Rolf Devinci

I was a little tardy crawling out of bed this morning. I do mean crawling too. The legs were definitely sore from yesterday`s effort. I considered driving to the shop but figured the 10km out would be a good warmup for the concrete pillars I had for legs. That was a test as was the rain that started just as I left home. I did consider turning about but figured I`d stick it out. The rain front passed over at the 5km point and it was dry pavement for the rest of the day. I opted for the second group leaving the shop and enjoyed the fast pace out to Fall River. The legs responded well once they loosened up but the Fall River Hill hurt. Thanks to EW who waited at the crest and let me wheelsuck the descent to Sobey`s. Jumped in the second group heading out to Laurie Park but ended up on the gravel shoulder as the paceline passed me...we were riding the CW rotation so before I rejoined the paceline I noticed we were missing a rider. Fearing he had a mechanical and no one noticed I turned ...

I had planned at least one substantial athletic endeavor on my vacation week but opting out of the Wednesday ride with the fast boys in Capaliano put the kibosh to that plan. Yesterday`s "recovery" day not only soothed my lower back issues but gave me the incentive to end the Giro De Geo on a high note. This morning I took advantage of the day and decided to do my first, but unofficial, duathlon. Basically I scooped out a route that would entail a 4km run,28km ride and then another 4km run. Not quite legitimate duathlon specifications but it was just an unofficial "see if I can do it" attempt. I have been more focused in my run training and am still toying with the idea of doing a duathlon this season. This was nothing more than a scouting mission to see how I feel and to set a training benchmark. The first 4km run was fine. I am not a speedy runner but it went well. The transition to the bike(in the kitchen)went well and I was off on the bike. The run had no neg...

A recovery day...no actually a travel day. Gathered up the kids and headed to Bridgewater/Chelsea to visit family. Met mom in town and we did some shopping(I got some sweet clothes at the Frenchie`s boutique...lol.) Heading to Chelsea for a meal and a tour of Wilfred`s substanial gardens, stocked up on several jugs of fresh well water then off to visit my grandmother before heading back to the city. A quick detour to the NSLC for a bottle of wine and then two hours of basketball/soccer with some of the neighborhood kids. It was a good day.

My lower back was kinda wonky this morning so the morning was spent finishing the basketball net for Chelsea. She was quite excited when she came home at lunch.Thanks Lynn! I was planning on riding the Capilano Hills at 5PM but considering my sore lower back I opted for the shorter, but hilly, Purcell`s Cove ride. Cycling from home and back it was a whopping 35km. A big thanks to Paul and Janette who paced me up the hills, sat up on the crests but indudged my roaring descents due mostly to the effect of gravity on my substantial bulk(LOL). Surprisingly I climbed the hills better than usual but certainly not fast. I don`t think my riding companions needed to exert much of an effort at my tempo on the big climbs. They both are riding so strong. Thanks again for letting me wheelsuck most of the ride. Home to some homemade turkey soup I made this afternoon from the remnants of the fowl I roasted earlier this week. Back on the deck on a lovely evening enjoying a glass of red wine before ...

Started the day anticipating a "recovery" type ride at 2:30pm. Generally an easier effort without pushing the legs too hard, especially on the hills. Before that I went to disassemble the basketball net for my daughter`s use. What I presumed would be a cut and dry affair turned out to consume most of the day. Exposed to the elements I had to hacksaw most of the bolts due to rust. This took most of the morning. After lunch I had to deal with the base. Generally they are designed to hold water which can be easily drained off to transport. In this case the base was full of sand and weighed a ton! It would have made quite the Youtube video seeing me trying to manhandle this awkward, heavy piece of gear. I tried every method from my warehousing days but it was obvious one man was not gonna lift this base into any vehicle. I resorted to sawing out a portion of the top and scooping out the sand till it reached a weight that I was capable of lifting. There are times at the gym when...

The Giro de Geo(first vacation day of 2008)started today with the Prologue.An intense 45 minute spin with my fav Nubody`s spin instructor - CM. The class was awesome with some serious simulated hill climbs.Prior to the class I loosened up with a walk to the gym and immediately started my usual ab/core routine of crunches, Swiss Ball routines, medicine ball and body bar exercises.Finished with two sets of medicine ball pushups. Damn.......they hurt but they feel so good! Replaced the defunct tv with a new 27 inch flat screen so the family is happy although the pocketbook is begging for mercy. Lord it`s getting hard to make ends meet these days.Everything is increasing with the exception of my paycheck. Can`t help but feeling I`m going backwards.(sigh) Thanks to LC Chelsea now will have a driveway basketball net. She`s been playing with a basketball for the last couple weeks using a tree limb as a net so our friends gave us the unused one in their driveway. Much appreciated! The Prolo...

The black cloud that usually follows me about has once again rained on my parade heading into my first week of vacation. Friday I got the call that the year end statement from Esso arrived in the mail. We are on the budget plan where you pay a set payment every month for home heating oil with the final statement sent in July. I expected we would owe a balance but the tally of $660 due July 15 just plain sucks.Last July we owed just over $130 so it is a substantial increase no doubt the reality of high oil prices.To add insult to injury the oil company will double our monthly payment for the next calender year!UGH! Not a great start for my week off but the club ride on Saturday was good. The weather was prime and I rode well. The fitness is starting to come along. That cheered me up somewhat until I heard the news that a good friend and clubmate was cut off by a left turning motorist and collided with the passenger door.UGH UGH! (Last word was that she was OK.....stiff, sore and brui...