You know you need a strong core to ride well but no one wants to be inside when the weather is good. So what happens to most people is that as their fitness increases their core strength decreases due to neglect. This doesn’t have to happen. Regardless of the type of riding you do the following workout will help improve all aspects of your riding fitness.

Some workouts are super scientific with specific intensities and interval durations. This isn’t like that but will still get you great results.

Are you ready to find out this secret?

Pick two rides per week on a rolling to hilly route and do the following:

Ride every Climb out of the saddle from bottom to top

You don’t have to attack all the climbs, just do them out of the saddle dancing on the pedals. On longer climbs the dancing can become a slow trudge but keep it up. Work to keep your hips over the bottom bracket and don’t rock the bike excessively. Long climbs will build muscular endurance, while repetive short climbs will build recovery ability. The toughest rides are ones that have both long climbs and short rollers that have you getting out of the saddle every few minutes.

When you get to the point that you are too fatigued to keep good form out of the saddle, then cut the workout short. You don’t have to stop riding but go back to a normal seated approach because you won’t get anymore benefit from standing. As well, you will reduce the risk of injury due to bad form.

I know this sounds too simple to work but trust me. This comes from experience on the single speed and fixed gear where you have no choice but to climb out of the saddle. Initially you will find the core and upper body limiting your performance but after a few weeks the muscular endurance will increase allowing you to keep on the gas for the whole climb. You will find this fitness carries over to when you are seated. While you sometimes see fat single speeders, all of the muscles underneath are strong.

A bonus to this type of training is that it is easier on your knees than hard riding while seated. A second bonus is that standing this much is easy on your butt. You don’t get a sore butt or numb crotch if you aren’t seated.

After your frame, the wheels make the biggest difference in how your bike rides. Swap out your stock wheels with a light, stiff set of hand built wheels and it feels like you’ve got some extra horse power under the hood. The great thing about custom wheels is that every past can be chosen for both performance and style. Alternate spoke black and silver spokes or go with colored nipples for a look that you won’t get with off the self offerings.

With all of the pre-built options available I get asked all the time “why go custom?”

Aside from the style points, custom wheels have a number of advantages over even the best wheel system:

Easily repaired with standard parts. All of 0ur wheel use j-bend spokes so if you break a spoke you can get rolling again with a basic stainless steel spoke from just about any bike shop around the world.

Better value. For a light weight set of wheels, our custom builds often come in lighter both in weight and price, compared to the wheel systems from the big brands.

Build tolerance. As all of our custom wheels are hand built and de-stressed you’ll have wheels that will be strong and tight for years of riding. We build our wheels to a tighter tolerance than I’ve found on most of the factory wheel sets available at any price.

Custom tuned for the rider. If you put a set of wheels under two different riders they will have a much different experience. If you are a 220 lb guy you need a stiffer, stronger set of wheels than a 120 lb woman does. The wheels for the big guy will be overly harsh riding for the lighter rider. With the pre-built wheels, everyone gets the same ride regardless of size and riding style.

If you are looking for a road bike for long days in the saddle or even giving a shot at racing you can’t beat the Scott CR1 series. The bikes are among the lightest on the market for the price with a 54 cm frame coming in well under 1 kg.  A Shimano 105 equipped CR1 Team tips the scales at a scant 16.2 lbs. This is a couple of pounds lighter than bikes from the competition. And at $2499 the price is inline with any other brand’s comparable build.

While the chassis is stiff enough for racing, it is a smooth ride with shock absorbing characteristics designed into the rear stays.  The real proof is that Team GreenEdge chose this bike for racing the notoriously rough Paris-Roubaix.

And don’t just take my word for it. Read the Bike Radar review

Any time is BMX time. Outdoor urban riding or indoor rails, we’ve got the bikes for you. Killer brands like Kink, Redline, Verde, Eastern, SE Racing and Nitrous.  Make your friends jealous and get all the girls.

And it isn’t just about quality.  These bikes have style. You can get colored rims, brake lines, hubs, spokes and chainrings. Get the hot upgrades without having to do it aftermarket.  As well, almost all of the bikes have compact drive system with a 25 tooth chainring and 9 tooth driver to clear the lip of the nastiest halfpipe.

Don’t let your buddies have a better bike than you.  Step it up to a better ride and roll in style.

Come to our Kitchener, Cambridge or Guelph stores to see the best selection of BMX in the region.

Free Lifetime Tune-up Warranty with any regular priced bike.

It’s that simple. As often as you like for as long as you own your bike we will tune it up for FREE.

Our Lifetime Service Plan includes

• Adjustment of front and rear braking systems
• Adjustment of front and rear shifting systems
• Adjustment of the headset bearings
• Adjustment of the bottom bracket bearings
• Tire Pressure check
• External lubrication of the drive-train
• Minor wheel truing (straightening of wheels on the bicycle)
• Visual tire inspection

As long as you make use of your warranty, your bike will last longer and you will save a lot of money on service.

At Braun’s we want to give you the best experience possible. Keeping your bike rolling is just the beginning.

When buying a new bike don’t take chances with your fit.

At Braun’s Cambridge we have an exclusive offer of Free Bike Fitting with your new bike purchase. We measure you and calculate the right size and frame geometry. Once we found the right bike for you we mount it in the trainer and adjust it to fit you.

Here are the areas we address.

• Saddle shape and angle
• Saddle height and fore-aft balance
• Handlebar height and angle
• Brake lever angle
• Cleat alignment and shimming if you have clipless pedals
• Laser knee and foot alignment
• Leg length imbalances
• Pedal stroke mechanics
• Pedal stance width

Get sized and fit to your bike so you don’t have to deal with the discomfort of numb hands or sore back.

Team Brauns.com had a good day with Mark Brouwer coming in 3rd in the single speed category and 218th place overall. Next year we are going to get Mark going in the first wave as that makes a big difference in your time as you are hitting fresh trails, not ones churned up by almost a thousand riders before you.

Three other team riders did the event. Morten Schmidt finished 98th in the 40-49 group. Graham Dunn was 97th in the 30-39 group. Chris Canning came in 137th in the 30-39 class as well.

Congratulations to all the riders who participated in this years rail-trail mud fest.

Demo Days

Cambridge – Friday, April 20, 2012      10 am & 2 pm

Kitchener – Saturday, April 21, 2012    10 am & 2 pm

Guelph – Monday, April 23, 2012           10 am & 2 pm

Argon 18 rolls into town with their demo fleet of Gallium Pro and E-118 models for you to test ride. Test the bikes the pros ride and feel the difference a top end bike makes.

Visit Argon 18 for more details

Spots are limited. Sign up now.

Sign up by email at sales@brauns.com

Sign up by Phone: 519-579-2453  EX:153 and ask for Pat

Greetings from 33,000 feet somewhere over Maine.  This is the first chance this proud new dad has had to get a blog post going in a little while so I’m taking advantage of this down-time to crank one out.

Gains, Losses

Gain:  On Sunday March 4^th we welcomed our daughter into the world.  Jillian Mireille Brown was born just a little before 10:00 am at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 52cm long, which I’m pleased to report is right up there on the long end of the scale.

Over the course of this last week her umbilical stump got pretty smelly…to the point that I’d equate it with a 4 week beached whale rotting into the sand.  It’s gone now and happily, she smells the way a baby’s supposed to smell.  She’s just awesome and is the absolute love of our lives.  Now we just count it down until we can get her out in the running stroller.

Loss: I’ve dropped 18 pounds since Christmas.  They say it’s a good idea to come up for air a little bit during the off-season and let your body recover but I’m such a weight gainer that it didn’t take long for me to pork right up.  So: off-season layoff redefined? Check.  As it stands now I’m down to my racing weight from last year and am ready and waiting for the open season.   Towards the peak of the summer my intention is to try racing at 5 pounds less than last year but not without giving away any power so we’ll see where the balance lies.

Gain:  Between January 2^nd and February 23^rd I marked a 4.4% increase in the threshold power I can produce on the bike.  I’ve combined my own training plans with Speed Factory plans and between the two I manage to stay fairly busy.  Up until this point I’ve never been able to quantify anything I’ve done in training so it’s pretty cool to be going by the numbers now.  They certainly don’t lie.  As well, I’ve been glad to use the snazzy new training stand at the Cambridge store and like that there’s enough room there to get through the cross-training elements of the workouts.  My “bike room” has turned into quite the dumping ground and there’s barely enough room in there to swing a cat right now.  I also like the variety all the Speed Factory workouts have brought into my training repertoire…definitely nice to see new material on that front.

Ground Under Repair

I try to stay relatively intact but from time to time I do get a little banged up and the reality is that I can’t afford to take any time off right now to let anything heal properly.  I’ve been fighting off this Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot for what seems like ever and after getting a physio to do her thing with it, and a pedorthist to look at my running gait, I’m pleased to report that I’ve found a bit of a silver bullet.  Plantar Fasciitis is basically microtears and inflammation in the connective tissue in the bottom of your foot, characterized by pain in the heel from even just walking.  After 1 visit to a Chiropractor I’m already pain free and so happy that I can carry on with everything.

So that’s about it for this time around.

Thanks for reading,

Darcy.

I had a customer this weekend who asked me why fitting was so important when getting a new bike. He just thought you got the right size and that was all there was to it. That’s part but not all of the story.

When he bought his bike I set it up in the trainer and went through the series of adjustments and changed the parts needed to get him dialed in. On a bike that had the right size frame, we changed the stem and saddle.

When choosing a new bike you need to get a frame that has the right proportions for you but you also need to get the right stem, handlebar and crank length. Once you’ve gotten the right parts then you need to get them in the right position. The right fore-aft position as well the the right angles. It is a game of milimeters and degrees. If you use clipless pedals there are even more adjustments needed to get your feet positioned properly for the best power transfer and put your knees into the safest position.

Getting these adjustments right is probably our biggest strength. When you buy a bike from us, we fit it for free. But if you have a bike you bought else where, we’ll still fit it, only you’ll have to pay a few bucks.

Before you start thinking about what materials your frame will be made with and parts you want to hang on it, think about fit. This is the number one factor how well your bike rides and how comfortable you will be.

When you look at how your tire comes out from the rim, you’ll notice that it bulges out like a light bulb. When the rims are a lot narrower than the tire you need more air pressure to keep the tire from folding over in corners and to keep from pinch flatting. While I’m going to specifically talk about road rims and tires, the same principles apply for mountain bikes ( I run 35 mm wide rims rather than the usual 24 mm on my mountain bike).

Recently rims manufacturers have started to make road rims that are 23 mm wide instead of 17-19 mm. When mated with a 23 mm wide tire this pairing produces a tire profile that is round like a tubular rather than an oval. This rounder profile has been shown to produce less rolling resistance, better cornering and a smoother ride as you can run a little lower pressure. As the tire doesn’t bulge beyond the rim, pinch flats are almost eliminated. The wider rim has the added benefit of making for a torsionally stiffer wheel.

At this time we are able to get aluminium rims from HED and Velocity in this width. Both are nice options, with the HED being slightly lighter and they look pretty cool. Another option is the HED carbon fiber clincher wheels. Available in 40mm, 50 mm, 60 mm and 90 mm deep versions these wheels have all the benefits of the wider rim combined with better aerodynamic performance. Choose the shallow rim if you want light wheels and the deeper option to cut through the wind.

The great thing about cycling is that it lets you get away from driving, but sometimes you want to go further away with your bike. Depending on your vehicle and type of bikes, different racks will be be the best option for you.

There are three main types of bike racks: Strap on Trunk Racks, Trailer Hitch Racks and Roof Racks

Each type has advantages and disadvantages so I’ll outline them so you are better informed to make a decision.

Trunk Racks

While these are referred to as Trunk Racks, they will often work on mini vans, SUVs and hatch backs. This type of rack straps to the back of your car with rubber coated metal hooks. Most are very easy to put on and off but this will limit the security if you are going in to eat during a trip. Trunk racks are the least expensive option but are most likely to scuff your cars finish as the rack touches the paint. Trunk racks work well but you have to make sure it is installed correctly or you can have your bikes come off while on the highway. Due to weight limits the maximum number of bikes for trunk racks is often limited to three.

Trailer Hitch Racks

These racks either bolt on to the trailer hitch or go into the square hitch receiver. Because nothing touches the body of the vehicle, they are the safest for the finish. Hitch racks come in two varieties: Fork lift style that holds the bike by the frame or tray style that holds the bike by the wheels like a roof rack. If you have carbon fiber bikes or odd frame shapes, the tray style is the best option as it will take any shape bike without marring the frame. Hitch racks bolt into the receiver hitch so the can be secure. Lock your bikes to the rack and you decrease the chance of your bikes going missing. Hitch racks can hold up to five bikes so are one of the best options for families. The price is higher than trunk racks and you need a hitch but it’s usually less money than a roof rack with the same number of bike mounts.

Roof Rack

The roof rack is the most versatile option as you can get more than just bike mounts for it. Bike racks, ski carriers, cargo boxes and canoe mounts are all available so if you are an all round outdoors person this allows you to carry all of your toys. Depending on the the size your vehicle you can mount up to 6 bikes. Roof racks cost more than the other two options as you need the rack and then the individual bike mounts which can add up to over a $1000 for 5 bikes. Depending on the height of your vehicle, it can be awkward to put bikes on the roof. Anything on the roof will usually affect your gas mileage so bear that in mind.

Regardless of the type of trips you want to go on, the best option is the one that keep your bikes safe and doesn’t harm your vehicle. Check out our selection of Thule, Saris and Swagman racks to find out the best option for your vehicle.

If you have been paying attention to the mountain bike scene over the last few years, you can’t help but notice the rapid growth of the 29″ wheeled mountain bike options.  While they have been on the market for over a decade, it’s only recently that they have become predominant mountain bikes for the enthusiast. We are stocking big wheeled bikes from Rocky Mountain, Scott, Salsa and Felt with many others available for special order.

The bigger wheels have always had the advantages of reduced rolling resistance, increased traction, better cornering and fewer endos but in the beginning suffered from slow handling in tight, twisty trails. The reason for this was that they just upsized 26″ wheeled geometry to fit the extra 3 inches. Over the years, each new generation of 29″er steadily improved it’s slow speed handling while still keeping the benefits.

Now you have bikes like the Scott Scale 29 Expert that sports a full carbon frame in comes in at under 24 lbs with a price tag under 3k.  Those features are very cool but what makes this and all of the Scott’s a winner is the geometry. Compared to those earlier rubber steamrollers, they have made a number of changes that make the bike handle a lot quicker. Shorter chainstays, higher bottom bracket and increased fork offset are all responsible for the improved handling.

Delightfully Rocky Mountain and Felt have come to the same conclusion. There geometry is slightly different but exhibits the same kind of improvements that make them super fun to ride.

Here are the highlights of our 2012 29″er line-up

Rocky Mountain Element full suspension

I wrote a review of this design in the fall. You can read it here. The two complaints with 29″ full suspension bikes was that they handled slowly and there was a lot of flex.  The Element series fixes both issues with a new geometry and the integration of all the recent innovations that add torsional stiffness (tapered headtube, pressfit BB86 bottom bracket, 15 mm trhu axle on the front fork, 142 mm wide rear hub with 12 mm thru axle, angular contact bushings in the suspension pivots).

This bike is fast handling, climbs great and is just a lot of fun to ride. The Element series is available in three models starting at $2699.

Scott Scale 29 hardtails

The Scott Scale line of 29″ wheel mountain bikes are among the lightest for the price, hence the name. Light weight, good value and I think they handle very well but don’t take my word for it. Here links to reviews of the Scott Scale 29″ers.

Bikeradar.com

Dirtragmag.com

Bicycling.com

Affordable 29″ers

In the sub $1k price range we have a bounty of big wheeled bikes to choose from.  Rocky Mountain has the the Flare at $699 and the Soul at $899. Scott has the Aspect Trail and Tour. Felt has the Nine Flow and Trail. Last year we started at $999 so the trickle down effect is really starting to speed up.

By Whitney Baxter,   Team Braun’s Athlete

I’m one of the very few ladies on the Braun’s team, certainly the newest to the cycling as world his is my second official season on a road bike, I was introduced to cycling after I accompanied my dad to the Lance Armstrong race for Cancer two years ago. I remember seeing the girls and feeling a bit envious of their great physique and beautiful bikes! Shortly after this my boyfriend Ben and I really started to talk about road cycling. Ben went out and purchased every road bike magazine on the shelves and read everything he could about bikes and the sport. He then went to the Toronto bike show (just to scope things out) and ended up coming home with a 2011 Pinarello FP2. I remember getting the call ‘Should I buy it?’ and it didn’t take much convincing. After this I ended up finding a 2010 Specialized Amira Expert that was raced for The Gears’ women’s race team. Not a bad first bike!  

In the spring of 2004, I started swimming with a local master’s group in an effort to get a good cardio base going into my karate black belt grading later that year.  Well, adult-onset swimming often leads to triathlon, and I was no exception.

At the end of the year, I entered in the Tour de Hans, and despite the miserable weather, and walking the last 4k after a mechanical, had a great time.

I am really looking forward to the team structure this year, and hope to get out for some group rides with many of you so we can show off our cool Argon bikes and sweet team uniforms.

I’ve always been fascinated by speed. Going faster. As a kid, I wouldn’t be able to cycle anywhere without arriving drenched in sweat. Going slow was simply unbearable, it felt like dying slowly and not doing anything about it. As I matured, my interest in speed turned to motorized vehicles, mainly 2-wheeled, and although I no longer broke a sweat, going slow remained a challenge that I preferred to avoid. I studied riding techniques, took advanced riding skills courses, did trackdays and even visited the mayhem that is the Nürburgring. To care for my machines, I spent countless hours researching the inner workings of everything, suspension tuning, keeping up-to-date with the grippiest rubber, even the best engine oils to use.

I’ve never gotten over the speed obsession, but one day something happened. It struck me that I knew almost everything there was to know about these machines of speed, that would realistically only be with me a handful of years before being replaced, yet I knew next to nothing about my own body, my self-machine, which is immensely more complicated, and which will be with me till the end of my days. It also occurred that I knew more about the fuel and oil – even the coolant – I put in my motorcycle than the food I put into myself.

At the time I did exercise in spinning classes somewhat regularly, and I owned a beautiful road bicycle that I liked to ride, but the engine of that bicycle was a bit overweight (close to obese in fact, with BMI=29), had severe problems with pollen allergy that was getting worse every year (and always when the weather was at its best), constant digestive challenges, stress and excessive fatigue (the list goes on..).

I’ll save what comes in-between for later blog articles, but today – 5 years and a fair amount lot of nutrition research and experimentation later – there’s about 23Kg less of me. Some people even consider me slim, my pollen allergy is almost gone, I have good digestion and a lot more energy for both work and play. I also get my speed kicks exclusively on bicycles and actually started a bit of competitive racing in 2011 for the first time.

Being a father of 3 youngsters, there’s a limit to the amount of riding I can get away with, but 2 hard 1.5 hour rides per week saw my performance level skyrocket. I enjoyed seeing my timetrial time on the Waterloo Cycling Club Hydrocut MTB trails improved by a staggering 15 minutes over last season. MTB riding obviously has a large technical component to is, but I knew my physical performance had improved because I also rode with the WCC Tuesday night crew, where early summer I would be well matched with group 4 on the friendly but no-waiting-style club rides, and towards the end of the season I would be able to just hang on to the fastest group without getting dropped.

In terms of races, I entered increasingly longer distance events, and somewhat to my surprise found no problems completing the longer distances like 130km and 170km road events, even a 8-hour solo MTB race, despite never having ridden more than 90Km on the road or 3 hours continuously on MTB.

2 hard rides per week (and sometimes an extra weekend ride or race) works! Got to go hard, though, and when I say hard I mean hard to the point where You’re really pushing Yourself and playing with Your limits.

When I read about TeamBrauns and the training philosophy behind the Speed Factory coaching system, it was a no-brainer for me to join the team. I know for a fact that competitive performance can be build on a very limited time budget and I want even more of that. I was getting to a point where my muscle strength and endurance was being limited by my chassis, resulting in somewhat severe knee problems. After meeting Winston, I am absolutely amazed at his knowledge and have learned a lot from him already. In terms of motorsports analogies, training with Winston is like sending an engine to a wizard of performance tuning, except you get to watch and be a part of everything he does, and he doesn’t stop at the engine but works with you on the whole chassis, ensuring there is adequate strength to handle all the new power being put out.

So, now you know a bit about me, and I hope I’ve peeked a small curiosity as to how I got to where I am today. We all know way too little about these bodies of ours, and I hope I can inspire you to take up an interest in what really matters, YOU. I’ll aim to be back with a couple of articles on what I learned about this body of mine after I started paying attention to it and investing in it – but above all, I urge You to seek your own information from independent sources with a critical eye and an open mind.

Sincerely,

Morten

It’s seems like it has taken a long time but we are now in our new digs at 405 Nyberg St. at the corner of Nyberg and Borden. We’re two blocks west of King Street next to Sherwood Music. Months of renovations have paid off with a new location right on the Iron Horse Trail and a fresh new look. In the picture above you can see the fireplace and flat screen TV in our lounge near the helmets.  The road way which leads you around the store double for our afterhour tricycle race track.

While there are a lot of great things about our new location the one that will stand out for a lot of customers is the new service department which is on the main showroom floor. You don’t have to take your bikes to the basement any longer.

The exterior still needs it’s makeover but that will be coming soon. Look for the Braun’s vans and trailers.  Come on in and check out our new home.

As a newbie to endurance sports, I had no real direction or goals for my new found love of cycling and running. I just felt like I regain my youth in doing so. I would go on bike rides or runs haphazardly with no purpose other than pure enjoyment. My exercise volume was low, my intensity of the workouts were all over the place, however, my fitness level increased quickly so I took my new passion to a new level.

I entered my first race, an Olympic distance duathlon at Guelph Lake. I had no clue what to expect or any idea about pacing, fueling and hydration. I “grunted” my way to the finish line with a time of 2:38, placing 74th out of 100. Not bad considering I bonked big time and my quads completely cramped up at the beginning of the 10K run. I quickly learned from my mistakes and have since done 3 more duathlons at Guelph Lake, improving each time.

One day I decided to go to Braun’s to buy some tire irons. After meeting and chatting with Winston for the first time I knew I had found a local bike shop that I could rely on and have quality customer service. I have since returned to Braun’s for my cycling needs and during one of those visits Winston dropped the idea of joining a cycling team Braun’s was putting together. The concept of joining a cycling team intrigued me – taking my training to the next level.

Since last Summer I have had the speed factory fitting and had Braun’s build me a wheelset. Changing those two things alone made a large impact on my performance. I had an average speed on 35.3 km/hour on the bike in my last duathlon event. I was hungry for more speed. The Fall of 2011 I purchase a Quarq power meter and started the Speed Factory training program.

This program works – trust me.

In less than 6 months I have raised my 60 minute threshold from 239 watts to 295 watts (and climbing). If a middle age slacker, like me, can train 3-4 hours per week and make large gains anyone can! You just have to be consistent and willing to suffer a bit.

In 2012 I plan on racing in some duathlons but have also decided to give road racing a try. I purchased a sponsored Argon18 Gallium from Braun’s and I am excited to learn the ropes of riding in the peloton. This will be an adjustment from the time trials I’ve gotten use to but knowing I will be mentored by TeamBraun.com from the get go gives me great confidence in my success.

I look forward to training, learning, and competing with my new team members.

I guess I will start my 1st blog by giving a little background on my journey to this point in my overall fitness and cycling. Approx 15 years ago I was working out somewhat regularly but had no real direction other than to stay in reasonable shape. A neighbour friend told me about triathlons and how he was enjoying participating. The change of pace was very appealing. I was an avid NON runner but thought I would give it a go, had a mountain bike and couldn’t swim fast but wouldn’t drown either. With that I started to train in these 3 sports. I entered my 1st Try-a-Tri and was immediately hooked. The atmosphere was inspiring and the competition was addictive even though I don’t remember where I finished in that first race.

At the time, life was very busy with 3 kids under the age of 6, balancing a career and trying to fit in time to train. I’m not sure if I always was a morning guy but I quickly became one out of necessity. Early morning rides, runs and swims became a regular part of my week. I saw gains even though I had a remedial knowledge of training in 3 sports. That said I was having a blast and I would enter a few races a year from that point on. The last few years I have eliminated the swim and have been able to compete in duathlons. I have also done 2 marathons and qualified for Boston but missed racing due to an injury.

One of the main things I have come to realize over my years of training and competing is that the true joy and satisfaction for me has been in the journey. The time and effort you put forth preparing to race. Don’t get me wrong, race day is a blast and you are able to achieve levels you simply can’t get to in your day to day workouts. And did I say before competing is addictive!

Fast forward to today. My oldest son is 18, work is still busy and I love the mornings. I have joined the Braun’s cycling team this year and I’m currently utilizing their SPEEDFactory for my coaching and training program. This has absolutely changed my view of training and truly works on the basis of quality Vs quantity. I have been able to cut down my training time considerably and increased my fitness levels in the process. My power output has increased 13% in the first 60 days!! Needless to say I’m excited to see these results and working with Winston has provided a wealth of expertise and knowledge in addition to my fitness gains.

I’m ready to plan my race schedule for 2012 and look forward to road racing as a new addition to my goals for competing this year.

Until next time…..carpe diem!

I thought I’d make this first blog entry into a sort of introduction.

For fitness, I race in triathlons.  Last year I partnered with Braun’s in support of my trip to the 2011 ITU World Championships in Beijing and was pleased to carry their logo here in Ontario, in the States and of course in China.  The support from the store was fantastic and I’m very excited about the emergence of TeamBrauns.com.

Recently, I posted a picture from Beijing on the Braun’s facebook page, in which my arms look particularly stick-like.  The lone comment from somebody at the store said I need to get into the Speed Factory Training Centre to start getting ready for next year.

I couldn’t agree more.

As far as training goes, I’m my own worst enemy.  I gravitate to what I like doing, to what I’m good at; and shy away from whatever I happen to be bored with or suck at.  I knowingly only swim some, bike some and run some – with no real structure or planning – and unapologetically hate lifting weights.

It shows.  In fact to be completely honest I can’t believe what I pull off with how I’ve approached training, which I haven’t been at for all that long to begin with.

So like I say, I’m looking forward to everything that a team setting is going to bring to my training and race performance, and particularly hope to become a SPEED FACTORY success story.  In 2012 I’ll be racing at the top of my age category so to say that I’ve got my work cut out for me is a definite understatement.  There are a handful of guys coming up out of the M25-29 age group that will take a very concerted effort to fend off.

My hope for TeamBrauns.com is that it really takes off and takes on a real life of its own.  From time to time people ask where my bike came from and I think that as a team, we can make the answer to that question dead obvious.  We can really help make Braun’s the reference in high-end bicycle supply.  As well, I’m interested in helping my new teammates out at their events and would really like to race in a road event…neither of these would I even know where to start with if it weren’t for the framework of the team.

2012 is going to be a big year for the Browns.  Our first baby is coming in March and I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to balance being a new dad with training and work.  We have a Chariot running stroller that came from  – you guessed it – Braun’s…is bicycles and my intention is to run more next year than ever.  I have a full year of racing planned and in October will be heading to Auckland, NZ for the 2012 ITU Worlds.  With our 7-month-old in tow.  I intend to maintain my current training volume and hope I don’t wind up with more than I’m bargaining for.

So that’s probably about enough as far as introductions go.  I’m looking forward to sharing my off-season progress, pre-season race reports and ‘real’ race experiences with you.