The Ultimate Ride: Get Fit, Get Fast, and Start Winning with the World's Top Cycling Coach - Hardcover

Carmichael, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399150714 ISBN 13: 9780399150715

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2003

Synopsis

Lance Armstrong's personal coach shares the Tour de France champion's training regime, cutting-edge techniques, nutritional advice, goal-setting practices, and mental exercises, in a step-by-step program for aspiring cyclists. 60,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Chris Carmichael is an endurance coach and adviser to Olympic athletes and teams around the world. He is Lance Armstrong's personal coach, as well as coach to athletes of all levels. During 1997 and 1998, Chris dedicated his time and talents to shaping Lance Armstrong's return from cancer to professional racing. In 1999, he founded Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) to bring quality coaching to elite athletes and active people alike.

Jim Rutberg works at Carmichael Training Systems.

Reviews

Carmichael, Olympic coach and trainer, is probably best known for training cyclist Lance Armstrong, winner of four consecutive Tour de France championships. Here, Carmichael offers a sound approach for serious cyclists wanting to improve their abilities, compete more successfully and train without incurring injuries. The well-organized book begins with Carmichael talking about his background and then explaining the Carmichael Training System (CTS), a pyramid where people first set goals and then work through various stages of training. The chapter on diet will be useful to marathoners as well as cyclists; but the chapter "Tools of Training" on specific bike workouts such as HighSpeedSprints and FoundationMiles will be of interest only to serious cyclists. Illustrations are of Armstrong and other athletes coached by Carmichael, and the writing is clear and persuasive without being excessively inspirational. For example, the author states, "Before you can chase your dreams, you must know exactly what they are and where you are in relation to them. You must also have the courage to make your own rules and not allow yourself to be governed by perceived or imposed limitations." This is a first-rate guide for cyclists who compete or race and should also appeal to professionals who work with athletes such as coaches or physical therapists.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Carmichael, who has coached Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, has written a book that will enable cyclists-- both novice and expert--to work in tandem with their machines to get the most out of their bikes and themselves. In his program, he stresses the importance of mental preparation, conditioning and training, and nutrition; his language, while simple and direct, does not dumb down. Where it is necessary, the narrative is illustrated with photographs; the chapter entitled "Reinforcing Your Training Program," for example, contains a number of photos showing how to use measuring devices to ensure that a bicycle is ideally fit to its rider. This is an excellent guide to obtaining peak performance in cycling competition, but the wealth of training tips and intelligent discussion of nutrition will be almost as valuable to noncompetitive cyclists and even to other athletes serious about conditioning. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399150714
• ISBN 13: 9780399150715
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336