Winter finally arrives

It was long time coming - British winter. We had our first snow fall. The kids loved it so much so that I spotted many throwing snow balls at passing buses. The funny thing was the bus drivers pointing fingers in disapproval, but what could they do? Nothing.

If theres one good thing about not being able to train its that I'll miss the crap weather.

Enslin's - not so uncommon

There's no denying that I love google. Everything Google: gmail, calendar, blogger, docs and spreadsheets, analytics, photos (picasa)....just about the lot. One of the little features I love in gmail is the news alerts feature. You can create as many alerts as you like using any keywords. Google scans the web and delivers the page content, with your alert keyword in it, directly to my google mail account. You can set this to receive the alerts as-and-when or daily or monthly. Superb!

One of my alerts is 'Enslin'. I get some surprising alert information returns:

Samantha Enslin: An independent news reporter for IOL and many other news portals in South Africa.

Theodore Enslin: An American poet born in 1928. Here are some of his poems.

My new team: AW Cycles Race Team

I am please to announce that I will be riding for an south east local team--AW Cycles.co.uk

AW Cycles is based in Caversham, Reading. The team has both mountain bikers and road races alike. We also have some strong testers too.

I will be racing in both on-road and off-road so am pretty excited and can't wait for the first race in March.

I'll be posting more information about my new bikes and equipment soon...

Team support:

AW Cycles

Giant Bicycles

Jim Walker & Co

Yellow Ltd

DGS Cycling Photography

Mark Matthews (Physio)

Latest press anouncement from London Cycle Sport.

Visit the team website at: www.teamawcycles.co.uk

Brandon Stewart - SA Pro Mountain Biker

Brandon is a pro mountain biker who lives in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. For as long as I know he has always aspired to be the best and ride as a pro. Even from a young age Brandon trained hard and spent every day on the bike riding and practising. Pietermaritzburg is a paradise for mountain biking. It has everything: miles of forests, dusty tracks, climbs, altitude, great weather in summer and many local racing events (for all abilities).

Recently, Brandon signed up with Raleigh SA and joins a team containing super-strong pro mountain bikers with great pedigrees: Mannie Heymans and Kevin Evans. I can't see how these guys can be beaten. I assume they will be targeting the Mazda Drifter series. With all three of them in each race they can odopt tactics that their competitors will find difficult to beat.

I'm going to follow Brandon's progress this year and publish as much news as possible: his bikes, kit, team, races and other interesting features.

In the news:

I just received an email from Raleigh with an announcement of the 'Raleigh Dream Team'. Raleigh marketing on the ball - very exciting for Brandon.

Extract from the email:
At 25, Stewart is the youngest rider on the squad and his inclusion in the country’s highest-profile team is just reward for the talent he showed last year in winning two Mazda Series marathons and a stage in the Cape Epic. In this elite company, he can only refine his potential.

Nearly there. Two weeks to go...

With a little over two weeks to go before my cast is removed I'm a man on a mission and 'hungry' to get back on my bike. This leg-cast is a pain in the arse -- itchy, uncomforatble and restricting. Even going to the toilet for a number two has its problems. I've been focussing on my planning and preparation and research on nutrition. I've also been researching NLP techniques.

The past month has been tough, but I think it has made me realise a few things and resulted in a stronger me.

I can't wait till the day when I can jump on my bike and head out on a ride. I've already planned my first ride -- it'll be on my own on gentle flat roads.

A little about me

The Essential Facts!

Name (+ team nickname): Rob Enslin (Engine)
Age: 35
Lives: Beare Green, Surrey
Height / Weight: 184cm / 78kg
Racing Category: Elite Road / Super master Mtb xc
National Ranking in 2006: 40
Career wins: 21 (2 notable ones)

Summary of your strengths and weaknesses on the bike:
Strengths: Power endurance, aggression, determination, race tactics, team work and discipline.
Weaknesses: Power/Weight ratio resulting in average climbing (steep climbs).

When and why did you start riding?
South Africa as a student in 1995 – bought a road bike to get to College and my love for bike riding grew from there

What was your first club?
South Africa – Howick Mountain Bike Club
UK – Twickenham CC

When was your first race?
1995

What was your first win?
Mountain bike marathon – Baynesfield Classic, SA in 1996

What is your best ever race result?
Winning the Surrey League 5 Day stage race in 2006

What was your most embarrassing moment on a bike?
Can’t remember?

What bike are you racing on in 2006?
Giant TCR Advanced Zero and Giant XTC C Zero

What are your aims for 2006?
Dramatically improve my weaknesses and continue to develop my strengths to win races in the local SE Series, Southern MTB Series and other local race events for the AW Cycles team.

Who was your biggest cycling inspiration?
Lance Armstrong

Who would be your bicycle belle?
No one.

Outside cycling, my claim to fame is…
Being a good dad - as claimed by my daughter ;-)

Summarise yourself in four words:
Ambitious
Hard-working
Friendly
Understanding

No leg over (the bike) for four weeks [Tibial plateau fracture]

Tibial plateau fracture (more info)

It was bound to happen. Whilst out mountain bike training on New Years eve day I crashed on a decent and fell. I was thrown from the bike and landed on my left leg in a fully extended position. I tried to ride home as far as possible but the pain was unbearable. Bridge met me on the road and took me home.

I spent 4 hours in Epsom Hospital A&E on new years eve where I was seen by a clinical technician then given some crutches, follow-up appointment and sent home.

On Wednesday 3rd I went to the outpatients to see an orthopod -- after x-rays and a ct scan they discovered a fracture on the articular surface of my left Tibia (shin bone). My treatment involves a full-leg cast and rest for four weeks.

My next appointment is on the 31st January where they'll remove the cast.

So, where does this leave me for January?

1. Recover properly
2. Limit weight gain as much as possible
3. Stay focussed for a cracker season
4. Catch up on otherwise neglected tasks
5. Use the extra time to better plan the season and research