By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Chief Endurance Officer As we start September, the bulk of the summer is in the rearview mirror. And while there are athletes who have big events coming up in the next several weeks, many of you are wrapping up your summer season. You have trained long and hard to …
Cycling skills are essential for speed, safety, and fun. Whether you ride solo, pedal with friends at the local group ride, or participate in cycling events and races, it’s important to practice and continually improve your cycling skills. This guide covers basic and advanced techniques for drafting, pace lines, riding in a group, cornering, descending, …
People have strong feelings about carbohydrate, despite the fact it is neither good nor bad. The positive and negative effects of carbohydrate on health, performance, and recovery come from when, why, and how much people consume. For endurance athletes, carbs are an essential fuel for performance and recovery. To understand this critical component of sports …
Nearly every profession, sports, or area of study has its own language, and subsequently its own acronyms and abbreviations. Cycling training terms can sound like gibberish to non-cyclists, and can be confusing to long-time riders, too. Here’s a reference guide to some of the most common terms and abbreviations used in cycling training. And because …
A powerful sprint is an important weapon in any cyclist’s arsenal. For competitors, strong accelerations can be the key to winning a race, establishing the breakaway, or closing a gap. Non-competitive cyclists frequently undervalue sprinting, which is a mistake. Sprint workouts increase explosive power, muscle fiber recruitment, and anaerobic capacity. Short sprints can also stimulate …
Challenging multi-day cycling events are one of the fast-growing categories of cycling for amateurs. Some are competitive; others are not, but most feature big mileage, lots of climbing, and incredible camaraderie. If you’re planning on riding one of these challenging multi-day events, here’s an essential guide to training, managing your efforts during the event, and …
Chris Carmichael CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer There’s something special about a well-organized high-speed paceline. By sharing the work of pushing through the wind miles fly by at speeds no one in the group could achieve solo. A good paceline epitomizes teamwork and the notion of a group being better than the sum …
Throughout a lifetime as an athlete, I’ve had my share of injuries, surgeries, and comebacks. On December 27, 2021 I had my left hip replaced and started a 3-month return-to-training process that culminated in coaching on the bike at a week-long cycling camp in March 2022. As I’ve shared my journey, many athletes have inquired …
Endurance training blocks are a great way for cyclists to accumulate a large volume of training hours and miles in a relatively short period. Endurance blocks can be very useful for athletes who are engaged in high-intensity interval training programs, or who compete frequently. During periods of high-intensity training and racing, aerobic endurance can actually …
Cycling does a lot of great things for your body, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sometimes a pain in the neck… or shoulders… or back. Back pain is one of the most common complaints we hear from cyclists, whether new or experienced, young or old. Strength training and stretching can significantly reduce lower back …