Failing Knighthood: Top reasons?

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum.

I’m coming back from some health stuff and am thinking about going for Knighthood. As I plan, I was wondering what some unexpected reasons for failed attempts my be (so I can try and avoid them, of course).

“Not being ready” or “fit enough” isn’t what I’m expecting to hear about. Some obvious concerns I have are:

 * irreversable cramps
 * saddle sores
 * long nature breaks related to gastric distress

etc. But I’m really looking for things beyond the obvious.

Thanks in advance!

Sam

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Your device having technical issues. Download all videos on two devices if possible so one is ready as a backup.
Mechanical issues in bike (if possible have a replacement bike as a backup?)
Power outage.
Those first two suggestions might sound crazy, but then again you are considering a knighthood!

Edit: your reason why not being strong enough…this is unbelievably tough mentally. Very different from a long outside ride where reaching your next bed can the motivator. Here your comforts of home are beside you the entire time. It could crack your motivation. Just a thought worth mentioning. Definitely do the MTP first or repeat parts of it, if you haven’t yet.

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Everything Dame @Isa said.

The reasons you’ve listed, @sc235813, could be reasons for not succeeding in an attempt. But they ALL can be mitigated.

Cramps: I used to suffer from debilitating cramps that would usually occur on longer events and especially if the temps are high. eg. 100 mile+ events, 4+ hour rides with few breaks etc. For me, and of course ymmv, but the solutions I’ve found are as follows:

  1. Make sure you keep on top of your hydration (and not just during the ride, but for at least the few days leading into the event!)
  2. Knowing the sign of an impending cramp (I don’t know about you but I can usually tell that if I put down a particular kind of effort in particular circumstances, there’s a muscular “tell” that I’m going to cramp.
  3. If you experience #2 above, then immediately take a good shot of pickle juice or, I will swear by these: Muscle cramp drink - 12 pack - HOTSHOT – TeamHOTSHOT
  4. In addition to 1-3 above, knowing my propensity to cramp, I pre-emptively took one HotShot prior to each of the 10 vids and did NOT cramp during my Knighthood quest

Sores: obviously if you have active sores prior to starting that may shut you down, but if you don’t and a) you’re sure you’re on the right saddle for you, b) your bike fit has been dialled in, c) you take “breaks” to get out of the saddle every 10 mins or so (even if the vid doesn’t call for it), d) you use the best chamois and bibs you’ve got and change them out every 3 vids if you can, and e) liberally apply fresh chamois cream (directly to your body) prior to each vid, you might be able to keep the development of a fresh sore at bay

Excessive nature breaks d/t gastric distress: this can’t ALWAYS be prevented but there are things you can do to minimize the likelihood of it occurring. Like the other things: a) stay on top of your hydration prior to AND during the event b) do NOT eat anything you’ve never eaten before and already know how your body will react to it. On the day, have a good mix of sweet and salty, gels/bars and REAL food and be sure to consume sufficient calories (primarily carbs) but do NOT over do it. General advice is to aim for 30-60 gms of carbs/hour of intense activity. There’s dangers of going under where you could bonk but there’s also a danger in going over where you just feel nauseous.

I would say though, that I’d guess the biggest cause of not being able to succeed in a quest would be starting out too hot (starting at too high an intensity) and not being prepared for the impact that that is going to have on you after 6-7 hours of indoor riding. It is often said that video #7 is the half-way point on a Knighthood quest because it is at that point, 7ish hours in, where the physical AND mental impact of what you’ve just done wears most heavily. Treat your Knighthood like an endurance event and aim to maintain a level of intensity that you can sustain for 10ish hours. 70-75% is typical but be prepared that, pending which vids you choose for yourself, that by video 8 or 9 or 10, you might find yourself dialing intensity down even further to 65, or 60 or less just so you can finish. That is, perfectly acceptable, by the way. I recall in my #10, Revolver, there were intervals that I was barely hitting 60%.

Like Dame Isa said though. Be VERY VERY clear on the reason you’re doing this in the first place and keep that in front of you the entire time. Personally, I credit the MTP in my success (and it has also helped me to achieve things after Knighthood, that I never would have previously thought possible).

You.Can.Do.It!

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Thanks both. I think right now there is no way I am mentally or physically there. It will take me at least 3-6 mo to get back to where I was and that may not be enough to do 12 hours in the saddle inside downstairs in front of a laptop screen… The motivation is everything, I think. And I still have to think through it.

Also, I will definitely examine the MTP.

Thanks much for the replies!
Sam

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Pop back in here anytime if you have other questions about planning etc. fwiw, my quest was coveted for a year then planned for a year before completing it.

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This is a very good reply from Sir Glen (as are the other ones). I would stress - as Sir Michael Ford, who did his quest on the same day as me, would put it - that “mood is related to food”. A Knighthood is a long, hard day, and you can’t get through it on gels and energy drink alone. A sausage and egg bap worked wonders for me after the third or fourth video (and similar things after later ones). Make sure you eat and drink enough - if you get yourself into a hole by underfuelling it’s very difficult to dig back out of it whilst keeping going. Eat more than you think you need. Have treats you know you’ll look forward to.

I heartily endorse what Sir Glen said about bibs. Use nice ones. Use lots of chamois cream. Change the kit at least 3-4 times.

I’d also suggest preparing in advance - do a “half-Knighthood” of five videos, or at least more than 2-3 back to back. That ten-minute turnaround is very short and you’ll barely have time to do much more than grab the stuff you need for the next round, go to the toilet and tee the video up. You’ll have a much better idea of how it works logistically if you have a dry run. Having a helper with this stuff is also enormously helpful and morale-boosting.

It is also correct that it will get to you around video 6-7. I had a very dark period between videos 6-8 on mine because I tweaked a knee and was in a fair bit of pain. I was helped through it by the fact that I was doing it with others (Sir Mike Baker and Sir Tim Shanley in the same room, and Sir Michael Ford and Sir Tim Mineo joining virtually from AUS and USA) who I didn’t want to let down, and I had raised money so wanted to say to my backers I’d completed it. We also had supporters drop in on us. All of this stuff really helps. Going into your garage for 12 hours by yourself to ride a bike is really, really hard. Anything you can do to stack the deck in your favour mentally is worthwhile.

Do ensure that your bike fit is on point. The intensity point is very well made. Sufferfest videos are hard and one of the Knighthood-eligible ones at 100% is supposed to be a tough workout. I always smile when I see someone express an intention to do an “all-100%” Knighthood because it is by definition a contradiction in terms - if you can do more than 2-3 videos at 100% then your 100% probably isn’t hard enough. I was at 70% to 75% for most of them.

Good luck. I am still very proud to call myself a Knight of Sufferlandria even if I don’t get to SUF as often as I once did. It’s still one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

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It is oddly reassuring to hear that. Thanks Sir Glen.

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I found 60-80g carbs per hour work well to keep your energy stores up. But definitely practice your nutrition ahead of time just like you practice anything else.

And I reaffirm all of what Sir Glen and Dame Isa said. Those are all excellent tips.

I’ll add that playlist order can be very important, too. Both because of how difficult it becomes when you’re on videos 6-8, and also because when you’re tired you need videos that give you more frequent recoveries. Anything with long endurance sections should be done early when you’re fresh because they can destroy you if you’re falling apart (physically or mentally) towards the end. Attacking intervals also often have extra peppy music burst that can energize you.

Have everything you need all laid out and easy to grab. I had all my good and drinks set up in an assembly line. As things get fuzzy you want to make everything as obvious and foolproof as possible.

In the end, you’re going to suffer, but remember why you’re doing it and try to enjoy your suffering as much as you can!

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Cue evil laugh here

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During my Knighthood event, I started to get cramps and had to resort to my pickle juice remedy. It helped me complete the knighthood.

I also didn’t attempt a knighthood until I bought a new wider saddle for the trainer bike. I wouldn’t have survived the older saddle which was ok for road but not for my trainer bike

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I have to disagree. That’s exactly what got me through it, along with some energy bars and a banana or two.

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Yep yep. Everyone’s nutrition plan is unique to them. The only advice here is to eat what you know and not experiment on the day.

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