Welcome to Castle Sufferlandria Sir Richard @richie_engineer, where everyone knows your pain. Well suffered and well deserved. Sorry to have missed the last couple of vids. I was getting slaughtered by children at chess at the Nine Hammers Tavern. I shoulda paid attention to the sign.
As to your Knighthood, I’m sure the minions will see to awarding it in good stead. For now, your quarters have been freshly prepared and once you’re all cleaned up and fed, you can enjoy a wee lie down. It’s soooo uncomfortable you’ll love it.
I get the TrainerRoad “bring your own entertainment” idea, and I get the virtual Zwift thing (I do EXR on the rower, which is very similar to Zwift), but SUF is it’s own third thing that I haven’t seen anywhere else and is super fun.
I did Recharger earlier in the week just to check my setup and make sure everything was paired right, and wow, who else replicates something like that?
I was completely alone in my basement for mine and my wife and kids knew not to come down until I was done. I also had some tech issue at one point and, like you, dual recorded on my old Garmin Edge. Congrats, Sir. The decals are gonna look sweet on your commuter!
Now you know why the citizens of Sufferlandria are so passionate. It’s a unique offering, always has been, and it turns TTBS (turbo trainer boredom syndrome) on its head.
I’m actually so happy I got a reason to share Gustav’s story. An epic tale of perseverance and determination, which should resonate with everyone here.
Now you know why there are a lot of us who are passionate about The Sufferfest in its original form. They are a masterful blend of a hard cycling workout, a funny storyline, good video synced to the story and music that creates a ‘whole’ experience unlike anything else in the cycling indoor training world.
Welcome to Sufferlandria and congratulations on completing one of the biggest challenges of the realm, Sir Richie.
Sorry I missed this thread until today. I just completed my knighthood in December and benefitted from all the advice that you also received. The knights and dames are a wonderfully supportive group.
Re the erg mode question. I used erg for Some parts and turned it off for others. I find that, for some intervals, changing gears feels better than changing cadence as the resistance increases and decreases. I rode between 70-80% for most of the ride, but dropped to 65 somewhere in the middle of workout 5 or 6 for a bit to recover my focus.
As far as fueling goes, most of mine came in the form of gels and an energy drink that has both carbs and protein. I also had real food that was the same as at aid stations on many organized 100 mile rides - bananas, peanut butter and jelly. Sir Ruben suggested pickle and/or olive brine mixed with water for electrolytes. I had electrolytes in my drink and in capsules, but, since he is a knight and has done the one day Everest challenge (13 hours), I tried it and found it was a great break from the sweetness of everything else.
Calories per hour advice: I have been persuaded by Hammer Nutrition that some protein is essential on long rides and that 120-240 calories per hour or 30-60 grams of carbs per hour is best. If pros are consuming more, then they have to train their bodies to process that much, and it is not easy. You are riding less than threshold effort for 9 ish hours, not trying to win the Tour, so you don’t need 500 calories per hour. That was my plan. It worked, and I finished feeling great, except for the saddle sores. Should have used more chamois cream during bib changes.
I also had some tech issue at one point and, like you, dual recorded on my old Garmin Edge. Congrats, Sir. The decals are gonna look sweet on your commuter!
