopted that represents a trio of ill health producing foodsources.Here is Dr. H's blog posting that sums everything up quite well.......worthy of a read. http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2011/3/30/paleo-20-a-diet-manifesto.html   In a nutshell or if you just want a quick read the "big" th...