Chris Case

Chris Case

Founder of Alter Exploration and Cofounder of Fast Talk Labs
Chris is a lifelong endurance athlete, explorer, writer, and photographer. He founded Alter Exploration and cofounded Fast Talk Laboratories.

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.

Featured

Bikepacking Gear and Tech

Bikepacking Gear and Tech

What do you pack for a bikepacking adventure when self-sufficiency is the key to success? Chris Case explains the process of picking and packing all that gear.

Chris Case
race-day anxiety with Grant Holicky and Chris Case

How to Manage Race-Day Anxiety

Coach Grant Holicky explains how athletes can better manage anxiety through visualization, routine, and reframing.

Chris Case and Grant Holicky

Latest

FTL Episode 300

The 300th Episode!

For our 300th episode, our hosts – both old and new – are interviewed by Dr. Stephen Seiler to discuss where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Fast Talk Podcast Episode 300
An ultra-runner summits a mountain peak with the sun low in the sky behind him

An Ultra-Athlete’s Guide to RPE

An athlete’s rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, is one of the most underappreciated metrics. For ultra-athletes who are closely in touch with their bodies and minds, working with RPE is an essential component to training and racing.

Chris Case