Chris is a lifelong endurance athlete with a diverse academic and professional background. He has degrees and experience in neuroscience, clinical psychology, art, documentary photography, and journalism, and has decades of professional experience in the cycling and travel industries. Most recently, he founded Alter Exploration, which crafts challenging, transformative cycling journeys in some of the world’s most stunning destinations.
Chris was born and raised in southeastern Connecticut. He took up running in elementary school, and it quickly became his sole competitive outlet. Ultimately, he won multiple state championships in cross-country and track.
Chris attended Colgate University and graduated with degrees in neuroscience and art. He spent the next three years at the National Institute of Mental Health conducting research on patients with schizophrenia. After another year researching a stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease, he decided to pursue his second passion. This led him to the graduate journalism program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he concentrated in documentary photography. This is where Chris rediscovered his love of cycling, joining the collegiate team before expanding into categorized racing.
In 2012, Chris became the managing editor of VeloNews magazine, a position he held for nearly eight years. It was during that time that he became co-host of Fast Talk.
His cycling pursuits took him around the world to race on the road, mountain, and in cyclocross, to places like Taiwan, Costa Rica, Israel, and throughout Europe. He has stood on the podium at several cyclocross national championships, and is a silver medalist at master’s cyclocross worlds.
Chris is the author of The Haywire Heart, a groundbreaking and critically important guide to heart care for athletes, and the first book to delve into the relationship between long-term endurance athletics and heart health.
He is a cofounder of Fast Talk Labs, with Trevor Connor, and was the COO of Fast Talk Labs and The Paleo Diet until January 2022.
What is confidence? What is resiliency? What is pressure, and how can we better handle it? These are some of the questions we tackle in today’s episode.
In this episode we look at the big picture when it comes to training in zones, or ranges, versus training a target number. Because what number is best?
In this episode we learn about the inception of the polarized method, and we discuss Dr. Seiler’s current research on the all-important aerobic threshold.
We delve into both the nuances of triathlon and how training for that sport relates to endurance training and cycling generally.
We answer questions on interval training and intensity, training for DK in flat places, and muscle fiber recruitment.
With the help of strength and conditioning coach Menachem Brodie, we delve into the benefits, precautions, and short- and long-term effects of stretching.
We asked Colby Pearce a simple question: Tell us what you know about the pedal stroke. Colby gave us a monologue of gold.
In episode 95 we explain the complexities of the tire, tire pressure, and how those things lead to changes in comfort, grip, rolling resistance, and more.
We take on questions about training while fasted, goal–setting analysis, and have a discussion on the polarized training approach.
We discuss self-care, spending time on relationships, knowing your personal limits, and working to keep your passions alive while training and racing.
In episode 92, we answer questions on how to structure your training, overtraining, and laboratory testing.
In episode 91 we emphasize the many critical aspects of training and coaching that don’t show up in the numbers.
We discuss ways to stay motivated, add variety to your training methods, reinvigorate your work ethic, and improve performance for next season.
We talk with exercise physiologist Jared Berg about the value of athlete physiology testing like VO2max and lactate testing at the University of Colorado Sports Medicine and Performance Center.
How do we map out our seasons and prepare for a couple events? Do we still need to periodize? Can we be on form all year round?
We discuss four of the most common overuse and imbalance injuries in cyclists and how to address them with off-the-bike work and proper bike fit.
We answer listener questions on training for long endurance events, cardiac drift, the types of inflammation, and much more.
You might keep up with the latest sport science, but do you know how to interpret it? Can you tell when it’s good research that draws useful conclusions?