By CTS Coaches Nick White and Jim Rutberg Two of the Ironman races in the US feature relatively flat and fast courses, and the terrain can have a significant impact on your strategy on the bike. Neither Ironman Florida nor Ironman Arizona have hills to match those in Lake Placid, Wisconsin, or St. George. Instead, …
By Adam Pulford, CTS Senior Coach The last stage of La Ruta has the least amount of climbing as we head to the flat coast of the Caribbean, but don’t think that makes it any easier. What we encountered today was nothing short of epic. The day started with a fast “neutral” start out …
By Adam Pulford, CTS Senior Coach Every day of La Ruta starts with climbing: steep climbing. Stage 3 was no exception, but what was different today was that instead of steep descending after steep climbing, there’s more climbing… yeah, awesome, right? Take a look below: 4:34 ride time; 3005kJ, Normalize Power 224W, Average Power 181W, …
By Adam Pulford, CTS Senior Coac During our La Ruta Recon Camp, the race director Roman Kilun brought us on the new proposed route of day 2 and promised there would be more climbing than last year. He didn’t disappoint. In talking with other racers that have never raced La Ruta before, they were shocked …
Stage 1: Make or Break Day By Adam Pulford, CTS Senior Coach Whether you make it or not, I think there’s still some breaking for everyone. Breaking of chains, rims, cables, egos, and break downs: I saw it all today. It’s La Ruta’s toughest stage, and I’m glad we’ve gotten it out of the …
La Ruta Race Reflections La Ruta: The Hardest Mountain Bike Race in the World Let’s face it: if you’re looking for a challenge, that title catches your eye. Not only does it boast of 39,000ft of climbing, but you cross a jungle, hike through flowing rivers, ride over multiple volcanoes, and battle the heat and …
By Colin Izzard and Jim Rutberg After long hours of diligently staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool, you’re finally getting ready to break out of the natatorium and get into competition. But do you have any speed, or are you just a slow and steady diesel engine? Well, even though …
By Adam Pulford, CTS Senior Coach Day 1: Come Prepared An experienced mountain biker will show up to a race with all of his gear, equipment, and nutrition dialed. Part of my job is to help athletes develop into experienced mountain bikers. Although you can read detailed packing lists of what to bring, you need …
How we work with our athletes to get through the emotional aftermath of major endurance events. By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach With Ironman Kona and Ironman Florida behind us, the topic of Ironman Blues is coming up a lot. What are the Ironman Blues? They’re what some triathletes experience in the weeks following …
Really, I can’t think of anything more relaxing than driving on little traveled roads paved over rolling hills as they cut through pristine ranch land along the foot of the Rocky Mountains–with a cup of good coffee and some killer tunes. To add to this glorious alone time, the scrub oak along the this road still …