The Time-Crunched Cyclist

The Time-Crunched Cyclist

by Chris Carmichael

It’s a problem we all seem to have: Time. Or the lack thereof. Save for a few professionals who are paid to ride, there aren’t many of us who wake up on a given morning and can say “the only thing I have to do today is ride my bike.”

As recreational cyclists, no matter how serious we take the sport, there are many other things that take up our time. How do we stay competitive and get in the training hours we need when we have to get the kids off to school in the morning, be at work from 9 am to 5 pm, home for dinner from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, take child No. 1 to hockey from 7 pm to 9pm and help child No. 2 with their homework after that? Many of us feel guilty about our lack of saddle time and end up cramming up the weekend with massive rides to make up for our schedules.

So what’s the solution? Chris Carmichael – Lance Armstrong’s long-time coach – believes the answer is being smarter about how we use our time on the bike. If we can’t train longer, we can train smarter. Carmichael’s book, The Time-Crunched Cyclist, teaches riders how to stay competitive and train properly using six hours of saddle time a week as the model. The system is modelled on workout program Carmichael built for Armstrong, but scales it down to the basics and focuses on low-volume, high-intensity workouts. It isn’t easy – actually it’s downright hard – but it makes sense.

The 214-page book takes you through the process of fitness testing to determine what level of a rider you are, and then gets into specific workouts, proper recovery, how to eat and hydrate wisely and strength training. There are also tips on race strategy and group riding.

The information is concise and the facts and examples are presented without being wordy. There are also plenty of charts and graphs for quick reference to the program.

::GEARBOX
The Time Crunched Cyclist
Chris Carmichael
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