By Mara Abbott, Olympian, CTS Contributing Editor Last fall, I decided that I wanted to take a mountain biking lesson. It was a bold move, as you will learn, because I am a truly terrible mountain biker. Here is the story of my lesson, and the best tips I have to share for other riders …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Entrepreneurs are a different breed. They’re the risk takers and visionaries, the people who create opportunities by finding ways to fulfill needs unmet by current products or services. They’re driven and ambitious, often willing to work hard for little or no instant gratification, yet confident in the long-term …
When you ask a group of cyclists what they eat and drink on rides, you’ll get almost as many answers as there are riders in the group. Everyone fuels rides a little differently, which is perfectly normal. Cycling nutrition and hydration are not one size fits all. However there are some key principles cyclists should …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Last summer, TrainingPeaks added a 5-icon rating scale athletes can use to track subjective feedback about every workout. It was a big step forward and it offered athletes and coaches a valuable new tool. After several months, at least anecdotally, the feature has been well adopted by …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Group rides are an essential social hub for local cycling communities and play an important role in developing riders’ skills, savvy, and speed. CTS Coaches often incorporate group rides into athletes’ training plans – even if they have no plans to compete. The skills and situational awareness gained …
I’m not a “New Year, New You” kind of guy. I absolutely think the New Year is a great opportunity to evaluate what you’re doing well and what needs to be changed, but progress is perpetual. The New Year is a merely a mile marker on a long journey to the best version of …
A few months ago, my friend told me about the difference her “Panda Planner” had made in her life. I snickered. A Panda Planner? It sounds like some sort of Lisa Frank throwback for angsty adults. She told me about how the Panda Planner would ask her each morning to focus on an affirmation for …
Social media isn’t going away. Sure, sometimes it’s tempting to jettison the cell phone out the car window while driving down the interstate. At times we probably all fantasize about a world completely devoid of technology, but for most of us, the positives of social media usually outweigh the negatives. We can stay up-to-date with …
By Mara Abbott Olympian and CTS Contributing Editor By now, I hope many of you are deep into your D40 challenge. If you missed out and haven’t started yet, it really isn’t too late – you could still either commit to a pro-rated version to boost your fitness before the New Year, or extend your own …
December is a terrible month for fitness, but we’re going to change that this year. Athletes miss more workouts in December than any other month. It’s not that surprising, really. There’s a lot going on between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. People are traveling, there are parties, the days are short, and the weather can get …