Of all the successes North American cyclists have earned at the Tour de France, only one US rider has ever won the final road stage on the Champs Elysees. Yes, Greg LeMond famously won an individual time trial that finished on the Champs to win the 1989 Tour by eight seconds over Laurent Fignon, but …
To peak or not to peak? Is it more valuable for you to achieve your absolute peak fitness for about two weeks or to sustain a high level of fitness (e.g., 90% of absolute peak) for a longer portion of the season? I wrote previously about “How Long Can You Hold Peak Form?”, but …
Climbing through the Alps and Pyrenees with my Trek Factory Racing teammates during the 2014 Tour de France was one of the highlights of my professional cycling career, and one of the things I love most about cycling is that we can all visit and experience the sport’s most famous and storied climbs. And …
Cycling Power-to-Weight Ratio CalculatorWant to see how your watts stack up? Enter your average power for 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 60 minutes(FTP), along with your weight and sex, to calculate your power-to-weight ratio (W/kg). Then, compare your numbers to cyclists across all levels, from beginner to pro, and see where you stand. …
What do Formula 1 drivers, World Tour cyclists, Olympic athletes, and today’s top ultrarunners have in common? They don’t just train hard. They build high-performance teams around them. Gone are the days when elite ultrarunners trained in isolation, chasing podiums and FKTs with a DIY approach and little support. As ultrarunning grows more competitive and …
Once the excitement of registering for a great new gravel race has subsided, the reality sets in that you have committed to a major challenge. Riders should prepare for long hours on the bike because most gravel races are 100-200 miles long, with lower average speeds than road events. Training for a gravel race …
By Renee Eastman, CTS Premier Coach & Performance Lab Director Blood lactate plays a key role in exercise and fitness, offering valuable insights into how our bodies produce energy, build endurance, and perform. Part 1 of this series covered the basics of blood lactate’s role in exercise and setting training zones. In Part 2, we’ll …
By Renee Eastman, CTS Premier Coach & Performance Lab Director Blood lactate plays a key role in exercise and fitness, offering valuable insights into how our bodies produce energy, build endurance, and perform. Often misunderstood as just a waste product, blood lactate is actually a powerful fuel source and an important messenger within …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” December presents many training and nutrition challenges for athletes, but with some planning you can hit January strong, fit, and ready to ramp up your performance. You don’t have to live like a monk for the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. We …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “Ride Inside“, “The Time-Crunched Cyclist”, and “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” According to a survey of CTS Athletes, about 80% of cyclists and triathletes complete at least one cycling workout per week indoors. Throughout the year, the ratio of indoor to outdoor cycling workouts varies with changes in …