By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Endurance athletes are used to taking the long route, and with the accelerating COVID19 crisis we are all facing the most important endurance challenge of our lives. Like all endurance events, this one will have highs and lows, unforeseen challenges, opportunities to work together, and there will be …
By Chris Carmichael, CEO/Head Coach of CTS Normally, this is a topic we cover in the fall, but with the current public health crisis leading to the postponement of events and potentially to limits on the ability to train outdoors (Italy and Spain have banned cycling for training or recreation for the time being), it …
By Chris Carmichael, CEO/Head Coach of CTS The current public health crisis is understandably on everyone’s mind and it is disrupting many aspects of our daily lives and plans. Schools are closing, workers have been advised to work from home, conferences and meetings have been cancelled, major sporting leagues have suspended their seasons, and most …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS I got a call from an athlete this week, as he was walking from one meeting to the next, exclaiming with glee that he had 90 whole minutes to work out that afternoon! That might be a normal Tuesday for you, but we’ve been shoehorning 45-minute training sessions …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS If I were to summarize recent articles, conversations, and podcasts that have caught my attention it would be to say, “Keep it simple, stupid.” I think there is a natural draw to make things more complicated or to place greater value on products or methods …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS I started noticing it about halfway down the Col de la Madeleine. In the group I was with, riders started shaking out their hands on the straightaways between switchbacks. Even with disk brakes, the effort of gripping the bars and using the brakes for such a …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Not one of the athletes I coach works a standard 5-day-a-week, 9-5 job. I’m not sure how many people do anymore, and by the time all three of my children have careers I’m nearly certain no one will. With so much variation in people’s professional …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS If there was ever an actual secret to turning highly-talented athletes into champions it is simply this: Toughen them up. Whether you’re trying to win the Paris-Roubaix, get through a 200-mile gravel race, or hang with the fast group ride, it’s going to take more than …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS The difference between fueling performance with carbohydrate and consuming too much added sugar is one of the more confusing aspects of nutrition for athletes. Too much added sugar in your diet can be harmful to your health, but consuming carbohydrate – including simple sugar – can …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS In April it will be 20 years since I founded CTS with a few friends, and it’s amazing to look back over a journey of two decades and see how CTS – and the entire endurance coaching industry – has grown. I’m proud of what the …