I decided in January to pick a date and do the quest. I started the KoS training plan on January 23rd and undertook the quest on March 18th. I did most of the MTP, but over 25 years in the Army has prepped me for large amounts of suffering so for me it was not a critical component of my prep. The workouts and time in the saddle on the trainer are what paid off most for me.
My lineup is below, with only one technical glitch at the start of Ride # 4, my Kickr Snap did not record power or distance; my computer did record both my heart rate and cadence (May the Minions have mercy).
I started well hydrated, and drank one 20 ounce bottle of EFS (from First Endurance) every ride; and rotated between gels, chews, and Fig Newtons for food. Totally forgot about the peanut butter and honey uncrustables in the freezer 5 feet from me until I was done for the day.
While I did not post before my Quest day, I did silently lurk both here and the Facebook planning page for tips and ideas.
I chose Power Station, a climbing workout for my official halfway point, because I am not a climber, and then I left it at 100% of my 4DP metrics to up the suffering. Probably not the greatest idea I’ve ever had because that made Ride #8, There is No Try, ridiculously hard. Revolver and Do as You’re Told to cap it off was pure misery.
As part of my quest, I raised money for Project Echelon and their efforts to help veterans through cycling. As of today, the fundraiser sits at $820, so along with finishing the quest (still waiting on word from the Minions) I was able to raise funds for what I believe to be an awesome non-profit cause.
Edit:
I forgot to add that I did a total of 3 kit changes, so a wore a total of 4 kits–after ride 3, ride 6, ride 8. I live in Florida, so the garage was warm and humid, even at 0330 when I started the day off. Only changed socks once though.
Fresh kit made a huge difference, along with the ample amounts of chamois butter I applied after every ride.
