We have yet to meet a cyclist who doesn’t want to go uphill faster, but not all hills are created equal. Rolling hills aren’t very long but they often come one right after the other and can add up to a surprising amount of elevation gain. Sustained climbs take patience and power, and the key …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist”, “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning”, and “Ride Inside“ Trends in endurance training come and go, and long and easy workouts for building aerobic endurance are back in fashion. We’re talking 2+ hours at Zone 2 or even Zone 1. Long easy rides work wonderfully if you …
If you want to go long, burn fat. If you want to go fast, burn carbohydrate. Athletic performance is not that simple, of course, because you burn both – and a little protein – at all times, during all activities, and at any intensity level. However, the basic premise still stands: you rely more heavily …
Catching up with gravel and mountain bike pro Russell Finsterwald is no easy feat. He even goes on vacation fast. The day after winning the final major gravel cycling race of the 2022 season, Big Sugar in Bentonville, Arkansas, and finishing third overall in the Lifetime Gran Prix, Finsterwald flew directly to Mexico for some …
Topics Covered In This Episode: What you need to know about protein How much protein athletes need daily Why ultradistance athletes should ingest protein DURING runs and races Purposes and recommendations for post-workout protein intake Importance of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) for endurance athletes Food sources of leucine HOST Corrine Malcolm has been a …
Topics Covered In This Episode: What you should think about before hiring a coach Some of the biggest benefits athletes see working with a coach How the coach-athlete match process works How to know if a coach is a good fit for you Pros and cons of having a local coach Guest Dominic Guinto has been …
For performance-oriented cyclists, five-minute power is an important metric because staying with the group – or leaving them behind – often depends on these shorter efforts. Improving your 5-minute requires strenuous training, but the rewards are absolutely worth the work. Here’s what you need to know about training for 5-minute power. Components of 5-minute power …
Topics Covered In This Episode: Stages of sleep nREM vs. REM sleep How you sleep when physically tired vs. emotionally fatigued Health implications of sleep deprivation Role of sleep in injury prevention How do you know if you’re getting enough sleep Keys for optimizing sleep hygiene HOST Corrine Malcolm has been a CTS Coach for …
Topics Covered In This Episode: Top 5 factors for faster climbing: pacing, increasing power to weight ratio, wise equipment choices, course intel, personal intel How to use Strava as a pacing and KOM/QOM planning tool Using RPE to gauge pacing and sustainability Are you a Steady or Punchy climber? Pacing for climbs you have never …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” As summer turns to fall, many cyclists shift their attention from road, gravel, and mountain bike events to cyclocross. Held on closed courses in local parks, cyclocross is a perfect way to get a great workout, satisfy your competitive drive, and …