John Williams’ “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” still gives me goose bumps. The prolific composer of the “Star Wars”, “Jaws”, and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” scores wrote it for the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics and it (plus the additional “Bugler’s Dream”) has been used for NBC’s Olympic coverage ever since. When I …
The expanse of open water that greets triathletes at the beginning of a competition is intimidating. That is an almost universally true statement from novice triathletes, at least those who didn’t come into triathlon from a swimming background. For runners, cyclists, and casual exercisers who are interested in triathlon, the intimidation factor of the swim …
Introduction: Heat is the enemy of endurance performance and an underlying cause for diminished performance, dehydration, heat stress, gastrointestinal distress, and impaired recovery. In this 3-part series we will provide you with the tools and information you need to PREPARE for training and events, PERFORM at your best, and RECOVER optimally when temperatures soar. Quick …
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKDG2_Usc1Q?rel=0″ align=”center” autoplay=”yes”] One of the greatest truths about sports nutrition is that even the best foods are useless if they stay in your pocket. You have to put those calories, electrolytes, and fluids into your body for them to do you any good. That means you have to like how they taste, how …
Descents are free speed. You spend almost every second of a bike ride pedaling and working to move forward, but the descents are your reward and your opportunity to make up time. Professional cyclists execute risky descending techniques far above the skill level of most amateurs. However, all cyclists can gain valuable insights on how …
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/T5bbznhRNME” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no” grow=”yes”] By CTS Expert Coach Scott Wrigley Triathlon is a time intensive sport. Fitting in training for three sports takes dedication and planning. This is especially true when you are a time-crunched athlete. You get up early and train for hours each week. You do things like intervals, track your …
Have you been watching this Tour de France!? After years of formulaic racing this is a real old-school race! I haven’t been writing daily updates like I have in years past, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to take a closer look at the Tour de France up to this point. That Downhill Attack …
Excerpt from Jason Koop’s Training Essentials for Ultrarunning Downhill running is important in ultrarunning. As the old adage goes: What goes up must come down. Add to that the fact that between uphill and downhill running, downhill is much sexier. Go ahead, check out YouTube and gawk at the Salomon videos of young, fearless athletes …
Recently a journalist asked me what has had the greatest impact on performance in professional cycling in the 30 years since I was a pro. A lot has changed in sports science, training, equipment, and technology since the 80s, but I think the advances that have had the greatest impact on improving athletic performance …
This year’s Tour de France features some tough mountain stages with 56 categorized climbs over the three weeks, and one of the major highlights of the race will be on Stage 12 when riders will climb to a mountaintop finish on Mont Ventoux. On a long stage that features big climbs, the distance and the …