Of all the successes North American cyclists have earned at the Tour de France, only one US rider has ever won the final road stage on the Champs Elysees. Yes, Greg LeMond famously won an individual time trial that finished on the Champs to win the 1989 Tour by eight seconds over Laurent Fignon, but …
How do you follow up a 2024 season highlighted by victories at Western States Endurance Run (in the second-fastest female time on record) and Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc? For Katie Schide, it was to win the 2025 Hardrock 100 in her debut appearance and break the counterclockwise and overall female course records! Hardrock …
One of the key storylines from the Tour de France this year (and the past few years) is the extreme carbohydrate intakes in the pro peloton. Elite cyclists and their teams have reported intakes of 100, 120, and even more grams of carbohydrate PER HOUR. This is a lot higher than the standard recommendations …
Fuzhao Xiang has a strong chance of becoming the first Chinese athlete to win one of ultrarunning’s most prestigious races: Western States (WSER) or Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). Her stellar performance at the 2024 WSER was the third-fastest female finish (16:20:03) in history. Athletes endured a hotter race day in 2025, …
Most endurance athletes spend months fine-tuning their fueling plans. Yet, on race day many still bonk, sometimes shockingly early. Although it’s easy to blame poor pacing or a missed gel, there’s often a hidden reason you burn through energy so fast: the surge of adrenaline and the body’s stress response that ramp up …
All athletes must persist through a series of highs and lows, great performances and serious setbacks. Abby Hall’s journey from a 28-hour first finish at the 2019 Leadville 100 to winning the 2025 Western States Endurance Run in the fourth fastest female finishing time (16:37:16) was anything but linear. Abby Hall’s Troubled Journey to …
By CTS Coaches Jim Rutberg, with information from 10-time Western States Finisher and CTS Ultrarunning Coach Andy Jones-Wilkins Developing fitness is just one component of preparing athletes for the iconic Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Every ultramarathon has unique challenges, course features, weather concerns, and logistical complications. In addition to working with WSER Champions, …
To peak or not to peak? Is it more valuable for you to achieve your absolute peak fitness for about two weeks or to sustain a high level of fitness (e.g., 90% of absolute peak) for a longer portion of the season? I wrote previously about “How Long Can You Hold Peak Form?”, but …
Building upon the success CTS Athletes achieved in the 2024 Western States Endurance Run, including a podium sweep in the women’s race with Katie Schide, Fuzhao Xiang, and Eszter Csillag, CTS is once again heading to WSER to support nearly two dozen athletes in 2025. With fewer than two weeks to go before the …
Climbing through the Alps and Pyrenees with my Trek Factory Racing teammates during the 2014 Tour de France was one of the highlights of my professional cycling career, and one of the things I love most about cycling is that we can all visit and experience the sport’s most famous and storied climbs. And …