Experiences I made on my way to become a Knight of Sufferlandria

You lot are making me think bad thoughts and considering training towards doing this once I’ve got enough training under my belt…!

Oof.

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whispering …do it…

:grin:

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Not there yet at all but i guess its something I’ll add to the ‘do when you’re feeling feisty’ list lol.

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Regarding the 10 minute breaks, allowances are made for unforeseen circumstances. You earned it, be proud sir!

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I did it last weekend. I followed the KOS 4 week training program - including the yoga and mental toughness - and felt well prepared. Definitely do it!

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Thank you! I’m glad that allowances are made. I would have been very upset to lose out on my knighthood because of 30-45 seconds of technical glitches. Tho, I definitely would have recovered and then tried again. I had the mental toughness and I knew I was going to get it done one way (or day) or another.

If I had been in my right mind I would’ve quickly realized I could switch from my laptop to my phone and then finished off my last 1.5 videos on my phone. A 12 video knighthood attempt would’ve been epic. But at least I still have a great story. :slight_smile:

Even tho my dad was 2,000 miles away, I had a photo of him in front of my and that was all the motivation I needed. I’m proud of my effort and would still be proud of my effort, regardless of the end results.

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That’s the Sufferlandrian spirit!

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great write ups, thank you. What was the plan for clothing changes, How often did you change bibs? Did you apply cream, reapply ?. While I can ride all day on the road, it is harder on the bottom with Turbo training. I am concerned this will give out before the legs.How did you manage the breaks? was it all data stuff and eating on the go?

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Thanks for sharing this!

I had 3 extra bibs set out to change into after every couple of videos (so 4 in total), plus extra headbands and a couple jerseys. But, in the end, I chose the most comfortable bibs and ended up staying in them the entire ride. I put on a generous amount of chamois cream. I re-applied once or twice (it’s all a bit hazy). I didn’t always stand up when the workouts said to, but I often chose to stand on the pedals for a few seconds at a time just to give my sit bones a break. The harder efforts in the videos will help with that, too.

I had a spreadsheet on my side table next to my bike with expected start and end times for each workout based on 1, 5, and 10 minute breaks. I tried to do 1 minute breaks, planned for 10 and ended up somewhere in between with some long and some short. None will really be long enough for any serious recovery.

I pre-planned all my food and drink. I had bottles of Gatorade endurance pre-mixed and sitting in the fridge. I had a pile of granola bars, fruit snacks, fruit leathers, and gels. I had written down the carb values of all my food and planned to eat and drink a combined 60-90g of carbs every hour that included an expected 500ml of gatorade and then whichever food I fancied. The only time I deviated from that plan was when my wife brought out 3 pb&j sandwiches of which I ate 2 while riding.

The breaks go by really fast. I really only had time to run in, use the restroom, wash my hands, and then jump back on and get the next workout ready. And I already had them all pre-downloaded. So, don’t expect to do too much during your breaks. I did almost all my eating during the actual workouts. It’s easier than you think, especially if you practice ahead of time during your other longer workouts. It’s simple and less stressful to grab something, start your next workout, and then eat during the warm-up portion. And if you keep your food and drink within arms reach then you don’t have to worry about getting off to grab stuff when you need it.

My best advice is to pre-plan as much as you can including planning for things that may go wrong. Because it’s hard to think once you’re in it and all your blood is flowing to your legs instead of your brain.

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I used the Assos chamois cream which serves me well. And I changed bibs only once. Whilst the first bibs was soaked wet just right after the first two videos my “sweating rate” got lower and lower throughout the whole day. And I’m not even sure if the change of bibs was really necessary because actually the fresh bibs felt a bit uncomfortable for the first 30 minutes or so which always is the case if I put on fresh bibs when already sweaty.
Anyway if it comes to chamois and cream and change of clothes it all comes down to your own experience. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. You have that one bib you always choose for the really long rides? Than go with this. Just don’t try something new on event day.

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Thank you. Your detail is much appreciated. I was thinking about moving bike upstairs to be nearer the loo, near the computer too, so each ride can be logged as I do them, I do not want to get into a panic over tech during such a short break.I find during day rides, I get fed up with sweet.Everything is sweet, yet you do not want the heaviness of starchy stuff,

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Thanks Holger, I use the Assos cream.It is funny that a day ride is ok without a change , but I was figuring on maybe changing every 3 workouts

Do whatever you feel comfortable with. That is the most important thing. You don’t want to bother yourself with decisions during the Knighthood attempt. I only changed because I had planned it so before. And as I always say: the most important thing to a plan is to stick to it. From my experiences before the Knighthood I thought a change would be good (as it was on my Everesting). But from my experience of my Knighthood I would not plan to do the change again.

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You might not be able to climb the stairs after completing a few workouts, and when you really need to do so, so this sounds like a rather important consideration! Picturing the alternative, or Sir Gerry’s bucket. Yikes!

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