The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS
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.Â
Beyond the Viral Workout: What Pro Cyclists Can Teach Us About Training
​​Free Cycling Training Assessment
Should you be doing the same workouts as professional cyclists?
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford examines the training sessions making the rounds on social media, including Brandon McNulty's 3Ă—60-minute aerobic workout and high-intensity sessions from Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel.
Adam explains why individual physiology, training history, and overall workload matter more than any single workout. He also discusses the limitations of Zone 2 hype, the practical differences between structured intervals and steady endurance riding, and how amateur athletes can a...
Eight Offseason Mistakes To Avoid
​​Free Cycling Training Assessment
Your offseason is supposed to help you recover and prepare for what's next. So why do so many endurance athletes end up sore, injured, burned out, or struggling to get back into training???
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford explains eight common offseason mistakes, from running too much and lifting too heavy to skipping recovery, ignoring nagging injuries, and taking an unplanned extended break.
Adam shares how to approach detraining intentionally, ease into cross-training, manage recovery, and create a realistic transition back...
Burnout vs. Overtraining: Understanding the Invisible Mental Load
Free Cycling Training Assessment
What happens when your training numbers say you're doing fine, but mentally, you're struggling to find the motivation to ride?
Athlete burnout and overtraining can share symptoms like fatigue, mood changes, and low motivation, but they're not necessarily the same problem. Understanding the differences can help athletes recognize when training stress, performance expectations, or the demands of everyday life are becoming difficult to manage.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford examines the signs of burnout and overtraining, including why an athlete...
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 progre...
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 market...
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...
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...
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<...
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.
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...
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...
How to Train Torque Without Just Grinding Bigger Gears
Torque training has become almost synonymous with low-cadence riding. But simply dropping to 60 RPM doesn't guarantee you're producing more force or creating the adaptation you're after.
Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the relationship between torque, cadence, power, and force production; explains why the gym may be the best place to raise your strength ceiling; and shows where low-cadence work actually belongs in a cyclist's training year.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated...
Why Crit Racers Need More FTP Than They Think
Does FTP actually matter for criterium racing?
Coach Adam Pulford breaks down why your aerobic engine plays such a big role in an explosive race, how a higher FTP can reduce the cost of repeated attacks, and why sprinty "crit dawgs" and breakaway riders should approach their training differently.
Plus, why none of those watts matter if you haven't developed the race craft to use them!
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology...
Stop Fearing The Recovery Week
Recovery isn't the break between training. Recovery IS training.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford explains how he structures recovery blocks with everyone from beginners to elite athletes. Learn why recovery doesn't always need to last a full week, how to know when you've earned one, and why the athletes who recover best often perform best.
If recovery weeks make you anxious, this episode is for you!
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B...
Behind the Scenes Before the Tour with Alison Jackson
Days before the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Coach Adam Pulford caught up with professional cyclist Alison Jackson to talk about the final phase of preparation.
From altitude camp in Boulder and heat training to tapering, race strategy, joining a new team, and life behind the scenes, this conversation offers a rare look inside the final build-up to one of the biggest events in professional cycling.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's...
Are Your VO2 Workouts Training The Wrong System
With the Tour de France wrapped up, conversations about Tadej PogaÄŤar's VO2 max are everywhere.
But what actually increases VO2 max?
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the two interval strategies he uses with athletes to develop aerobic power. Learn the difference between long, sustained VO2 intervals and short on/off efforts, when to use each one, and how to sequence both leading into your biggest events. If you've hit a plateau or want to maximize your aerobic engine, this episode provides a practical framework you can immediately apply t...
Fitness Isn't Performance: The Truth About CTL
Cyclists often treat CTL like the ultimate measure of fitness, but that's only part of the story.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford explains what CTL actually measures, why performance and fitness aren't the same thing, and how to use your training data to peak for races instead of chasing a bigger number.
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...
A Scalable Carb Fueling Plan Based On Effort
Fueling advice has never been more confusing. One expert recommends fasted rides, another says 120 grams of carbs per hour, and every nutrition brand seems to have a different answer.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford introduces a practical fueling framework that scales carbohydrate intake to the demands of your ride. Using kilojoule output, ride intensity, and duration, you'll learn how to build a fueling strategy that's individualized, repeatable, and easy to apply for easy endurance rides all the way to race day.
HOST
Adam Pulford...
A Simple Framework For Raising Cycling FTP
Want to increase your FTP?
Many cyclists assume the answer is simple: do more FTP intervals. While that can help, it's only one piece of the puzzle.
In this video, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford introduces a simple coaching framework, Push vs. Pull, to explain how FTP is really built. You'll learn why aerobic training lays the foundation, how VOâ‚‚ max work raises your ceiling, and how to combine both throughout the season for your strongest FTP yet.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly tw...
Everything Cyclists Get Wrong About Normalized Power
If you've ever wondered what Normalized Power is actually telling you, this episode is for you!
Normalized Power has become one of the most common metrics in cycling, but it's also one of the most misunderstood.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford explains what Normalized Power was designed to measure, how it differs from average power, and why context matters when using it to evaluate training and racing.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a...
The Masters Athlete Playbook
Do masters athletes really need more recovery, or are they simply balancing more life stress and responsibilities?
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the realities of training and racing as a masters athlete. We discuss recovery, consistency, intensity, strength training, race preparation, and how training priorities should evolve with age.
The conversation explores both the physiological realities of aging and the habits that allow many athletes to continue improving well into their 40s, 50s, and beyond.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been...
Can AI Actually Make You Faster?
AI is rapidly changing nearly every industry, and endurance coaching is no exception.
In this episode, CTS Head Cycling Coach Adam Pulford explores where AI can genuinely help athletes improve, where it falls short, and why the future of coaching may be more collaborative than competitive.
We discuss training data, prompting, bias, TrainingPeaks, Claude, ChatGPT, Vekta, Kristin Faulkner's use of AI, and the areas where experienced coaches still provide value that algorithms struggle to replicate.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two...
Active vs Passive Heat Training: Which Works Better?
Heat adaptation can improve performance, comfort, and recovery in hot conditions. But many athletes make the mistake of treating heat training as free fitness.
In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the differences between active and passive heat training, how each method works, and why heat should be viewed as a training stressor in its own right.
We discuss plasma volume expansion, sauna protocols, heated trainer rides, hydration, recovery considerations, and how to integrate heat adaptation without compromising the quality of your training.
HOST
...
How to Climb Faster Without Increasing FTP
Climbing faster isn’t always about increasing FTP or producing bigger power numbers. In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the pacing strategies, tactics, fueling, and key workouts that help cyclists climb faster with the fitness they already have.
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.
The Problem with Chasing Data - RPE: ht...
Why Data Alone Won’t Make You Faster
Endurance athletes have access to more data than ever before, but data alone doesn’t guarantee better decisions. In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the role of Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) in training and racing, and why internal awareness remains one of the most important skills an athlete can develop.
We cover pacing, training zones, effort calibration, common mistakes athletes make with RPE, and how to integrate subjective feedback with power and heart rate for better long-term performance. Wattage tells you what you did, RPE tells you what it cost.
These Habits Are Quietly Killing Your Recovery
Recovery isn’t just about what happens right after training, it’s about all the little things between sessions that add up. In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the habits that quietly interfere with adaptation and leave athletes carrying more fatigue than they realize.
We cover sleep, fueling, easy day intensity, stress management, post-workout recovery, and why the basics matter far more than expensive recovery gadgets or trends.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's...
What “High Quality Training” Actually Means
Quality training is often reduced to intensity, but that’s only part of the picture. In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford breaks down what high-quality training actually looks like and why it’s often misunderstood.
We cover the three pillars of high-quality training: the process, the result, and yes, the FUN! You’ll learn why pushing harder isn’t the answer, how to close the intention–execution gap, and how to structure rides that actually move your fitness forward.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly...
You Don’t Have a Fitness Problem, You Have a Durability Problem
Most athletes focus on how strong they are when fresh. But performance is defined by what holds up as fatigue accumulates.
In this episode, we break down durability: what it is, how to measure it through fatigue resistance, and why it’s one of the most overlooked performance variables in endurance sport.
We also cover how to train it effectively so you can maintain power, make better decisions late in races, and perform when it matters most.
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for ne...
Why You Shouldn’t Train Alone All the Time
Training alone might feel productive, but it’s not always the most effective way to improve. In this episode, CTS Coach Adam Pulford explores the concept of social facilitation and how training with others can enhance performance, motivation, and skill development.
We also cover when group rides can backfire, how to find the right balance between solo and group training, and how to structure your week to get the most out of both.
CTS Camp Schedule:Â https://trainright.com/camps/
​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cyc...
Why You’re Overcomplicating Endurance Training
Zone 2 training has become increasingly complicated, with subzones like 2a, 2b, and even 2c being thrown around. But does any of that actually improve your training?
In this episode, we break down what Zone 2 really is, why most of this added complexity is unnecessary, and how to organize your endurance training more effectively. The goal is simple: build aerobic fitness without overthinking it. When it comes to endurance, simplicity done consistently beats complexity every time.
​​Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
Why Shorter Rest Periods Lead to Bigger Gains (#300)
Most cyclists think they need more volume or more power to improve. Coach Adam Pulford explains why that’s not always the case and how training density (doing the same work with less recovery) is one of the most effective ways to build durability, increase repeatability, and break through performance plateaus.
Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
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 ev...
Is High Carb Fueling Bad for Your Health? (#299)
If you're fueling with high carbs during training and worrying about diabetes, weight gain, or gut issues, this episode will change how you think about sugar. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down why your body handles carbohydrates completely differently during exercise than at rest, clears up one of the biggest nutrition myths in endurance sports, and gives you a simple, practical fueling framework so you can stop being afraid of carbs and start performing at your best.
Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
RESOURCES
Gut Training for Athletes:https://pubmed.ncbi...Build a Bigger Aerobic Engine With These 2 Workouts (#298)
Most cyclists think a massive amount of Zone 2 training is the secret to a bigger aerobic engine, but it's only part of the story. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down two workouts he uses with his athletes, from ProTour riders to time-crunched amateurs, to push aerobic fitness to the next level.
Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
RESOURCES
Cycling’s Latest Trend: Structured Zone 2 IntervalsZone 2 Training to Improve Aerobic Endurance and Fat Burning - CTSASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST HERE
...
Pro Teams Are Doing Zone 2 Intervals. Should You? (#297)
Zone 2 intervals are trending across pro pelotons and training apps, but are they actually superior to steady endurance riding, or just a complicated solution to a simple problem? Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the science, shares real athlete data, and gives you an honest answer on whether structured Zone 2 intervals are worth your time.
Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
RESOURCES
Cycling’s Latest Trend: Structured Zone 2 IntervalsZone 2 Training to Improve Aerobic Endurance and Fat Burning - CTSASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PO...
Finding Your Training Rhythm: A Weekly Framework for Time-Crunched Cyclists (#296)
Struggling to fit training into your busy life? Coach Adam Pulford breaks down a simple weekly framework that helps time-crunched cyclists build real fitness — without burning out or blowing up their schedule.
Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/
RESOURCES
Time-Crunched? Here’s the Training Week Framework That WorksHow to Build a Strong Week of Your Cycling Training Plan - Chris CarmichaelASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST HERE
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two...
We're Leveling Up — Here's What's Coming
Should Cyclists Use Different Power Zones for Indoor vs Outdoor Training? (#294)
OVERVIEW
Cyclists almost always report a discrepancy between the power output and/or perceived exertion between indoor and outdoor cycling. Typically, this means struggling to achieve the same power output indoors than can be achieved outdoors for common workouts like FTP intervals or VO2 max efforts. Even easier Zone 2 rides can have higher RPE values (i.e., feel harder) indoors compared to outdoors. In Episode 294 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford reveals why indoor cycling feels harder, how you can narrow the gap between indoor and outdoor performance, and whether you should use different...
How to Build VO2 max Year Round! (#293)
OVERVIEW
Should cyclists incorporate VO2 max work year round or focus VO2 max work on only select periods of the year? Coach Adam Pulford tackles this listener question in Episode 293 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast". Key ideas include the fact that VO2 max is influenced by training at several different intensities, so you can work on VO2 max without always doing high-intensity intervals. When it comes to high-intensity intervals, Coach Adam provides guidance on scheduling workouts and rest days, provides examples of effective VO2 max interval workouts, and when it makes sense to adjust annual periodization...
Indoor Cycling: How to Prevent ERG Mode From Ruining Your Workouts (#292)
OVERVIEW
ERG Mode, or ergometer mode, is a feature on smart indoor cycling trainers that allows the trainer or connected app to set the resistance you experience as a rider. For interval workouts, for instance, ERG Mode will adjust the resistance so you stay at a constant target power output (e.g., 250 watts for 10 minutes). The downside to ERG Mode is that it can hinder your ability to conjure the internal motivation to achieve that power target, and if you can't maintain your cadence during an interval, you can end up in the "death spiral". In...
How Training VO2 max Also Increases FTP (and vice versa) (#291)
OVERVIEW
In Episode 291 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford answers a listener question about the relationship between FTP and VO2 max training, particularly how and why targeting training to improve either will typically raise both.
TOPICS COVERED
Think of training intensities as a continuum, not as neat little boxesDescriptions of primary energy systemsHow FTP and VO2 max are directly relatedHow to organize training to maximize both FTP and VO2 maxASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST
HOST
Adam Pulford has been a...
