Congrats for getting thru NH!
I mashed the down arrows to get thru the ninth. It was going so well until the “recovery” and then the increased intensity in the ninth. Barely got it low enough to prevent legs giving out somehow.
Goodnight all. Thank you all again.
Good grief! If anyone is gonna support some sufferin’ shenanigans it’s gonna be @Heretic, The Most Generous, on behalf of GvA 
See you again in 6 months Dame @Isa. And, perhaps at the start of the 2025 Tour on Feb 23.
Sufferlandrians are amazing! That post of Heretics blew my mind! 
Summary of Suffering:
I meant to post this earlier, but this took a little bit out of me…
The morning of this attempt was filled with a rushed downing of hot coffee and an attempt to get a full serving of porridge (slow oats, not quick!) with maple syrup while getting drinks into the cooler beside the bike, etc. Combined with my family members rushing around to try to escape the house before my living room madness ensued, it made for an exciting start to the morning. Not very zen. A few minutes later than planned, I was on my through Hell Hath No Fury. With the Manitoba winter suddenly warming up to a balmy high 0f around -5 Celsius for the day, I thanked GvA for the mercy of being able to use winter in my favour. I turned the heat down in the house and cracked a window open for the day…
GvA’s appearance in Hell Hath No Fury got me in the right mood to suffer. Used my break to change kit and a washroom break and boom, into A Very Dark Place.
It was during this ride I noticed my arms were ridiculously sore and thought to myself, uh-oh, my upper body is going to be my weakness today. My shoulder issue and sore forearms/hands (from snowblowing a few days back) are going to crash me out of my attempt! I must stop this pain right now! The tube of Voltaren I bought for this got used right away. In hindsight it’s quite hilarous I thought my upper body is what would fail me.
Also during AVDP, I had the insidious thought that 70% might be too easy an intensity…so when The Trick fired up, my irrational, delusional side put the ride to 75%.
Big.Mistake. This ride looks so easy, until you are in the sprints. My knees were on the ropes. Also during this ride a strange, foreign ache seeped into both knees, hands and certain finger joints. A dare I say it, arthritic feeling ache I haven’t until this time felt in my joints. It began to occur to me that I wasn’t sweating at all, and my house was cold…and that I was sure glad I had Voltaren. I slapped it onto my knees during each recovery bits, trying to rub it in as I questioned my sanity for putting any video at 75%.
There Is No Try began with me trying to sort out why my weird aches were occurring. It really took me awhile to add all the obvious things together and realize my house was freezing cold. For example I just couldn’t figure out why I so desperately needed a washroom. Well, when you aren’t sweating but trying to drink as though you are, turns out your body doesn’t quite need that much liquid added back in…in sheer desperation I had to pause 20 minutes from the end of There Is No Try and bolt to the washroom and back.
In penitence I skipped the break between it and The Downward Spiral. I can’t say why but the very name of this video has always been a mental challenge to me. It dooms me before I have even begun. I tried to pretend I had no history with the video and it was brand new suffering. Mostly I was trying to figure out how in the world I would get through this day when I nearly blew my knees out in video 3. Definitely concerning.
A good full break before Butter and I was mentally reset. I can do this! All day, and going to do it all day! Kept telling myself that.
But GvA and the minions had plans. Not five minutes into the warmup and my trainer was inexplicably dropped into a tub of nearly fully churned butter. The app read 62W output, my legs were shoving at least 150W or more to get the screen to read 52W. NOOOO!
Paused the app. Cycled the power on my trainer. Pressed play. Things seemed fine (except for my screaming knees) and on I went. Until…20 minutes in the signal to Systm totally dropped. This hasn’t happened for, maybe a year?! Talk about nightmare. More excessive power demands (incorrect trainer resistance) by the app. Cycled power again. Took a couple of tries before thankfully, on the ride continued.
Mad dash to get backup laptop started and systm going in the break. Finally remembered to put on my HRM which I hadn’t worn at all the first 6 videos. Still trying to figure how to last this whole ride and my knees were screaming after Butter’s attempt on my life.
Who Dares? Well, I dared to put the intensity down to 65% so I had some hope of finishing. I didn’t get a lot out of this video. Just tried to keep going. Kept going.
Somewhere between The Downward Spiral and Who Dares I lost all ability to stomach anything except bananas, gels, electrolyte mix and the odd sip of pickle juice. I downed a bottle of pomegranate juice ahead of that and I felt the potassium getting used practically as I drank it! It was an amazing elixir I have my sister to thank for. I don’t want to see Clif Bars for a year. 
Cashews and almonds were great at first and also, for the first few breaks, I got a spoonful of leftover porridge into my face which was glorious.
Got The Model fired up and thought oh my GvA who put this video at #8? Who even put this in here? Oh. Right. I did. I knocked this video down to 60% and still barely made it through.Just keep turning the pedals. By the end of it I was in some kind of drooling meditative high, thanks to Sir Francois’ magic. I caught a few glimpses of this video. Calvin Climb and into the Headwind. So wonderful.
The Rookie. back to my intended 70% and charging up the hill to the castle.
(Actually, I was in puppy dog hands pose on the bars with my forehead on my arms telling myself to just pretend that I’m napping, but while riding sufferfest…there’s some clinical term for this. Possibly dissociation? LOL)
Nine. Hammers. Determined to blow up completely at the end if I can make it, I popped this up to 75%. Just to see if I can. Coke Machine, it’s like doping when that song comes on. All adrenaline and a few sips of water through 9H. Got through 8th barely, then hit the “recovery.” Hahaha. Mashed the down arrow to get down to 70% before the 9th hammer started. Each time the ramp goes up I mashed it down. Until I made it. Into the valley.
Then onto the carpet for a victory post. Then a seriously good cry. Then I seriously bonked and barely made it to switch to turn the heat back up in the house, and then into the sauna. Might have overdone it.
That’s my Suffer-story. That was really awful. There is no way to imagine how awful that is until you have done it. It has been two days and I can walk, but stairs are out. I don’t want to think about being on the bike for at least a couple of months. Wow.
Part two, coming in the not-too-distant future, will see #9 in this list, The Rookie replaced by The Way Out, in honour of @Sir_Brian_M .
An epic description for an epic event. Thank you and congratulations!
(Typo edited)
SUCH a great write up!!
I teared up a bit when reading it, recalling that I cried when I was done too. Sobbed. I knew I would. Such an emotional experience! Such an incredible and unforgettable accomplishment. Against all the odds and all the technical, physical and mental barriers. You see what you’re capable of and that you’re capable of more than you see.
Enjoy whatever break from the bike you take and relax in your new chambers
Fwiw, when you do this again in 6 months and ride The Way Out, you know it won’t “count” (edit: i.e it’s not an eligible vid for KoS) as a second Knighthood if that matters to you as you’re a Knight now, Dame @Isa
Ooo… I always love a good post-event report! This is definitely a great one!
Such epic suffering!
And even better than a knighthood? A second knighthood!
Can’t wait for round 2!
Thank you Sir Glen. I am still “enjoying” the comforts of the chair and the sufferking mattress.
And no, it doesn’t matter to me sir Glen. Thank you for checking though!
Edit:I am genuinely curious if anybody can do that without breaking down at least a little bit at the end.
Emotional event indeed! It makes you look very deep inside yourself over the day, I of course agree with your words as they are very true. I had my Garmin watch on all day and it amazed me as it seemed to me show the power of the mind over body. It claimed that the body battery didn’t go below 50% and stress levels weren’t crazy at all until after I finished the ride. Then out showed the battery suddenly tanked and the stress level spiked all the way overnight and into the next day at my body tried to recover.
By all rights it should have been reading that way from six rides in. 
Yes! Precisely on point. Not that I expect any less Sir Evan😂
Oh my that was the exact same feeling I had when I was on my 7th maybe 8th ride during the first Quest and it was seriously awful because I really some kind of food in the body but those other food stuff just tasted terrible.
I did that too and I did that twice, once af the back of the house and another time in the bathroom.
At least for me, the first quest was definitely the more emotional one.
So it was exactly one month yesterday from the quest and I am still not feeling fully recovered. My knees in particular are still tired feeling.
Last week I did cadence builds just to see how the knees were and it was really tough to get through the video.
As for off the bike, my dear cousin is hanging on and the docs keep changing their estimates so I am still holding hope for her to to overcome this. It’s an emotional roller coaster.
Back to cycling. Finally, after years of the same disgusting yet very comfortable and stylish red coloured cushy bar tape, I rewarded my noble steed with fresh bar tape. The red memento got me through my Mt. Sufferlandria and this knighthood. 
I plan on fitting a new chain soon-ish, when I have enough time. I have never done that before so it will be an experience.
Overall, I and my bike have basically now recovered from the quest 1.0.
I think the repeat will be either mid February or mid April, if I’m not driving around to be with family.
I’ve never done two quests this close together. You are legendary, Dame Isa!
Continued prayers for your cousin.
Well… It’s mid-April. I booked the week off work but my original plans are on hold. This can mean only one thing-it’s time for round two.
I don’t feel ready, but the calendar says I am.
So, tomorrow, providing I wake feeling fine, I’ll attempt knighthood redux (well, redo).
Hell hath no fury
A very dark place
The trick
There is no try
The Downward spiral
Butter
Who dares (remaster:/)
The model
The way out (for sir Brian)
Nine hammers.
We are watching.
You realize, I assume, that TWO isn’t knighthood eligible. But I guess that doesn’t matter since you’re already a Knight.
Yes, I realize. In case there was ever doubt about sanity pre-knighthood…
I’m considering riding 11 videos and bumping the way out to the end. Because.
Sounds like something Sir Evan would do! 
That sounds…
Not exactly, but close enough to be cousins. 
I have I ever told the story of my first KOS? Or my second? Or… 
@isa If you’re interested, here’s the story of my initial KOS attempt. And the reason I’ve almost always completed (or at least planned) more than 10 videos on all subsequent attempts.
So, if you’re thinking of attempting 11… DO IT!
