Rob Enslin - train smart, race well.

NPS 2 - Cross Country (Dalby Forest, 10th May)

2009-05-11T11:57:00.006Z

The second round of the NPS greeted us with a shock. A shock because far from the the neat, fast and clean roadie-like lines of Sherwood Forest last month, Dalby was a 'proper' cross country course - lots of technical sections and lots of climbing.

The NPS XC 2 podium presentation from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

During the practice session on Saturday both Mark and I were having doubts about two particlulary hazardous sections: the drop-off and the three-tired root descent. The real problem was not our riding ability it was our deep mental analysis - focusing on the what-if too much. We had to abandon a second parctice lap due to rain... further adding to our anxieties.

We enjoyed slightly lavish accommodation (by our standards) - Innkeepers Lodge - organised by Mr Bike Wikipedia - Nick Evans, from Beyond Mountain bikes, which included breakfast. We headed back to the forest park to attempt another practice lap before racing at 3pm. The practice lap was perfect for both of us... just as we'd predicted.

At 3pm, we lined up at the start. Mark on the front line, Tom on second row and me at the back. I stupidly forgot to pre-enter on time so lost a start line seeding. With a big circular field to start the race on there'd be plenty of time to come round some of the riders.

We set off to start 4 laps with Vets (including Steve Jones) shortly after us. I never saw Mark again as he sped off with the front riders (perhaps he could include a short commentary as a comment below?). Meanwhile I was still trying to get through the field and being held up by the traffic - having to come to a standstill to wait my turn to continue. With the climbs taking their toll the field began to spred out. I continued to pick off and pass a rider at a time. The drop-off and three-tier-root sections were fine - in fact I hardly noticed them anymore. By lap two I caught Tom who seemed to be struggling with cramp. He later retired from the race completing two laps.

I continued a fairly good pace till the end. Finally finishing 12th. Speaking to Hoppy (Paul Hopkins) I discovered Mark had won the race. He'd finally managed to achieve what he'd been trying to for so long. Huge congrats to him.

NPS XC2 Winner Mark Hutt from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

My ride stats:

Time: 01:33

Average HR: 179 bpm

Maximum HR: 203 bpm

The final placings:

1. Mark Hutt AW Cycles 01:28:48

2 Dan Lewis 01:29:35

3 Christopher Rathbone 01:31:12

12 Rob Enslin - AW Cycles 01:33:32

Some weekend photos:

[Speaking to the winner, Mark Hutt, on the way home. George Budd joined in via Facebook]

[Pit stop on the way home]

Twitter feed

2009-05-06T08:57:00.007Z

A colleague from work approached me this morning to ask how he could have his website articles automatically published to his Twitter account? Firstly, I explained that whilst it's possible, I did not recommend it. Twitter is a social publishing platform IMO so it loses that 'personality' which is counter-intuitive?

Anyway, as an experiment I thought I'd enable automatic Twitter posting from my blog. Confused? The idea is that when I write a blog post (from here) twitterfeed.com will automatically tweet it and include a link to my blog post. Seems simple enough hey?

What I'm curious about is whether you (reading this) think it's a good idea? (assuming you care about twitter). Good idea, bad idea or don't care?

Local North Downs 'legends'

2009-05-04T18:44:00.006Z

Most people who know me know that I live in one of the most beautiful places in the UK - Beare Green (Dorking). An area of outstanding beauty and also an area that boast a fantastic network of on-/off-road riding trails.

Since moving to the UK (~10 years ago) I've been riding local roads and trails. In the years I've been rendezvousing there I've met a few 'legends' (people and places).

1. Dave Lees (mountain man)

Most Saturday mornings (9.30am) I meet like-minded mountain bikers at Nirvana Cycles, Westcott. There are a few notables including Hugh and Richard but, only a trail companion knows just what a legend Dave is. There's nothing special about is riding, handling ability, fitness, jokes, technical conversations, gold Santa Cruz bike, Assos kit or anything else.... he's just a legend. So, the next time you want a fantastic ride and want to experience a legend, come along to Nirvana Cycles on a Saturday morning make sure you ride in Dave's group. You won't forget it.

2. Surrey Hills roads

There's nothing quite like riding through the 'Surrey Hills' countryside. The roads are quiet and tranquil they're a joy to ride. I use the Surrey Hills lanes for training and have a few standard routes - flattish, hilly and mountain bike routes too. A local sportive, the Legs of Steel Sportive, is held on these lanes and takes in all the hills these Surrey lanes can throw at you. My personal favorite is Barhatch Lane hill.

3. Bike shops

Whilst the bike shops aren't actually legends in their own right, I've included them because they are important to me and have contributed to my love of cycling in the local area.

As you'd expect this area attracts many riders of all disciplines. So naturally the supply/demand ecosystem works nicely with three major bikes shops serving the region. Firstly, there's the roadies shop - Dauphin Cycles - which is located atop Box Hill. Whilst they mainly stock Italian bikes, they do have quite a fantastic range as well as clothing. The only down-side is they're closed Sundays... probably out riding?

At the opposite end is Nirvana Cycles. I've not spent much money there but their servicing and mountain bike specific knowledge is amazing. Simon, who owns the shop, is a jump junkie and swears by their Laprierre full-sussers. I might even convert sometime soon?

Lastly, Head-for-the-Hills, is a new mountain bike shop situated in the old end side of the Dorking High Street. They stock mountain bikes and have a busy servicing schedule so if you ever plan to have your bike serviced there make sure you book it well in advance.

These are my local North Downs legends. Do you have any?

My new Camelbak Daxio backpack

2009-05-01T20:45:00.002Z

I finally decided to splash out and replace my old Camelbak with the Daxio. The Daxio is a beauty and at 26lt it’s good for commuting. It's good for commuting in that it's well made (good quality) and accommodates my Powerbook. I've only started using it this week so time will tell.

Over at Bikeradar.com the Daxio's was reviewed and it received 4 stars (out of 5).

I managed to record a short video of my Daxio as it arrived in the post - bought from Evans.

Evans Cycles Delivery from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

Here I share my online shopping delivery experience. What I find when the package arrives and how I feel when I open the package is part of the overall experience.

SL Easter 3-Day

2009-04-15T20:14:00.004Z

[Photo courtesy of Patron Choufflard]

Despite not winning the race I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it for a couple of reasons:

1. Great weather on the last day
2. Great bunch of riders in the local area
3. Team win (AW Cycles RT) on the final day - by Sam Allen
4. Having my wife (Bridget) and kids (Kate and James) there for support - see video below (turn volume down)
5. Fantastic countryside to ride a bike

SL Easter 3-Day 2009 from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

[I've not had a chance to write a race report yet.. might not even do it.]

I'd be interested to hear what people think about the number of London Dynamo riders allowed to enter despite many people being turned away from the race (from the reserve list). Please comment below if you have an opinion. Thanks.

Final Result (GC): (photo of winners)

1 Steve Calland
2 Richard Hoult
3 Douglas Dewey
4 Sam Allen awcycles.co.uk
12 Rob Enslin awcycles.co.uk

For full results visit the London Cycle Sport website or British Cycling.

NPS 1 - Cross Country (Sherwood Pines, 5th April)

2009-04-05T11:38:00.002Z

The master's race was a replay of the Elite race where a huge train of riders hurtled round the course slowly shrugging off riders as it wove relentlessly through the trees. Stephen James with Matt Barrett, John Veness, Rob Enslin and Mark Hutt helped shake this massive train down to just these 5 riders. Barrett playing on his vast experience left a little more in the tank and came past relative newbie James to take the win in a fascinating 4 up sprint. James took second narrowly ahead of Veness, who likewise pipped Enslin to third.
British Cycling website

So another XC season got underway and what a great way to start it. Here are just some of the words I'd use to describe the event : dry, sunny, excitement, results, aw cycles van, travelodge, audi tt, jody crawford, talkative, value, giant bikes, fast course, podium, bike weights, Twitter

Getting there

Our trusty AW Cycles van packed with equipment and bikes transported us to Sherwood Pines - the venue for the first NPS of the season. We arrived in good time and without incident.

Practice Day

Tom's pre-event ramblings of tyre choice didn't seem to matter now - with the course dry there was only one tyre on everyones mind - Racing Ralphs. Some of us were organised & well prepared (Mark Hutt) - donned their practice wheels saving their race wheels for race day, while others watched on (some of us even just scrambled around in search of mis-placed items).

We managed two practice laps before heading to our digs - Travelodge. The course was great, dry an fast but a little bumpy too so lots to be happy about. There were no tricky bits and no need to run over the course again on race day.

Race Day

Simon Ernest was the first AW man off in the elite race. Si started the race in a commanding position - first group - up with the country's best. I was feeding/supporting him. By lap 4 (of 7) he flatted and lost touch with the leading group. He'd managed to hold a nice little group till the end finishing a respectable 17th.

In my race - Masters - Mark and I were both gridded while Tom had to settle for tail spots. The start was furious and I loved it. Sidetrack: I just love those aggressive starts when riders are barging and pushing. Even though the start was hectic it was straight forward with a long open (slightly inclined) fire road to spread the riders out before entering the singletrack. By the first singletrack section both Mark and I were in good positions lying in the top 6 places. Mark rode like a man possessed making everyone suffer... including me. The course made its way into the twisty forest sections weiving in and out closed forest singletrack and fire tracks. Then we swung back towards the start/finish area and back out onto the second part of the course (back section) which was really fast - awesome fun!!!!

By the end if the first lap (of 5) our small neat and select group entered the start/finish area with raptuious applause from the spectators. Mark was leading the group with me hanging on. We continued this pace for a couple of laps. By midway we were joined by John Veness who incredibly junctioned... all credit to him - was great effort.

We continued around the course as a group of 5. Graham Warby attacked the group a few of times, but with a strong group on his wheel it was going to be tough to escape.

At the bell lap the pace was hot. Our group still moved along nicely with no sign of any chasers from the rest of the field. In the closing corners I miss-judged the number of laps remaining - thinking we still had one to go - so I found myself off the pace leaving Matt Barrett and Stephen James to take first and second with John (Veness) just ahead of me in third. (I did try to come round him) Mark right behind me, claimed 5th spot.

Result:

1st Matt Barrett
2nd Stephen James
3rd John Veness
4th Rob Enslin (AW Cycles)
5th Mark Hutt (AW Cycles)

Full results
British Cycling report

Mountain bike race: Gorrick #4 (Porridgepot Hill)

2009-03-29T15:36:00.005Z

I decided to do the fourth round of the Gorrick mtb ahead of the Dengie Marshes Tour or Peter Young Memorial with the first round of the NPS XC racing looming (next weekend). It's probably a good idea since I've not ridden off-road since January. It's been so long since I've been off-road I even had to change my disc pads with them so worn.

What I like about riding the Supermasters event is it's an early start (9.45am) and you get to ride against some great elite-like riders like Sam Gardner.

With no warm up I lined up next to team mate, Mark Hutt at Porridgepot Hill course. We experienced some tricky moments on the first corner after the start. By the first climb ( of 3 steep climbs each lap) we, the riders, found a rhythm and lined out on the singletrack dropping down the first technical - loose, sandy, off-camber - descent.

On the second climb we'd formed the lead group of five - me, Mark Hutt, Nick Onslow, Sam Gardner & Stephen James. Being off the bike for so long showed with my woeful technical riding ability - I was struggling on the technical sections - loosing ground each time. I became increasingly frustrated having to constantly bridge the group (yoyo'ing). At the start of lap 3 I started loosing a little ground with the group (30 secs). I continued to keep riding as hard as possible, keeping the pressure on. I was holding on to the 30sec gap, but as I started the last lap my rhythm kicked in and began to start riding with a lot control.

At the finish I felt strong and delighted to finish in fith place. I was also pleased to learn that Mark won with a sprint, beating Sam Gardner. An impressive result and well deserved Mr Hutt.

Next week we move to Sherwood Forest for the first NPS XC of the season. I'm seriously looking forward to it. (and the Surrey League Easter 3-Day the weekend after that)

Race results

1. Mark Hutt (AW Cycles)
2. Sam Gardner
3. Stephen James
4. Nick Onslow
5. Rob Enslin (AW Cycles)

Race stats

Time: 01:05

Laps: 4
HR: 181/193

Temp: 6 degrees average

Climbing: 400 metres

Wally Gimber Road Race (15 March)

2009-03-16T21:58:00.012Z

The Wally Gimber is traditionally a hard race and to win it you either need to be strong & fast, crafty or damn lucky. Unfortunately for me I was strong, however a required ingredient (speed) was missing. Until now my training has largely been of a strength/endurance nature so my speed is desperately lacking.

[photo courtesy of Belinda Sinclair]

At least we had cracking weather - 16 degrees and sunny at the start, but while we waited in the glorious sunshine we were missing a requirement to hold a race - an ambulance. It was running late. It gave us a chance to catch up with other riders and for me to check out Matt's new Felt top-of-the-range machine. What a beauty.

With the event being run by the SERRL we were privy to be able to use the transponders for timing and wear light paper-like numbers (seriously techie).

Anyway, we set off to complete six laps of a tough circuit which included one slight hill which fortunately wasn't too long. The start/finish line was on a slight descent wide enough for a safe sprint (yeah right).

On the first lap Alex Higham (WyndyMilla) and two guys attacked off the front so I chased and got on. We drove hard for the rest of lap one. I was feeling pretty strong and so was Alex it seemed. So while Alex drove hard on the climbs I put in hard turns on the flats to open a decent gap on the group. We seemed to be managing just fine and opened up a little lead - around 1min, so things were looking good. Eventually, however, Simon and a Dulwich Paragon guy got dropped and by this time a small chasing group had developed. The group had some strong riders in it including Grant Bayton (Sportsbeans/Wilier), Chris McNamara (Team Corley), Toby Neave (Southdown Velo), John Heaton-Armstrong (Fit-For), Steve Saunders (Kingston Wheelers).

Alex and I drove on well together with a neat and tight two-up TT formation. We set a good pace and relentlessly drove on. The gap hovered around 50sec until finally the chasers caught us.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what my team mates were doing or what was going on in the peleton. Turns out that Rob Hurd (DHC Colnago) and Tom Hemnant (London Dynamo) started a move to bridge the gap. They did so quite effectively and before we knew it they'd arrived with Rob looking as fresh as ever. How does he do it? Must be all those years of racing.

With two laps to go the lead group with me in it mucked around with no real cohesive efforts. It seemed that only a few riders were prepared to work which became increasingly frustrating for me. Afterwards I'd wished Alex and I had stayed away. After all we deserved it. The least the group could do is work together, but no - just good old English style - follow wheels "I'm not working" mentality. Argh!!!

So while all the negative riding ensued Rob Hurd said his goodbyes and rode off never to be caught again. He's a bloody crafty bugger. (BTW, he claimed the most stylish rider award which I think he deserved.)

[photo courtesy of Belinda Sinclair]

In the closing lap, while Rob Hurd was away and the main field closing rather swifty, we began the sprint for home. I was a little unprepared so never got going with it until it was too late. I came home in a rather disappointing tenth place... Just in the money (£15) and energy food/drink sponsored by Bike Food.

Final result:

1. Robert Hurd
2. David Creeggan
3. John Heaton-Armstrong
4. Mark Daly
5. Richard Mason
6. Henry Furniss
7. Grant Bayton
8. Roger Smith
9. Chris McNamara
10. Robert Enslin (AW Cycles.Co.uk)
18. Tom Smith (AW Cycles.Co.uk)
40. Alex Peterson (AW Cycles.Co.uk)
47. Matt Melville (AW Cycles.Co.uk)

Full race report on the British Cycling website.
Check out Steve Sauders' race report.

Race Stats:

Time: 03:08
Distance: 127km
Heart Rate: 173bpm average and 193bpm
Ascending: 970m

Follow me on Twitter for my tweets - for updates on racing stuff.

Severn Bridge Road Race (1 March)

2009-03-01T08:54:00.012Z

The AW Cycles team: Tom (Smith), Rob (Enslin), Alex (Peterson) and Sam (Allen).

There was a strong line up for the Severn Bridge Road Race on Sunday 1 March in Tockington, South Gloucestershire. We had ten laps of a tough (racing at speed) circuit to complete with one big climb (Hog Hill) at near the finish on every lap. Each climb carried a KOM prime (except the last) so each climb made harder. The crowds were the best I've seen for a while - they hugged the curbs along the climb and at the finish (last lap).

Severn Bridge Road Race: 1 March 2009 from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

The first lap was sketchy as the riders appeared a little nervous - perhaps as it was the season opener? By the end of the first lap - going up Hog Hill climb (a beast) - was pace was relentless (furious) with Alex suffereing off the back (see video). The training camp miles still firmly biting his legs (and Tom and mine I might add). Alarm bells were sounding when I could bearly hold a wheel and struggling to breath going that climb. Tom and Sam seemed very comfortable. Fortunately the crowds were cheering loud enough to keep me going - including fantastic support by the Enslin family (and Sam's dad Mark).

On ~ lap 3 going up Hog Hill a split was forced by the strong men (pros) of the race and two big groups formed. By now Alex had climbed off so the three of us were hanging in the second group. The gap stayed around ~30-40 secs for the next few laps. Also the field numbers were lessening as the pace remained high.

Onto the final quarter of the race and our chase group picked up a little momentum with Grant Bayton charging the riders with order and colllective effort to close. It worked and we reduced the gap. With three laps to go we bridged the lead group, but sadly both Tom and Sam faded. Tom, like Alex, suffering from post-camp fatigue and Sam cramping up the climb.

Now with a lap to go two riders (Marcin Biablocki and James Millard) clipped off the front and rode away to sprint it out while we endured a number of solo attacks which amounted to nothing. Up the final climb and I actually started to feel stronger so stayed near the front. Turning right with a kilo to go I kept the pressure on to finish comfortably in the main front group taking a top 20 finishing place (TBC).

After speaking with Tom and Alex it was clear we all had hard miles in our legs, which was slowly dissipating to be replaced with form (speed and power - a racing-winning formula). Watch this space!

Sam rode impresively today and a certain talent with a bright racing future. (just remember salt tablets for the next event).

Final placings:

1. Marcin Biablocki

2. James Millard

3. Marc Perry

?. Rob Enslin (AW Cycles)

?. Sam Allen (AW Cycles)

?. Tom Smith (AW Cycles)

DNF. Alex Peterson (AW Cycles)

Other points of reference:

British Cycling race report (and photos)

Fit-For race report

GS Stella TT: 1 February 2009

2009-02-01T15:22:00.018Z

Job done. We (AW Cycle RT) took the team award - finishing top team - by a mile. Today we all rode like champions. Other than Simon who was penalised for a late start we seemed to get our rides spot on.

GS Stella TT: AW Cycles wins the team award (1 Feb 2009) from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

Prizes
18km - 3rd place individual (Bikefood: bottle and tub of Bikefood valued at £20.00)
18km - 1st team (Entry: free entry to next year's event valued at £8.00)

42km - 3rd place individual (Bikefood: bottle and tub of Bikefood valued at £20.00)
42km - 1st team (Entry: free entry to next year's event valued at £8.00)

Overall - 3rd place individual (£70.00)
Overall - 1st team (£30.00 plus Clifbar T-shirt)

Organisation
I don't often write about event organisers, but this time I feel compelled to. Mark has been running this event for many years now so testament to his committment to the sport of cycling. Any rider or spectator taking part in the GS Stella knows it's the most well run event around. From entries (and understanding) to HQ venues and results posting - everything is simply perfect. Then there's the sponsorship - he single-handedly secured very generous sponsorship even despite the economic issues we're facing. So, I'd personally like to say thanks to Mark and his team of helpers for putting on a fantastic event.

Results
42km - 1 February
1. Mike Coyle - 51:11
2. Pete Tadros - 51:13
3. Rob Enslin - 53:08 (AW Cycles RT)
5. Martin Smith - 53:37 (AW Cycles RT)
7. Simon Ernest - 54:32 (AW Cycles RT)

Overall
1. Mike Coyle - 1:17:24
2. Pete Tadros - 1:17:25
3. Rob Enslin - 1:20:12 (AW Cycles RT)
5. Martin Smith: 1:21:18 (AW Cycles RT)
7. Simon Ernest: 1:21:43 (AW Cycles RT)

Photos

Video footage: GS Stella TT (31 January 2009)

2009-02-01T08:40:00.002Z

GS Stella TT - Day 1 (31 January 2009) from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

GS Stella TT: 31 January 2009

2009-01-31T21:43:00.007Z

I decided a few weeks ago to enter this years GS Stella TT Weekend event based in Storrington, West Sussex. Other than wanting to test my legs after a reasonable base period, we (Martin Smith, Simon Ernest and me - aka the AW Cycles team) stood a good chance to take the team award and some loot.

Reasons to be happy

What made the event special for me was the family were coming down to support me - their first race of the season - yipee! The kids were excited too.

My preparation

Non-existent. The last time I rode my TT bike was 2 years ago. I did a local sporting TT then. So, this morning I dug my TT bike out the shed, dusted it off and brought it indoors. I gave it a little wipe-down and the started assembling it: pedals, wheels & cassette and finally brake blocks. All seemed okay other than my gears/chain which is 9 speed and my cassette is 10 speed. No problem, I switched the gearing from index to manual. Job done.

I then wacked it on my trainer, and did a quick spin while the kids ran around the house. Hey, I even managed to take a photo and tweeted it.

So, after some belated breakfast and swift clothes packing I chucked the bike in the car and headed to Storrington. No time for the rollers or trainer - no, just get there, sign on, chat and catch up with the lads and then chill... until 30mins before the start.

My race (against the clock - in more ways than one)

I decided to start out slowly and see how my legs felt. They seemed fine so I started to give a bit more... then more again. By the time I reached the Houghton climb before the turn - Houghton Hill - I saw my 2-minute man - Niall Digby - whizz past me. It didn't look good - he'd already put time into me and we hadn't even turned yet (just mind tricks).

I turned the round-about and raced down the hill hogging the whole road so no vehicle would pass me (they might pass then slow me down whilst transitting the village).

Onto the finish straight, but just the double trouble climbs to do first. I felt light on the pedals so continued to hammer on. With a kilo to go I opened the throttle dropping my gear into the biggest I had (53X11). I crossed the line feeling rather happy it was over, but not confident I'd done a good time. Remember, I had no recording devices so I had no idea of time elapsed.

Result

3rd - 27:04 (18km) hilly/undulating/windy home-bound

Winner: Pete Tadros, InGearRT (26:12)

AW Cycles boys: Simon Ernest, 3rd (27:11) and Martin Smith, 8th (27:41)

I've put some random video footage of the event together.

Heading slowly towards race weight

2009-01-24T21:12:00.003Z

I've never been over-weight. When I loose the plot I generally loose muscular condition, put on no more than 3kg and up my body fat % by max 5%.

This year (current season) when I decided to start training properly - around mid December 08 - I was around 4 kg over my first target weight goal (79kg). Without completely cutting all the naughty things out my diet I've managed to slowly come down and currently sitting at 80.4kg. I still have the odd piece of chocolate and a bag of crisps, but overall I do watch what I eat. I find on the occasion when I catch the train home I'm tempted more than ever to indulge in those baddies.

According to my 'Weightbot' iPhone app, I'll get to 79kg by the middle of March (as of today) - perfect timing for the race season. So, with a little effort and discipline let's hope I reach there feeling light and snappy on the bike.

Coldest day in the UK, ever!

2009-01-10T15:54:00.009Z

Today (11 January 2009) was officially the coldest day I've ever experienced on a bike... ever! (left: see the spider webs frozen at the rear of my Mini) Thankfully it was on a mountain bike with a good bunch of lads: John (Veness), Mark (Hutt) and Jon (Pierce). (see photo below)

We met at Loggers car park, Winterfold at 9am. Before setting off I had to scrape the ice from my car windows. Unlike the usual window scrapping efforts, this mornings ice was so thick that I broke the screen scraper.

Anyway, we had another great day on the trails. Poor Mark had to lead the group again - sorry mate. We did the usual trails around Surrey Hills picking up all the usual beauties. Unfortunately right at the start of the ride I was carving my way through trees when I went a little too close to one of the trees and caught my left shoulder on it. It was bloody painful, but I soldiered on. Jon suffered a similar fate much later on hitting the deck on the icy road surface during transition.

John (Veness) was testing out his 'new' second-hand mountain bike he picked up on eBay. It was a Rocky Mountain ETSX dual with full XTR and Fox forks. I had a little spin while waiting for Mark to fix his first of two punctures and found the front end a little too slack. John and I agreed with front-end and said he was planning on selling and replacing it with a hardtail. (contact me if you're interested in a Rocky Mountain dual bouncer frameset or if you have a xc-ready hardtail frameset for sale) We completed a freezing ride in just over 3 hours posed for a shot and headed on home.

Today's ride stats:

Time: 03:06
HR: 154bpm
Distance: 50km

Another good ride on the super-sweet mtb trails

2009-01-03T16:21:00.008Z

Wow! What a fantastic day on the bike. The trails are fantastic. Mark, aka Trail Route Master Supremo, Hutt lead us around the Surrey Hills trails today.

While I waited for Dan (Lloyd), Gareth (Montgomerie) and Mark (Hutt) making their way from Cobham, I chatted to Simon from Nirvana Cycles, Westcott. I mentioned the recent MBR article about the Hurtwood Estate 'conflict issue' to which he was somewhat surprised and concerned about making a big deal of nothing.

['Holmbury Hill' - MBR, Feb 09 issue, Pg 60]

Our pace was hot with very little stopping. We ascended like billy goats and traversed the descents with elegant precision. Our small group reminded me of the Nirvana Saturday rides I used to ride 4 years ago - quick xc pace with little interruptions.

We hit most of the local hot spots including Summer Lightning, Barry, Switchbacks and many others. Unfortunately, as I don't know the routes I can't detail the complete route. We stopped briefly at Peaslake Village Stores for flapjacks. We also made our way to past Winterfold and finally to Shere. We went our separate ways at the Gomshall/North Downs intersection.

[Mark Hutt, Gareth Montgomerie, Dan Lloyd and me outside Peaslake Village Stores]

I was really impressed with Dan's riding. I honestly thought he was a pure roadie, but after a little chat I found out that his roots are with mountain biking. Dan was riding his Cannondale Taurine 4 mountain bike and looking pretty smooth on it too. He went on to tell me that he is riding for the Cervélo TestTeam this year (from AN Post). Unfortunately Cervélo don't do a mountain bike so his Cannondale will have to do. He mentioned he's off to the team training camp in a couple of weeks and he was excited about it. Here's wishing Dan a great 2009 race season with many wins.

Ride stats:

Time: 04:08

Distance: 73km

Average HR: 151bpm

Average Temp: 0.5 degrees C

Technology & Training: Tracking, recording and motivation

2009-01-02T10:10:00.005Z

I've always advocated diarising ALL your training efforts (sleep, weight, bodyfat, riding hours, distance, etc). Not only can look back and see what worked or failed, but it helps you maintain motivation through those 'dark' days.

Other than its intended use I use my iPhone to record all my training efforts and then sync'ing it with the web. One of the advantages of using a hand-held device like an iPhone is that it's always with you -- a mobile device. All iPhone users will concur that by its very nature punching data into the phone is very user-friendly so instead of carrying a pen and paper around (which can be rather impractical) the iPhone is convenient.

Enter Weightbot v1.2!

Whether you are trying to lose (or gain) a few pounds, tracking your weight has never been more fun. Set your goal weight, record your weight at any interval (one weight per day max), view your BMI, and see your progress on a beautiful graph.

At £0.59 it's a bargain. This simple app is a treat and after comparing all the other available apps I can highly recommend it.

Happy New Year! My first training ride of 2009

2009-01-01T22:35:00.000Z

Training: First day of 2009. from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

Closing the year on a MTB high

2008-12-31T15:40:00.010Z

Recently I've been getting a lot of slack for not updating my blog. I don't have any excuses because I don't need any ;-) [the joys of owning my own blog]

Riggy: for the record, I'm well and fighting fit and my winter training is in full swing. I was sorry you never made it to last nights (Dec 30th) night ride.

So to round off the season and a career-filled year I met up with Mark, Si, Gareth and John at Winterfold this morning (Dec 31). At 9am it was bloody freezing (no more than 1 degree C). John and Mark led us through the North Down's trails. With temps freezing the conditions were perfect for grip. Even riding roots was a joy. Only Gareth stacked today - fatigue and roots catching him off guard.

[John, Mark, Gareth and Simon]

We rode for 3hrs with my average HR 159BPM. We covered 25km all off-road. Sweet!

Last night (Dec 30th) Patrick, Tom, Jamie, Paul and I headed off for a night ride from Finchampstead. We rode for an hour and had a blast. Patrick managed to stack half way round.

Last week I spent a lot of time on the road on my own. My base season is now in full swing (for 4 weeks) and I'm up to 12 hrs this week (8hrs, 10hrs, 10hrs, 12hrs... and upwards). At 15hrs I'll have an easy week (7hrs) afterwards. Then I'll pick it up from 12hrs again till 20.

Last Sunday I met with a couple of the boys from Norwood Paragon. We rode for 3hrs to Guildford Horsham and home. The roads were dangerously icy, but we took it easy and had a good time.

Getting ready to go training (28th December 2008) from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

[Nigel Carpenter and Kevin Davey]

Online Christmas shopping: Chain Reaction Cycles vs. Wiggle

2008-11-29T11:57:00.019Z

Introduction

With budgets tight and Christmas looming I thought I'd write a post about two of the UK's most popular online cycling shopping websites. There are others like evanscycles.co.uk, awcycles.co.uk, but what's different about these two sites is their longevity and proactive marketing approaches.

One could argue that I should have posted this comment to my internet blog, but being cycling-related I think this is a good place for it to go.

I've bought products from both shops and have had great service from both. What's always impressed me is the speed at which I receive my orders - it's almost unbelievable how quickly my ordered products arrive. The fact that they're still around operating is not only testament their competitive prices but they've managed to keep their delivery service consistently good. (I'd love to hear from people who've had otherwise experiences)

Who are these guys?

CRC - Chain Reaction Cycles are based in Doagh, Ballyclare and have been around for many years now.

Best Service - If you have a problem, we’ll get it sorted. Whether it’s a late delivery, a damaged parcel, a broken product or you just don’t like the stuff you received, we want to make sure you end-up with what you want.

Wiggle - arguably the oldest and most-established online bike store and has been around since I moved to the UK (around 10 years ago). Wiggle are best known for their free deliveries, cheap prices and silly name. Wiggle is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire and does not have a show room nor a number you can call - all correspondence is channeled through email. This can be quite annoying at times although they are quick to respond.

Both have very quick and secure delivery services. I would say CRC are perhaps slightly better customer service wise.

Websites

CRC - www.chainreactioncycles.com

www.wiggle.co.uk

Emails

Both CRC and Wiggle are very active in the email marketing department.

CRC - here's a copy of the latest email I received from CRC

Wiggle - here's a copy of the latest email I received from Wiggle

Best of the deals (29 November 2008)

CRC - the best deal is...

Wiggle - the best deal is....

Sports Personality extra: Cycling heroes reunited

2008-11-23T11:26:00.003Z

This is a great little video from the BBC for British Cycling. It's a lovely insight into making the promo piece (video) for their Sports Personality of the Year.

Steve's Storrington Massif

2008-10-21T17:30:00.000Z

Steve's Storrington Massif from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

Mountain Biking: Nirvana Saturday ride (27 Sept 08)

2008-09-27T15:03:00.001Z

Mountain Biking: Nirvana Saturday ride (27 Sept 08) from Rob Enslin on Vimeo.

Pros come out to play

2008-09-14T18:59:00.007Z

Dave Clark (unattached) and Alex Higham (PCA Plowman) were surprising starters today. Elstead, Surrey played host (promoted by VC Meudon) to today's Surrey League road race over 104km.

Before the race I asked Alex what brought him to the race? Alex started the Tour of Britain for Plowman, but after some silly events was disqualified after the first stage. Alex told me that during the first stage, in London, he was experiencing problems with his bike. He tryied to get to the mechanical support vehicle for help. Whilst there he held onto the mirror and was later DQ'd (disqualified). All that effort - training and preparing - only to be kicked out after the first stage. What added salt to the wound was he saw Petacchi holding on to a vehicle too but nothing came of that.

Mr 'For Sale', Dave Clark, rode like a beast today. Even early on he was itching to make moves. Alex too was chomping at the bit, but naturally they were marked men. Alex explained that he and Dave made a pact that only one of them were to make a move as it might look a little suspicious. Suspicious of what I wonder :-/

I was not expecting any great results today, but seeing the weather was uncharacteristically sunny (despite it still being early autumn) I thought I'd get out on my bike (AW Cycles RT) and show my face. I raced well for the first 5 of 9 laps, but retreated to the back of the group missing all the moves. I actually thought I might pack with 3 laps to go while my energy levels dropped. I then came to my senses and decided to see out the race. Good move Rob!

Dave meanwhile made his move with 4 laps. The last 3 he rode on his own. The course wasn't particularly suited to Dave's type of riding - he likes lots of hills - so with that in mind he certainly showed his class today. Paul Holdsworth finished a respectable 2nd - awesome result from a veteran of the road ;-)

I came home at the back of the third group just behind Roger Morgan (VC Meudon) who I must say had an awesome ride. Roger seemed to be suffering the all day. With every climb I thought he was a 'gonner', but came back on to complete the race.

My stats

Time: 02:47
Distance: 104km
Average heart rate: 169bpm
Average speed: 37.5kph

Results

1 David Clarke Lacuna
2 Paul Holdsworth Hounslow & District 1V
3 Paul Robertson Sportstest.co.uk
4 Stephen Gowar Sigma Sport RT 1V
5 Mike Hawkins Norwood Paragon CC 1
6 Gary Dodd Sigma Sport RT 1V
7 Christopher McNamara Wildside RT E
8 Adam Cotterell TriSportNews.com 2
9 Toby Meadows Team Corridori 1J
10 Steven Richards VC Meudon 1
11 Simon McNamara Wildside RT 1
12 Marcus Brueton Norwood Paragon CC 2
13 Roger Smith VC Etoile 2
14 Lewis Atkins agiskoviner.com 1
15 Andy Betts Twickenham CC 1
16 James King In Gear Development Squad 2
17 Justin Callaway DHCyclesport.co.uk 3
18 Mark Sussex Wildside RT 2
19 Kevin Davey Norwood Paragon CC 3V
20 Lee Smith agiskoviner.com 1
21 Roger Morgan VC Meudon 1
22 Robert Enslin awcycles.co.uk 1
23 Jason Edwards Wildside RT 1
24 Benjamin MacLand VC Meudon 2V

Static training at home

2008-08-27T07:11:00.011Z

All cyclists know that there are many reasons why getting out on the road can be difficult: rain, poor light, family commitments... etc. Here my wife rewarded my commitment by snapping away:

Surrey League Road Race: Lloyd Hall, Outwood

2008-08-24T19:20:00.008Z

After a last minute decision (12:10pm with start at 2pm) I decided to race today. There was a small turn out - around 60 riders at Lloyd Hall. It had been raining all day only stopping two hours before the start. The race was organised by Redhill CC. We had some good safety out on the road - cars, motorbikes and marshals so thanks to the organisers.

Alex (Peterson) and I represented AW Cycles. There was a strong showing from London Dynamo and Norwood Paragon.

The race started off in a rather strange way with a crash on the first corner. Cameron, from London Dynamo, went straight into the centre medium bollard on the A25 crashing. He managed to graze his elbow, but his bike (Trek 5.9 Madone) was not so lucky. The frame fractured beneath the steerer tube (see photo above and below) so it's a definite frame replacement needed. Bad luck Cameron although good that you came to no real harm.

There's not a lot to report on the race other than some silly and negative riding. I was heavily marked as was Richard Prebble and Mike Hawkins (later breaking his front wheel on the home straight). I noticed that every time I attacked I got chased down, but annoyingly no one was prepared to come around me and work - to make a race of it. What a shame and not a great way to race. (Surely that's not how 1/2/3 races go?).

After 5.75 laps and only 12 riders left in the race we turned off the circuit and headed for the finish. Rich Hoult (London Dynamo) pulled hard at the front ensuring no surprise attacks. Past the 1km to go flag and the sprint moved into a frantic pace. With 100m left Paul Delahunty (London Dynamo) sprinted past me to take the win with me coming in second.

Side note: Mike (Hawkins) had an unfortunate mechanical with his front wheel finding a deep road crack and destroying it properly. [Mike, could you send me some photos of your front wheel please? robenslin at gmail dot com]

Race results:

1. Paul Delahunty (London Dynamo)
2. Rob Enslin (AW Cycles)
3. Daniel Duguid (Sigma Sport RT)
4. Jaco Ehlers (Wildside RT)
5. Chris Smith (Python Racing Team)
6. Ben Wilson (Private Member)
7. Richard Prebble (GS Strada)
8. Mike Wragg (Milton Keynes)
9. Richard Hoult (London Dynamo)
10. Tom Hemmant (London Dynamo)