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:
- 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!)
- 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.
- 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
- 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!
