When riders and team managers look at stages in the race bible, they can pretty quickly categorize them as good days for the sprinters, the climbers, the GC contenders, and the opportunists. On paper Stage 16 of the 2014 Tour de France looked like a great day for an opportunistic breakaway, but how do …
The first day in big mountains is always a day of reckoning in the Tour de France. There is nowhere to hide when the a climb takes more than 30 minutes to ascend, and not even the riders themselves know how their legs will fare until they’re actually on the early ramps of these major …
Bike racing is a cruel sport. Even in the middle of the biggest race in the world, with roads lined with tens of thousands of fans and surrounded by everyone else in the peloton, at some level each rider is alone. You’re the one doing the work and making the decisions about how hard to …
Team BMC’s Peter Stetina summed up the first week of the Tour de France perfectly when he was interviewed following Stage 7 on Friday: “Sketchy”. That’s exactly what the first week is like, and here’s why: everybody is fresh, every team starts out with big goals and the desire and horsepower to execute on them, …
By Chris Carmichael Everyone knew Stage 5 of the 2014 Tour de France had the potential to be dangerous, but when the riders awoke this morning to a steady rain their worst nightmares were confirmed. It’s one thing to race over cobblestones when they are dry, it’s still extremely difficult, but today was brutal. The …
Originally published in Road Bike Action Magazine, July 2014 By Chris Carmichael On a recent Saturday morning I got a call from Jerry, an athlete I’ve only been working with for a short time. His criterium started in an hour and he was sitting in his car listening to the rain pound on the roof. …
This is a holiday weekend in the US, celebrating Independence Day. July 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays. It’s a day, or a long weekend, featuring parades, fireworks, barbeques, and all manner of events. In Colorado – as elsewhere in the country – active people are flocking to the outdoors to spend …
It’s a very special day in a cyclist’s life when the prospect of riding uphill is met with a smile instead of a sense of dread. It’s special because a great deal of work is required to reach this day, and because it means there are no remaining obstacles to having a great ride every …
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and different athletes draw inspiration from different things. This week I want to introduce you to Tribby Warfield, a C-Suite corporate executive who has completely transformed her body and lifestyle over the past two years. As you’ll see in the video at the end of this article, Tribby personifies …
The longer the event the more likely it is that you will have to fight your way through a rough patch. In 10k runs and 45-minute criteriums you may avoid them altogether. But in marathons, Ironman triathlons, 100-mile ultra marathons, and 200-mile gravel races you are all but assured of a moment where …