Rolf Devinci

 Today I got back on the proverbial horse that threw me and went for a 42 kilometer group ride, the first since my accident back in October 2011. Once I got used to clipping in the pedals(I used flats on my commuting MTB bike), the aggressive position and the responsive front end of my Giant road bike I was golden and quickly rediscovered my lost road cycling mojo. "Get Thee Behind Me..."   I also exorcised the crash demon that has plagued me since last Fall - putting doubts about road cycling in my mind and manipulating my post crash fears of cycling among the metal sharks. I gotta admit I was tentative at the start of the ride specifically in regards to my spacing but the lads were all cycling well and were showing good early season form. The paceline was steady and the pace managable. My legs felt real good so a winter of commuting on a heavy hardtail served me well. "The Golden Harp"   Today's ride was a beer ride in absolutely amazi...

 My local murder of crows were very vocal this morning looking for their breakfast so as I began assembling some food scraps it wondered whether they had any food preferences. Like us crows are apex omnivores and will eat darn near anything but I'm sure they have favorites;either within their natural diets or human foods.  No better time for a little experiment. I laid out three equal piles of food; raw beef trimings (left), whole wheat bread with peanut butter(centre) and Friskies dried catfood(right).   Now to determine what the crows would prefer. I led the first crow in to the test piles by baiting him/her with peanut butter sandwich cubes. Takaways...... A - The bird that followed the bread trail was the only one to really eat the sandwiches. No surprise since he/she already had a taste for them. B - The two birds that finished off the beef trimmings despite the proximity to the car and a potential predator in hiding. Th...

Heading into my cold water dousing experiment this winter I wanted to experience all of the varieties so was happy to awake to some snow this morning. It gave me a chance before the arrival of Spring to complete the third and final douse. The plan was to tie it all together; the douse, snow roll and kneeling snow rub. Neighbors must really think I've lost my mind but it gets easier each time and does feel quite refreshing. In fact after a cup of coffee I geared up for a nice(albeit) soggy hike through the woods enjoying the fresh snowfall. Home to another cup of coffee and now to break my fast with a plate of free run scrambled eggs.

Having returned to Canada after a working term in Australia my sister and brother-in-law have now made Montreal home. While living in Melburne Steve decided to begin building wheelsets on the side - revisiting his days as a bike mechanic and wheel builder with Cyclesmith. Needless to say his hobby has expanded into a small home based business which also made the trans-oceanic journey back to Canada. The website is up and running and looks real nice so I invite you all to check it out. http://ridewmd.com/ Excellent looking product line, free shipping in Canada with taxes built into the price. Warranty and crash replacement policy included.Sweet looking wheels with minamalist decals for that simple but stealthy look. I`m still in insurance limbo after my October crash but will need to pick up another set of road wheels before the start of the 2012 season whether a settlement is concluded or not. Not quite sure what I will opt for at this point(all...

On CBC.ca today. New research from the Harvard School of Public Health "This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death," "Eating one serving a day of unprocessed red meat such as beef, pork or lamb that was 86 grams in size, about the size of a deck of cards, was associated with 1.13 times increased risk of mortality..."   http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/red-meat-eaten-daily-raises-early-death-risk Really? I mean really? I better purchase a plot cause I'm on borrowed time(sigh). Can you tell I'm calling bullsheot and want to see the science, parameters and criteria of the study. Here are some of my basic concerns..... 1 - Lumping processed meats in with regular cuts of red meat is wrong. Everyone knows processed meats are evil. Geesh....... 2 - What about grassfed, farm raised red meats. Lumping them in with processed and CAFO meats is stupid....

Got out on this Saturday to tromp through the woods with the intent to shoot my recurve somewhere other than the basement. A purchase made ealier this winter I have been anxious to actually get it outside for some stump shooting to test it's mettle. I also wated to test the bamboo arrows I picked up as well. Extremely stiff I questioned whether they would be suitable on the shelfless bow since the specs indicate they are good to use on a wide variety of bow poundages? Without a shelf, however, the arrows also need to flex around the bow upon release for accurate shooting so I was curious to see how they faired. It was an awesome morning in the woods. I hiked about for some time just enjoying the bright sunshine while enjoying the quiet solitude. Came upon an access road and discovered an adjacent stack of cut wood that would make a perfect shooting range. I wanted to test both the accuracy and power of the bow. Marched off about 20 yards then set u...

 Awoke to a postcard perfect winter day and opted to walk the five kilometres to work happy for the warmer -2C temperatures as opposed to last week's bone chilling trek at -19C. Glenforest Drive Winter Bike Commuting Opted out of bike commuting today due to the iffy road surface after a night of snow. Enough of the white stuff down this morning to make the streets greasy. More importantly the tempertatures were hovering around 0C which usually means the (possible) presence of black ice. The last thing I need to do is bounce my head off the pavement again so discretion was the better part of valor in today's choice of transportation. I actually prefer colder temperatures with dry payment as opposed to warmer temps on wet/snowy roads. 6:30 AM Transit Strike   Metro Transit remains on stike. I`m one of the lucky few who have cycling/walking as an option. I certainly feel for those who live far ...