The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS

​​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 | ASC
BCAA’s for performance: https://examine.com/supplements/leucine/?show_conditions=true
Cryotherapy for Recovery: Whole-body cryotherapy for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise | Cochrane
Ketones 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

​​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=Sm5UrDKZsss
How to Plug a puncture tubeless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgs3Iq36mZg
Effortless tip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lsoCr_a8wwI

Tire Pressure Calculators:Silca: https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator?srsltid=AU7gw4VeflE3QaGaC5X2NSoV3l-6xNcHEsFH740xLSPyKAUzEcDo2eEk
SRAM: https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure

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 devices
Dial et al., 2025 — Nocturnal RHR and HRV validation
Schyvens et al., 2024 — Systematic review of wearable sleep accuracy
Manresa-Rocamora et al., 2021 — HRV-guided training meta-analysis
Steve House/Uphill Athlete — Practical coaching interpretation
Jason Koop/CTS — Practical HRV recommendationshttps://trainright.com/practical-heart-rate-variability-recommendations-for-ultrarunners/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Marco Altini — Wearable HRV measurement critiquehttps://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/trusting-the-right-tool-for-the-job?utm_source=chatgpt.com

TrainingPeaks — WHOOP integration documentation
TrainingPeaks — Oura integration documentation
TCC HRV Interview with Jason Koop:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-time-crunched-cyclist-podcast-by-cts/id1494799053?i=1000625446661

Using Subjective Feedback to Drive Performance with Natàlia Balagué and Lluc Montull | Koopcast Episode 155https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/koopcast/id1489494447?i=1000587345880

The Case For HRV with Marco Altini: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/koopcast/id1489494447?i=1000544394187

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/

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