OVERVIEW Christie Aschwanden is an award-winning science journalist and author of Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery. With all the hype and marketing dollars being thrown at recovery modalities like tart cherry juice, ketone supplements, ice plunges, and the timing of post-recovery meals, we brought Christie back to "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" to take a look at the evidence behind the claims. Which recovery products work? How ...

OVERVIEW We receive a lot of listener questions, so we're batching a few of them together into one episode. In Episode 258 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford and co-author of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist" book, Coach Jim Rutberg, rip through questions about the fear of descending, how to increase carbohydrate intake, preparing for big mountain days, and making the best of events when you're under-prepared. TOPICS COVERED Question 1: How do I get over my fear of going dow...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 9 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 9 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was the finale of the entire race, and Coaches Ren...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 8 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 8 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was the Queen Stage, meaning the hardest of them a...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 7 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 7 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was another significant climbing day, meaning ther...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 6 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift featured a fantastic solo win by an emerging talent. Co...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 5 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 5 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift saw a major shakeup in the General Classification,...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS publishes daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They recap the stages, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 4 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 4 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was another sprint finish, but the mountains are c...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS will publish daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They'll recap the stage, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 3 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was dominated by a 4-rider breakaway co...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS will publish daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They'll recap the stage, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 2 PODCAST OVERVIEW Stage 2 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift saw a new leader in the yellow jersey and a s...

Welcome to the Tour de France Femmes Podcast, from the producers of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" CTS will publish daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They'll recap the stage, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. STAGE 1 PODCAST OVERVIEW CTS Coaches Renee Eastman and Adam Pulford recap the exciting finish of Stage 1 of the 2025 Tour d...

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Starting Saturday, July 26, CTS will publish daily Tour de France Femmes podcasts with Coaches Adam Pulford and Renee Eastman. They'll recap the stage, but the unique aspect of these podcasts will be coaching insights about how athletes prepare for the demands showcased in that day's stage. EPISODE OVERVIEW Respect is a touchy subject, but this is not a touchy-feely, woo-woo episode of the podcast. In true "Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" fashion, Coach Adam Pulford ...

OVERVIEW Time-Crunched Cyclists have to get creative to integrate training into their busy lives. We get plenty of listener questions about various options for adding training hours to a busy schedule. In Episode 257 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford and co-author of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist" book, coach Jim Rutberg, discuss how and whether to integrate bicycle commutes and indoor cycling desks into your training. TOPICS COVERED Question 1: How can I use my 30-60 mi...

OVERVIEW Lots of endurance athletes take a mid-season break following a big goal event or a substantial training block. Some Time-Crunched Cyclists don't need a mid-season break because they don't accumulate enough training stress to benefit from a prolonged period of reduced workload. Rather, some Time-Crunched Cyclists benefit from an increase in training volume during the middle of the season! Coach Adam Pulford explains how to tell the difference between needing a break and benefitting fr...

OVERVIEW Getting sick sucks, any time of year. When athletes are in the middle of the season, like they are now, they get anxious about losing fitness and they get impatient about returning to training. In Episode 255 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford details the practical steps he uses to guide athletes back to training following common illnesses like cold and flu. Note: Adam is not a physician and this is not medical advice. His guidance is based on standard cold/fl...

OVERVIEW Heat acclimation is a big topic this summer, especially because heat training has been shown to also improve oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood - similar to altitude training! But, heat training can be tricky, especially for Time-Crunched Cyclists. What if you can't train in the hottest part of the day because of work? What if you spend your workday in a cold, air conditioned office building? Should you sit passively in a sauna or hot bath, or exercise with extra layers and no fan...

OVERVIEW Sprinting is something a Time-Crunched Cyclist can be very good at, because it doesn't take a lot of training time to develop a strong anaerobic kick. Yes, you still need an aerobic engine to reach the finale with enough energy left to sprint, but a strong sprint can be a Time-Crunched Cyclist's secret weapon! DJ Brew wins Masters and Pro/1/2 criteriums in the Washington DC area with a strong kick and smart sprinting tactics and skills. In Episode 253 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Po...

OVERVIEW If you or your child is interested in racing bikes (road, mountain, cyclocross, track) as an under-18 competitor, this is the podcast for you! CTS Coach Adam Pulford is one of the top coaches to Junior and U23 Cyclists in the United States. Much of this work is through the DC Devo Cycling Team in Washington, D.C. In Episode 252 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Adam is joined by Chris Hardee, Justin Mauch, and Ryan McKinney of DCDevo to answer listener questions on how the deve...

OVERVIEW Is there a real benefit to a recovery ride or would you be better off just taking the day off completely? Both recovery rides and complete rest are beneficial, but the choice between the two depends on how fatigued you are, your mood, and what else you have going on in your life. Sports science says they accomplish the same thing and are essentially interchangeable. But there are absolutely times when Coach Adam Pulford recommends active recovery (easy ride, walking, yoga, etc.) and ...

OVERVIEW How do you climb fast at the end of a race? Many road, gravel, and mountain bike events finish at the top of extended climbs. In Episode 250 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist", a listener asks how to prepare for a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) finishing climb at the end of a 2-3 hour race. Everything comes into play: aerobic fitness, power at lactate threshold (LT2), anaerobic capacity, VO2 max, durability, and tactical savvy. Coach Adam Pulford breaks it all down, tells you how and when to foc...