“If I don’t get up I’m dead.” That was my thought as I lay on my back, one dog biting into my calf and another circling around toward the back of my head. I had to get up. I had to fight. Fortunately, when the two 140-pound dogs attacked me, my mountain bike fell on …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS From a coaching perspective the fall is perhaps the most important time of year. Sure, we can help athletes make big improvements in performance during the spring and summer, but the fall is where you can continue making progress, maintain what you have, or lose almost …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Interest in fitness, health, and performance is greater than ever, and people want information and instruction they can trust. I have dedicated my life’s work to helping people achieve their goals and reach their full potential, and one of the biggest lessons I have learned is …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS When the bombs started falling, the 7-Eleven Pro Cycling Team was on the Spanish island of Mallorca, getting ready to start the Vuelta a España. On April 15, 1986, on the other side of the Mediterranean, United States forces launched an air strike against Libya …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS The 2020 Tour de France peloton slams headfirst into the high mountains on Stage 8, with an hors categorie climb sandwiched between two Category 1 ascents and a screaming descent to the finish line in Loudenville. This is the terrain the climbing specialists and overall …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Stage 5 of the 2020 Tour de France was one of the rare instances of a road stage without a breakaway, something we typically don’t see unless the peloton is riding in protest or mourning. Thankfully, it wasn’t for either of those reasons. But that …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Ever since the early 2000s, when live Tour de France coverage debuted in the United States, my daily routine for July included listening to or watching the Tour each morning. Sometimes it was just playing in the background, other times I was glued to the …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Alcohol has long been engrained in the culture of sports, from champagne on the podium to beer commercials during football games and the ever-present ice-cold beer at the finish line of gran fondos, charity rides and runs, and weekend adventures. But the long term data …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Up until the 2020 season, cycling events, bike races, and group rides provided athletes with hard-to-miss feedback about their fitness and performance. When you had good legs, you rode at the front. When you were tired or not fit, you hung on at the back. People …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS The summer of 2020 has been unusual, to say the least. For cyclists, the widespread cancellation of events has led to increased weekly and monthly riding volume, both in terms of time and mileage. This may sound counterintuitive, but in the absence of events, riders are training more …