By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS There are a lot of cyclists who live for climbs, whether they are short and punchy hills or massively long mountain passes. If it’s uphill, they love it. And there’s no doubt that climbing is hard, but the question is whether spending all your time in the …
By Chris Carmichael Many cyclists – particularly as we get older – gravitate toward one, steady speed and effort level. It’s not slow, necessarily, but the problem is that once you spend too much time training at your one sustainable speed, you lose the ability to accelerate. You lose that snap you need to …
I love a great group ride. I was raised on them and they have been an integral part of my life as a cyclist for more than 40 years. The group ride is where you learn to draft, how to ride shoulder to shoulder so you can talk without yelling, how to gauge your …
The worst changes often happen gradually and almost imperceptibly. I was at the opening stage of the Colorado Classic yesterday (great race, BTW!) and had the opportunity to catch up with several old friends from pro cycling. One patted his belly and commented he didn’t remember gaining 15 pounds, but there it is! And …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “Ride Inside“ and “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” Power-to-weight ratio (PWR) is a performance metric that is simple to calculate, but also easy to misuse. Individually, tracking PWR over time reflects the combined effect of changes in fitness level (power output) and bodyweight. Between two riders, PWR may predict …
Last week’s post about how to “win” the local group ride got a lot of people talking, but I realize many athletes participate in much more civil and social group rides. So this week let’s take a look at some etiquette and skills so you don’t end up being “that guy”. Flat tires suck …
PERFORMANCE TESTING SERVICESPhysiological Performance TestingPerformance testing in the lab allows an athlete to understand their unique physiology for more specific analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and training specificity. Measures of blood lactate and VO2 provide information about an individual’s fitness that cannot be determined by field testing alone. This includes pinpointing an individual’s maximal aerobic capacity …
Editor’s Note: Carmichael Training Systems does not coach Radioshack-Nissan-Trek rider and US Pro Champion Matthew Busche, nor do we have any business or endorsement relationship with him. Mathew graciously provided us with some of his power files from the 2012 Amgen Tour of California so we could compare the workloads of a top-level pro and …