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