CTS History

CTS originated with the simple idea that all athletes deserve great coaching. In the late 1990s there were very few professional endurance coaches, and most of them worked only with pros and Olympians. Fresh from his role as National Coaching Director for USA Cycling, Olympian and former 7-Eleven pro cyclist Chris Carmichael recognized the best coaching expertise wasn’t reaching amateur athletes. The Internet was still a relatively new technology at the time, and Chris was one of the first coaches to realize its potential to revolutionize the coach-athlete relationship by making it possible for athletes to connect with professional coaches from anywhere in the world. CTS launched with four employees on April 14, 2000.

From the very beginning, CTS focused on two core services: personal coaching and training camps. As an athlete coming up through the ranks in amateur and professional cycling, Chris was fortunate to work with great coaches and mentors, including Eddie Borysewicz (Eddie B.) and Dr. Ed Burke. During his time coaching the Men’s Road Cycling team for the 1992 Olympics and leading Project ’96 as the National Coaching Director before the 1996 Olympics, Chris worked with leading scientists in physiology, aerodynamics, hydration, sports nutrition, and sport technology. As a result of these experiences, Chris developed a coaching methodology based on inspiration, communication, integrated training, and proven sports science.

Word spread and more athletes signed up, meaning CTS needed more coaches. There wasn’t a well-established educational pipeline for developing endurance coaches, so we developed the CTS Coaching College. Through the college, hundreds of coaches have learned to inspire and communicate with athletes, provide superior customer service, and improve performance with sound sports science. Many of the 50+ CTS Coaches have been with CTS for 10+ years and, for others, a foundation of CTS experience has led to leadership positions in training facilities, professional sports teams, and sports science labs around the world.

Chris’s passion for innovation led CTS to expand the coaching staff and coaching college to encompass a wider range of endurance sports. Ultrarunning and triathlon are the biggest sports for CTS outside of cycling, and our coaches also work with motorsports athletes, NHL hockey teams, rowers, climbers, mixed martial arts fighters, and athletes focused on many more other sports.

To make coaching expertise more accessible to all athletes, CTS also developed new products and services. The CTS Camp calendar expanded to more than 40 annual training camps and race experiences on four continents. Chris, and most recently Jason Koop, published several popular books on training and sports nutrition, including “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning”. CTS produced more than two dozen indoor cycling workout videos, launched a newsletter that now reaches more than 60,000 readers three times a week, and developed industry partnerships with technology companies including Strava, TrainingPeaks, and Zwift.

Based on our long-standing position as an industry leader that has improved the performance of more than 20,000 athletes, companies seek out CTS to help develop, test, evaluate, and promote new products. CTS has completed R&D projects with many companies, including Helix, Halo Neuroscience, Motorola, Trek, Powerbar, and Topical Edge. Currently accepting inquiries for partnerships and projects.

PRO ATHLETES WHO WORK OR HAVE WORKED WITH CTS

• Katie Schide - 2022 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Champion
• Larissa Connors – 2017 Leadville 100 MTB Champion
• Alison Tetrick – 2017 Unbound Gravel Champion
• Kaci Lickteig – 2016 Western States Endurance Run Champion, 2016 Ultrarunner of the Year
• Mara Abbott -2016 US Olympian, 2010 & 2013 Giro Rosa Champion
• Greg Daniel – 2016 US Pro Road Race Champion, Trek-Segafredo Pro Cycling Team
• Katerina Nash – 3-time Olympian, 2017 Cyclocross World Championship – Bronze medalist
• Rebecca Rusch – 7x World Champion, 4x Leadville 100 Champion, 3x Unbound Gravel Champion
• Craig Alexander – 2008, 2009 Ironman World Champion
• Dean Karnazes – Iconic ultrarunner, author of “Ultramarathon Man”
• Lance Armstrong – World Champion, US Pro Road Race Champion, 4x Olympian
• George Hincapie – 5x Olympian, 3x US Pro Road Race Champion
• Normann Stadler – 2004, 2006 Ironman World Champion
• Carl Edwards – NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series driver
• Ryan Trebon – 2-time US National Cyclocross Champion
• Max Papis – NASCAR Sprint Cup driver, 24 Hours of Daytona Champion