By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Given the same ingredients, trained chefs can create a wide range of dishes. The same is true for trained coaches; we use the same basic training principles and workout ingredients to create training programs for different athletes across a range of sports. Periodization–the ways coaches organize training …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS “I like the idea and you’re probably one of the only coaches I know with the balls to do it. I applaud you for that, but I can’t let you do it.” – Dr. Harvey Schiller, Executive Director of the United States Olympic Committee Watching the …
By Scott Mercier, CTS Contributing Editor, US Olympian, Retired pro cyclist Professional athletes are known for their mental toughness. And professional cycling, with its biblical levels of physical suffering, requires mental toughness in spades. Let’s face it, to be a professional in the peloton, you have to be tough, like hard as nails tough. …
Could a poorly timed or poorly executed altitude training camp really have diminished Mathieu van der Poel from a champion to pack fodder? He seems to think so, and there’s a good chance he’s right. Alpecin–Deceuninck’s Mathieu van der Poel blamed too much training at altitude for his lackluster performance and early withdrawal from the …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning The past seven weeks supporting Timothy Olson’s bid to set the fastest known time (FKT) on the Pacific Crest Trail-and the months of preparation beforehand-have been a huge test of endurance, and I wasn’t even the one doing the running! On paper, Tim’s accomplishment was tremendous: 2653 …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS, US Olympic Team Coach 1992 & 1996 Most Olympic athletes have only one chance to get it right, so naturally they pour loads of time and effort and thought into preparation. But you don’t have to go to the Olympics to face the pressure and opportunity …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS You know what makes Olympic Champions, World Champions, and National Champions different from local hotshots? Yes, fortunate genetics plays a role, but when it comes down to training and competing, most of what amateurs and elites do is almost identical. Elites can handle higher workloads so …
By Corrine Malcolm, CTS Expert Coach, co-author “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning, 2nd Edition” Listen to any Q&A session or panel with female runners and inevitably a question about safety and fear will come up. As we were sitting on the rooftop deck of the Coffee Bear in Silverton, Colorado ahead of the Hardrock 100 ultramarathon …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS During the last three weeks of the Tour de France, one word has come up over and over again regarding the stand-out performances of Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, and Mark Cavendish: Adaptability. I’m not talking just about their ability to adapt to changing weather …
By Lisa Bourne, CTS Contributing Editor & Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact at Zwift As a Black cyclist, when I realized that both Legion of LA, the first and only Black owned cycling team, and Ayesha McGowan, our first Black female pro cyclist, were going to be racing in Tulsa on the 100th …