Testimonials - Page One

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I would like to thank all of those that have taken the time to send a testimonial about my programs.

If you send a testimonial and would like to see it posted, please let me know when you send it. Also, be sure to let me know if you want me to use your name or not. Thanks.

G'day,

I have recently purchased your ebook and let me just say, that in my opinion it is the best book on the market concerning cycling. It is simply perfection! Everything you need to know is in it. I have read many other books and none have come close to yours. Well done!

Cheers mate

Apirana Dawson
Masterton, New Zealand

Coach,

Since finding your web site five weeks ago, I took two weeks off and read your book. I cut my miles in half and started following your training program. I also took my heart rate monitor and power meter off my bike.

This last year I struggled to stay with the pack on Cat 4/5 criteriums and always got dropped on road races during the hills. Now I join in a group ride with the Washington State and University of Idaho teams once a week and I ride at the front of the pack.

I'm 34 years old this year and I always regretted that I didn't find bike racing sooner. Now I know my best years are ahead of me and being "too old" is a American mind set that keeps people from achieving their potential.

Thank you, Coach Carl.

Steve Pfaff
Lewiston, Idaho

P.S. I consider your book the best buy in cycling training available today. Worth far more than you charge for it.

Carl,

Since I had my first baby (Sean Micheal Monahan) I have been very busy and I have reviewed your book little bits at a time.

What I see is a complete and comprehensive guide to bike racing! This book is fantastic and a great resource for all riders. It will assist the new rider in learning about bike racing and help him/her from developing bad habits!

With so many articles on the different aspects of the sport from techniques to tactics to training, I also see how it can benefit the veteran rider/coach like myself. I am going to strongly encourage all of the cycling athletes that I work with to purchase your book! It will help me teach them more quickly and thoroughly!

Bravo Carl for a job well done!

Sincerely!

Sharon Penn Monahan
USA Cycling - Expert Coach
LAB - Certified Instructor

Anyone looking to improve your biking, you now have a 1-2 punch with Coach Carl's personal coaching and now his new book.

I have used Coach Carl for 8 months and in that period of time I have gone from getting dropped more that I would like to admit, to being able to ride with the fast boys on our Tuesday night rides. My legs have never been so strong even after 25 years of running. It's a good feeling when others notice how strong your riding has become.

Thanks Coach Carl, looking forward to getting my next (4) month schedule!

Mike Taglio,

Coach,

Before I signed you on as my coach, I was an over trained and exhausted Cat 4/5 racer seriously pondering continuing with the sport.

After a year of working with your program I have seen my time trialing, climbing, and sprinting speeds increase tremendously. Reading your articles and working with your program has also taught me to RELAX. Instead of being anxiety ridden before every race, I see each event as just a small stepping stone towards fulfilling a not so distant goal.

My season has turned out to be a success beyond my wildest expectations. I am now looking to upgrade to a Cat-3 and it looks like racing as a Master in regional and national events doesn't look so far-fetched.

God bless Coach!

Joseph A. Boquiren

Hi Carl,

I have just finished your book. it is GREAT! You have included a lot of details that I could not find anywhere else - Cornering and Downhill are what I am talking about. Nobody tells you this stuff except you!

THANK YOU CARL!

God Bless
George Ranalli

PS Your Tools are EXCELLENT! The training log I have already started using it. It is far better then anything I have seen to date!

(I am a returning cyclist with aspirations of racing and wanted to write a testimonial about how Coach Carl has helped me.)

As I started my re-entry into cycling I read The Lance Armstrong Performance Program: Seven Weeks to a Perfect Ride. Although well written, I didn't understand some of the concepts discussed, and as I worked through it and started training, ended up over training myself. Disheartened, I turned to the web for help. That's where I found Coach Carl Cantrell, and started my recovery and my proper training program. Carl's explanations and reasoning fit in with my existing knowledge and encouraged me to start again to start over, and do it right.

Carl explains the why as well as the how to arm you with the knowledge you need to meet your goals. Carl's book gives a wealth of knowledge you won't find anywhere else. It encompasses all aspects of cycling from training to eating to maintaining to racing. The strategy he teaches will have you demolishing your competition.

I'm now a lifelong fan and a disciple of Coach Carl. Thank you Carl for making it easy.

Spin to Win

Chris Tretta
(Amateur Racer, father of 4, and full time manager)

Coach,

Out of all the books I read on training, and I've had them all, your book, which has no heart rate zones, or areas, or points, or power, or brain waves, or blood flow, or whatever, is the most comprehensive book I've read.

I'm a "why" type of person. I can't ask it enough. This manual gives me that and so much more. The graphs tell me what's going on with my training. I think that maybe the most important aspect of the manual is it gives the tactical reasons why racers do what they do. It certainly is a "thinking-mans" sport, knowing when to go hard and when NOT to go hard.

There is NO other manual out there like this; it's a one of a kind. Even if you don't ride, but are interested in learning about bike racing as a spectator, this is the no-nonsense read.

Thanks, Carl, I really wish I had this when I started racing. It would have saved me a lot of headaches and time.

Jim Monahan
Lutz, Florida

Carl,

I thought I would drop a note to let you know I am in the process of working my way through the book still.

As I said before, I think you have lots of great information online/in the book that I haven't seen offered anywhere else. This is especially true for the sections on tactics. I have learned a lot from that part of your book. Just being a perceptive individual and having some racing experience will teach you some of the basics, but nothing to the extent that you present.

As a matter of fact, I emphasized to my team about your offensive tactic of keeping the pressure on to the very end of the race in order to prevent people's legs from recovering and allowing them back in the race/sprint. The tactic paid off yesterday. We kept the pressure on all race and my teammate came through at the end to win the MN Cat 3 State Criterium.

I do not doubt that your program will help me become a better rider. Especially because as my time has become more precious with my new job, it makes it easier for me to train knowing what I need to do each day. Just my two cents on the training topic here. Hopefully it provides you some insight into Joe Cat 3's mind:)

Thanks again,

Mike Bobusch

Coach Carl,

I have greatly enjoyed being in a structured training program again. I'm incredibly excited to be racing again and I greatly appreciate your help in that regard!

Thanks!

Marc

Coach Carl,

I've been following the program you designed for me this year and have had great results. I've been able to reach my goal of finishing Cat 4 races with the pack and even finished 21st in a crit with over 100 starters.

Thanks,

Nick Bengel

Carl,

I just downloaded your book and the little I've read since yesterday is really great. this is the easiest way to track you progress I've seen.

Plus, I never saw an eBook before. This is cool!

You are like the answers to my prayers. I wanted to use Excel to do
spreadsheets like you have that are easy. Most training diaries are "all
over the place".

I'm gonna be 39 and may never win the Tour .. but I'm looking forward
to next season.

Jim Monahan

Coach,

Here's the information to program me for the next four months.

I've followed the last program as closely as possible and the results have been pretty dramatic. My speed is up and my climbing and sprinting ability is much better. When I started the program, even though I was riding more miles, I wasn't improving; actually struggling.

Now I take full advantage of, and enjoy the easy days and then ride hard on Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday for a now average weekly mileage of about 175-200. My sprint speed went from about 31-32MPH to close to 40. My flat speed went from a sustainable low 20's to upper 20's and I can run with a 30+ pack and do my fair share of the work on the front!

My advice to anyone that has the opportunity to take advantage of your special way of training is...don't pass it up!

Thanks again,

Michael Childs

Dear Coach Carl,

Thank you for setting up my training schedule for the months of July to
November. The results I got from using your program have been astounding.

Six weeks into the program and two months after I burned out from overtraining I attended the State Criterium Championships. Expecting to be shelled off the back in early on in this six-corner crit, I saw this race simply as a good way to build fitness. Much to my surprise and delight I had enough gas to last the whole race and managed to keep up with the lead group all the way to the final sprint. A teammate later told me that I had placed 15th, high enough to pick up a few points.

The hill sprint workouts appear to be paying off too. I can now get to the top of the hills with the top 1/3 of my team instead of struggling off the back. The way I climb hills has also changed. Instead of grinding up on the largest gear I can manage, I do a series of sprints, spinning up on a smaller gear, sitting down and recovering, then sprinting again. The looks I get from my teammates as I pass them on the hills is something I will treasure forever.

On the Tuesday night races, I try to race as aggressively as I can. As a
form of motivation, I follow the formula you use in your training Criteriums, giving myself points for attacking, going on break, staying on break, and finishing with the pack. I became strong enough to keep up with the CAT 1-2-3 racers when they combined these fields near the end of the season.

Take care and God bless, Coach!

Joseph Boquiren

Coach,

This weekend I have no races scheduled because it's Easter. However, I do have a 80 mile ride planned on Saturday with some friends. I am really looking forward to it now and to beating them silly with the fitness gained from your program and life I have now despite allergies.

Thanks!!!

~~ Dan