By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS I felt a twinge in my right leg this week when I read 4-time Tour de France Champion Chris Froome crashed and broke his femur. I broke my femur in the winter of 1986, and although every fracture, surgery, and recovery is unique, there’s no getting around the …
By Chris Carmichael CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer Gravel racing is a great combination of personal challenge, tough competition, inclusive community, and long-range fun. Long endurance events require some specific mental and physical preparations. If you have a gravel race in your future, here are eight pieces of advice you should take to …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Economy is the most important lesson young pro cyclists learn in their first year – if they’re going to have a second year. It’s not enough to be powerful; you also have to be as frugal as possible with your energy. This was the message I drove home …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS As I prepared to suit up for the 166-kilometer Liege-Bastogne-Liege sportive on a cold and wet Belgian morning, I remembered British hiking guidebook author Alfred Wainright’s quote: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing.” Thankfully, I had come prepared, but over the course of the …
Chris Carmichael, CEO/Head Coach of CTS A recent article on the top 3 myths about post-workout protein and recovery started a lot of discussions between our athletes and their coaches. Those conversations revealed even more myths that people still believe about post-workout recovery. This week let’s look at the age-old idea of elevating your legs …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Ever since writing this article on what athletes need to know about cannabidiol (CBD), we’ve been having a lot more conversations with athletes and researchers about CBD. One of those researchers is Joanna Zeiger, MS, PhD. If that name sounds familiar, you probably remember Joanna from her …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS As we announce the opening of registration for the third annual CTS Figueroa Mountain Gran Fondo on November 9 of this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes for great gran fondo experience. I have been to a ton of amateur cycling events around the world, …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS I first rode a Pinarello in 1983 when I raced on the Aspen-Dia Compe-Giordana team with Dale Stetina and Alexi Grewal at the Coors Classic (Dale won the overall that year). It was a great steel frame with a very Italian geometry that was nimble but not twitchy, …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Pretty much every cyclist I talk to wants to ride uphill faster. And while athletes and coaches spend a lot of time focused on increasing power output and reducing bodyweight, these two things only give you the capacity – the potential – to go faster uphill. Actually riding …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS I am 58 years old and I travel a lot and prefer to train at home when I’m in Colorado Springs, CO. Even though I’ve been an endurance athlete all my life, my age means I am prioritizing strength training more than I used to. The frequent challenge: …