Rolf Devinci

 To (mis) quote Mark Twain the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I am indeed still among the living but have not visited, nor posted to this blog in quite some time. It has been a chaotic couple years with the whole covid pandemic, the unexpected death of my mother in 2021 and my subsequent accident of last year. The world tried to end me twice but I managed to survive both the auto/bike collision in October and neurosurgery in December.  No need to dwell upon covid as everyone is familiar with the uncertainty, anxiety and frustrations of the pandemic. Despite the signs of aging the death of my mother in August 2021 was a shock. I had spent my birthday (July 31) with her doing my usual Saturday yard work on the farm and she seemed so good that day. Needless to say the call the following morning that she suffered a massive stroke was surreal. As the executor dealing with her estate during covid was frustrating at best. The process took far too long to be resolved, es...

Made my first bike purchase in over a decade when I picked up a 2011 Specialized Tri Cross from Kijiji. My venerable Norco hardtail is showing its age and I was reluctant to sink any monies into a bike that is on the small size and is not the most comfortable fit. The stars kinda aligned for this purchase considering the window of opportunity was closing as my (forced) semi retirement after 32 years of service was fast approaching. With my role going offshore I doubt I will see October as an employed individual. If I was buying it had to be soon. I could not justify a new bike so used it would be. I was looking for a better commuter considering my next job could be farther from home and also something in a gravel/cross bike genre. Spotted the Tri Cross on Kijiji from a seller close to home and it was both my exact size(56) and within my budget. Unfortunately there was another buyer ahead of me so I figured it was gone. To my surprise the deal collapsed so I did not hesitat...

Cycling in Halifax has challenges. Things are getting better with an increase in urban infrastructure despite the negative attitudes of many motorists in this car centric city. That said there are some gems worthy of note. I had the opportunity to get the Giant out on a spectacular Sunday morning riding the Purcell's Cove road and the Chain of Lakes trail. The PCR is a lovely stretch of road beginning just past the Armdale roundabout and leads out to Herring Cove along the coastal approaches to the Halifax harbour. Cycling friendly, decent pavement with bike lanes it is a challenging rolling terrain route complete with some tough climbs and fast downhills. A little piece of rural Nova Scotia tucked into HRM it is a jewel in the crown of local road cycling. I love this stretch of blacktop. The COLA trail begins on Joe How's drive and runs outbound to the Southwest via Bayer's Lake and connects to the Rails to Trails heading out to Tantallon and the South shore. A former...

 Finally had the chance to get out on my Giant TCR Advanced road bike for the first time in 2016.  A sunny and(somewhat) warm Sunday morning found me on the Rocky Lake road to Waverley. It`s been awhile since I made my way out towards Fall River now that I work most Saturdays from Spring to Fall and no longer participate in BPCC club rides. Spent many years cycling that route so it was good to return to my old stomping grounds. Its come full circle. When I began road cycling in 2002 I began cycling the that stretch of road solo to develop fitness and my road bike handling skills. Eventually I worked up the courage to join BPCC and spent a decade club cycling and racing. Now I find myself mostly solo riding again. Took about 15kms to get re-acquainted to the Giant(quite different from my Norco hard tail I bike commute upon) but the return trip to Halifax was fast and fun once my legs and backside got used to the steeper geometry and...

May has arrived and so has the time for some Giant TLC . Inflate the tires, degrease and lube the drivetrain, clean the carbon fiber and shiny bits. Love this bike! No excuses now....my road rocket is ready to fly. Lets hope the rider is as ready.....   Bike love....enjoying a rum in the sunshine admiring my two wheeled mistress.

After a couple years away from the gym I recently rejoined the neighborhood Goodlife establishment. To be perfectly honest I am not sure why I left in the first place. I think It had to do with my decision to cease road racing assuming I did not need to train as much? Or perhaps it was simply a time for a change?Regardless my return was much needed as my fitness and weight had suffered in the intervening years since my last racing season in the summer of 2011. One of the incentives was the chance to participate in spin classes again. I enjoyed them in the past and they definitely complimented my road cycling fitness, especially in the winter months. HIIT and RPM " Born from the sport of cycle racing, RPM uses simulated climbs and sprints in a workout where you control the intensity" Goodlife partners with Les Mills and offers the RPM spinning series. Previous spin classes were less structured and often based upon the preferences of...

Goodlife Sometimes you just have to wonder about things and whether there is a element of fate to otherwise common occurances? My son decided to join a local gym a month ago as he progressed past the equipment of my limited home gym. Needless to say it was soon thereafter that I got the call from Goodlife offering me a  free week's pass to try out their facility as a referral from Josh. The timing was impeccable. Why not? I was, at that point, aware of my fitness shortcomings and knew I needed to make changes for the coming winter. I had been a member at that location for a few years when it was Nubody`s and there was a definite attraction to a possible return. It is walking distance from my residence and on my usual bike commute route. The cost of membership was manageable, especially since I decided to limit my wine consumption. I love the Noble Grape but I was consuming too many empty calories. Just by cutting out a minimum of o...