The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS

CTS
  • 4.5 (114)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Coach Adam Pulford delivers actionable training advice and answers your questions in short weekly episodes for time-crunched cyclists looking to improve their cycling performance. The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast (formerly The TrainRight Podcast) is brought to you by the team at CTS - the leading endurance coaching company since 2000. Coach Adam pulls from over a decade of coaching experience and the collective knowledge of over 50+ CTS Coaches to help you cut throught the noise of training information and implement proven training strategies that’ll take your performance to the next level. 

  1. 2d ago

    Rate My Training: A Coach Reviews a 67-Year-Old Gravel Racer

    ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment What would a professional cycling coach change about your training if he could see everything you've been doing? In the first episode of RATE MY TRAINING, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford takes a deep dive into the training history of a real amateur cyclist: Willy B, a 67-year-old gravel racer preparing for another shot at Unbound 200. Willy trains 10–15 hours per week, has experience racing demanding gravel events across Europe and the United States, and has ambitious goals for the coming season. But his progression has plateaued. Adam examines Willy's training history, power-duration curve, performance management data, and 2026 Unbound race to understand where there may be opportunities to improve. The conversation also explores an important distinction: improving your fitness and improving your race result aren't always the same thing. Time spent at aid stations, fueling decisions, group positioning, and pacing can all influence how effectively an athlete translates their training into performance. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

  2. Oct 12

    The Best and Worst Ways to Spend Money on Cycling Performance

    ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment Cyclists can spend an extraordinary amount of money chasing performance. Supplements promise better recovery. Wearables promise better training decisions. Ketones promise another fuel source. Ceramic components and aero equipment promise free watts. But which purchases actually provide enough benefit to justify the cost? CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford evaluates seven popular cycling purchases through the lens of performance per dollar. He digs into supplements, recovery wearables, ketones, cryotherapy, ceramic drivetrain components, altitude masks, and aero socks – looking at what the evidence supports, where marketing gets ahead of the science, and where athletes may be better off investing instead. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: Australian Institute of Sport: Group A | ASCBCAA’s for performance: https://examine.com/supplements/leucine/?show_conditions=trueCryotherapy for Recovery: Whole-body cryotherapy for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise | CochraneKetones for Performance:Do ketone esters spare glycogen and improve performance?Perspective: Ketone Supplementation in Sports—Does It Work? - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12821275/ Oversized Pulley Wheels: https://ceramicspeed.com/pages/10-ways-to-minimize-drivetrain-friction?utm_source=chatgpt.com

  3. Oct 5

    Your First Gravel Race: What You Actually Need to Know

    ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment Preparing for your first gravel race can quickly become more complicated than it needs to be. What bike do you need? How wide should your tires be? What pressure should you run? What happens if you flat? How much should you eat? And how fit do you actually need to be? CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford strips gravel racing back to the essentials. He covers the bike and equipment you actually need, fueling strategy, flat repair, tire selection and pressure, navigation, training, and why spending time riding real gravel is one of the best ways to prepare. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: How to change a flat & fix a puncture: Gravel Bike Outside: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm5UrDKZsssHow to Plug a puncture tubeless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgs3Iq36mZgEffortless tip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lsoCr_a8wwITire Pressure Calculators:Silca: https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator?srsltid=AU7gw4VeflE3QaGaC5X2NSoV3l-6xNcHEsFH740xLSPyKAUzEcDo2eEkSRAM: https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure

  4. Sep 28

    Should You Trust Your Recovery Score?

    Your wearable gives you a recovery score every morning, but how much should that number influence your training? Adam Pulford breaks down the information coaches actually use when evaluating readiness, including subjective feel, life stress, recent training load, sleep, resting heart rate, and HRV. He also explains why he pays far less attention to proprietary readiness scores and detailed wearable sleep metrics, and why trends are often more useful than one morning’s score. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/ Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: Miller, Sargent & Roach, 2022 — Validation of six wearable devicesDial et al., 2025 — Nocturnal RHR and HRV validationSchyvens et al., 2024 — Systematic review of wearable sleep accuracyManresa-Rocamora et al., 2021 — HRV-guided training meta-analysisSteve House/Uphill Athlete — Practical coaching interpretationJason Koop/CTS — Practical HRV recommendationshttps://trainright.com/practical-heart-rate-variability-recommendations-for-ultrarunners/?utm_source=chatgpt.comMarco Altini — Wearable HRV measurement critiquehttps://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/trusting-the-right-tool-for-the-job?utm_source=chatgpt.comTrainingPeaks — WHOOP integration documentationTrainingPeaks — Oura integration documentationTCC HRV Interview with Jason Koop:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-time-crunched-cyclist-podcast-by-cts/id1494799053?i=1000625446661Using Subjective Feedback to Drive Performance with Natàlia Balagué and Lluc Montull | Koopcast Episode 155https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/koopcast/id1489494447?i=1000587345880The Case For HRV with Marco Altini: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/koopcast/id1489494447?i=1000544394187

  5. Sep 21

    Strength Training That Follows Your Cycling Season

    Strength training has a place in a cyclist’s program year-round, but that doesn’t mean doing the same lifts, loads, and routines for 52 weeks. Adam Pulford explains how he periodizes strength training alongside cycling throughout an athlete’s season. He covers annual planning, how strength priorities change as racing approaches, the anatomy of a well-designed gym session, and why tracking your lifting matters even when you’re not chasing PRs. The takeaway: treat strength training like your riding. Plan it, progress it, and change it as your goals change. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/ Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

  6. Sep 14

    The Five Self-Coached Cycling Mistakes That Keep You Stuck

    Self-coaching gives you freedom, but it also makes it remarkably easy to reinforce your own biases. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down five mistakes he repeatedly sees in self-coached cyclists, from avoiding field testing and inflating FTP to under-recovering, failing to plan long-term, and chasing equipment gains before training gains. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. Cycling Camps: https://trainright.com/camps/ ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/ Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/comparing-cycling-field-tests-using-the-best-test-for/id1494799053?i=1000697861599

  7. Sep 7

    Twenty Coaching Lessons That Make Athletes Better

    After 24 years of coaching athletes, Adam Pulford has seen enough training plans, races, breakthroughs, failures, and comebacks to recognize which lessons continue to matter. In this episode, Adam steps away from the charts and physiology to share 20 observations from his coaching career: why fitness isn't performance, why recovery matters as much as workload, why perfect training doesn't exist, what winning and losing can teach us, and why long-term development requires more patience than most athletes expect. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. CTS Cycling Camps: https://trainright.com/camps/ ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/ Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Beyond Thoughts by Joseph Nguyen Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph NguyenAwareness by Athlete de MellowFind Your Why by Simon Sinek On The Nature of Things by LucretiusAtomic Habits by James ClearFlow by Mihaly Czeskmihaly Deep Work by Cal Newport Waking Up App by Sam Harris

  8. Aug 31

    The 100-Mile Ride Playbook

    A successful 100-mile ride is rarely the result of one thing going exceptionally well. It's what happens when your fitness, fueling, pacing, and execution all come together on the same day. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down how much to eat and drink, why the opening miles should feel easier than you think, what to prioritize with one week versus six weeks to prepare, and how to use your training data to guide your effort. And Adam's fourth piece of advice might be the simplest: bring your friends. Because 100 miles is usually faster, and definitely funner, with good wheels around you. HOST Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world. ​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/ Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/cycling/ Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/ Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/ Resources: https://youtu.be/_SQA-9uzVcc?si=g9UPnFf8tHGZ_0LMhttps://youtu.be/kPjy5rejBSg?si=mRa7_JewytDDOBlthttps://www.trainingpeaks.com/my-training-plans/threshold_6_week_100milePrep https://www.trainingpeaks.com/my-training-plans/VO2_6_week_100milePrep https://trainright.com/camps/

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Coach Adam Pulford delivers actionable training advice and answers your questions in short weekly episodes for time-crunched cyclists looking to improve their cycling performance. The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast (formerly The TrainRight Podcast) is brought to you by the team at CTS - the leading endurance coaching company since 2000. Coach Adam pulls from over a decade of coaching experience and the collective knowledge of over 50+ CTS Coaches to help you cut throught the noise of training information and implement proven training strategies that’ll take your performance to the next level. 

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