Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2775 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781934030479
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Reclaim Your Identity
"The TCTP isn't about reclaiming your youth so much as it is about reclaiming your identity. Being a cyclist is an important part of who you are, and it's a lot easier to proudly identify yourself as a cyclist when you're good at it." [pg. 52]

Finally, a book that speaks to us "retired racers" who are in our late 30's and beyond, with a career, family, and obligations that do not lend themselves to 4+ hour training rides. Admittedly, the training plan is intense, but that's the point.

"Our relationship with our sport may have changed, but our desire to be fit, fast, and powerful hasn't diminished."

And how does he address that? By recognizing (finally) that all of the training plans out there do not lend themselves to the average athlete who wants to balance being an attentive parent and husband, a responsible employer/employee, and get in the training hours required to be competitive either in a race series or simply during intense weekend rides. His answer - high intensity, low volume, taper, recover, start over. Do no more than 2 to 3 cycles of this per year.

And his rationale -

"Initially I had a lot of trouble with the relatively short-term nature of the fitness gained using this program. Coming from the old-school mindset of endurance training, I struggled with the idea of a top-heavy training program that build high-end power without the deep aerobic fitness necessary to support it long-term. But for athletes with limited time to train, the alternative is sticking with old programs that can't possibly generate the fitness necessary to be a successful cyclist. Again and again I kept going back to the value proposition: Would you want to be really good for about 2 months at a time, even if it meant having to back off for 4 to 6 weeks before starting again? Or put another way: Do you want to be really good a couple of times a year or mediocre all year long?"

I only gave the book 4 stars because I have not tried the training program yet, but the fact that an internationally-recognized coach has finally put pen to paper to speak to the issues confronting the overwhelming number of athletes who fit into this category is worth the read alone.

This Training Program Works. I have results.
I am a CTS client and fit into the "Time crunched" category. I am 43 and started biking later in life (early 30's). I have been involved in other competitive sports growing up, but when I started biking, I wanted to race. I was fortunate enough to hook up with a CTS coach and told him my work and family schedule. He said let's try something a bit different. I was a bit skeptical at first because I had read so many books on training and knew I did not have the 15 hrs/ week to devote to become a competitive racer. I gave this method a try and have put up some very good results because of it. I am no pro but on my way to a CAT 3 upgrade and recently won a NorCal criterium by soloing off the front for several laps. I have to say, the training really simulates the efforts that you put forth in criteriums or cyclecross. I also have been able to get a win in a road race by using this method. The book is a fairly quick and easy to understand read. If you don't have the time, you need to crank up the intensity. They just show you how to structure it. My first race of the season was in early April and last race was this past weekend, so it got me through the entire season.

Simple to follow, now to see if it works
Chris goes into a great deal of detail about the reason for and the theory behind this workout plan for those who still enjoy cycling but cannot dedicate more than a limited amount of time to training. Seems solidly based on experience and gives a plan for a number of different skill levels and goals for riding. Can't wait to see if it results in the fitness level I am looking for in my cycling.