A Knight To Be

More Volume, that's what I want. One of the many joys of being relatively unemployed is that I can "afford" to spend more time on the bike (but not much more than that). Coupled with my overeating tendencies (don't get the wrong idea, I'm ~12% body fat, ~67kg), I still want more training volume to polish off those extra snacks, another serving of pasta and yes, please, I would like to see the dessert menu. At the moment, I'm working on The Sufferfest's all-purpose plan that has me riding about 6-7 hours a week (plus 1-1.5 hours strength and same for Yoga). As such, my longest ride in a block is around 2.5 hours (ISLTA longest session on the plan). So sometimes, I find myself, well, longing for longer. I want to hit off on those 3-6 hour rides, good old quality time with myself, off-limits to the world, off the grid, not to be interrupted. Sometimes, I just go on. I'll finish ISLTA and keep going for another hour. Other times, I might push on ...

Just announced today, the 2020 Tour Of Sufferlandria is going to include 9 stages, starting Feb 15 till Feb 23: ISLAGIATT (1:50 150TSS) The Bat (1:15*) + Fight Club (Remastered! 0:59 84TSS?) G.O.A.T. (0:42 49TSS) Team Scream (1:09 92TSS) Violator (1:03 63TSS) Hell Hath No Fury (1:04 92TSS) Igniter + Joyride (0:20 21TSS + 0:29 47TSS) The Tool Shed + 14 Vise Grips (1:02 96TSS + 0:55 77TSS) Grunter's Gran Fondo: Power Station + Angels + Thin Air (0:49 60TSS + 0:55 81TSS + 1:00 80TSS) So, assuming The Bat* is going to around 30 minutes we're looking at about 12.5 hours in the saddle over 9 stages. *[UPDATE] Version 6.8.0 of The Sufferfest App introduced new training plans to cover the ToS . These include not only the prep, but also: 1. Post Tour Recovery 2. ToS Stages 3. ToS Gran Fondo Challenge Looking at the ToS stages, we get a sneak peek into The Bat : 1:15 of what looks to be a horrid MAP workout: 5-minute intervals [30s MAP | 4m 95% FTP | 30s A...

It seems like the trend on The Sufferfest community these days, and as reflected on the SUF Facebook page, is the mental difficulty people have with doing easier workouts*. As with any plan, sometimes you have days with less strain and stress. There is only one correct response to such a workout on your training plan calendar: "Thank You." I won't go into the physiology of recovery here, and if it isn't obvious that recovery is crucial for improvement, then I suggest adopting other hobbies, Macramé perhaps. Some people use the convenience of a private torture chamber to punish themselves for their sins. Fine by me. Your workout says "45% FTP," and you still push 100%? Go for it. You deserve to suffer for your mistakes in life, your wrongdoings, and anything else you blame yourself for. Heck, why stop at 100%?! Do Blender at 200% - now that's the spirit! But seriously - it underlines an issue with The Sufferfest. New users seem to think they ar...

Eight weeks to go. 2019 had just ended. Here are some stats: 94% of those kilometers were indoors. It was my most active year in a decade. My oldest child (of 3) is ten, so it kind of matches. 2015 was strong, and I also had a few podium finishes, including one on the National Championships (for CAT, Masters B). Still, there's a direct correlation between the occurrence of an offspring and a reduction in cycling volume. A brief history of time: In May 2018, I decided that I'm going to ride the Alpen Brevet in Switzerland, only three months or so away. This followed 2.5 years of practical inactivity: 2015: 400 hours / 10,000 km 2016: 116 hours / 3200 km 2017: 40 hours / 790 km 2018 (through May): 12 hours / 270 km Then in June 2018, I started to get things in motion with Zwift's Fondo plan. I managed to ride about 40hrs/1000km in training before the August event, which was pivotal. I knew I was light years away from my podium form, yet rode on in t...