By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning In the very early part of my coaching career, far before I was working with elite athletes, caffeine was considered a controlled substance per the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Meaning, if an athlete had too much caffeine in his or her system, they would be subject …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS For many people, January 1st was the start of a new 30-day challenge. Maybe it was Dry January, a commitment to abstaining from alcohol for a month. For people looking to change their eating habits, maybe it was Whole 30, a commitment to eating only whole …
By Scott Mercier, US Olympian, Retired pro cyclist Scott Mercier competed in the 1992 Olympic Games for Team USA and raced professionally for the Saturn, US Postal Service, and Navigators cycling teams. He will be contributing a monthly column for CTS, featuring stories from his cycling career and the triumphs and challenges of staying fit …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Oh 2020… what can we say about you? You were a year we’d like for forget, but likely will not. A year of cancelled events, but chock full of twists and turns nearly every week. You brought out the best in us by bringing us the …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS At the end of the year I often write a ‘best of’ list that includes my best day on the bike, some of the great products I’ve had the opportunity to use, and some of the most meaningful people and experiences from the previous 12 months. …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning It’s Christmas week and that means your inboxes are likely filled with newsletters and advertorials trying to cajole you into buying more of the ‘the best gifts for runners’ and ’must haves for the trail runner’. Fortunately for you, I have some better more whimsical content lined …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Strava released its annual “Year in Sport” report last week, putting some hard numbers to many metrics I think many people assumed had increased due to the pandemic. Anyone looking to purchase a bicycle or get replacement parts in 2020 knows they were in short …
Summertime goals are often key for cyclists trying to maintain focus and motivation through the winter. What can you do now that will make next summer even better? Lots of people focus on improving aerobic endurance, which I talked about in this post. You can also target your training specifically to improve climbing performance by …
Long-time CTS Athlete Alison Tetrick will be contributing posts to the Trainright Blog, telling stories and sharing lessons learned during her career racing at the highest levels of road and gravel cycling. In addition to consulting for many outdoor brands, Alison has launched AMT Bandanas, a line of one-of-a-kind bandanas that bring to life why …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Earlier this year CTS Athlete Coree Woltering set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail. He decided to take up the endeavor with relatively little specific preparation, allowing himself just several weeks to pull all the logistics together, as well as get in …