This feels more like a “Dear Diary” entry but I’ll share this anyway.
I haven’t been particularly Sufferlandrian for a while but I’m trying to use the Tour prep and then the Tour to kickstart my season. I also haven’t completed FF for a while, either (having failed to complete the January badge ) so I’ve been running old numbers, lasting as far as possible before having to dial back.
Anyway, on the plan recently was “Holy Week”, which I chose to run at 100%. That was much tougher than I remember - it felt like a Sir Cotty session!
I tried to follow this up with “Tour of Norway 2” yesterday, before bonking magnificently at the Smeden climb section and struggling to the end in Level mode.
Elements of Style was always tougher than expected. Tho not enough to make you bonk. Power Station seemed easily doable and lulled me into that trap during the first half but then I could barely hang on for the second half.
I like No Place Like Home and Joyride which are the opposite. They look really tough, but have such great videos and music that they feel a lot easier than expected.
I regularly get Neal Henderson’s Rabbit Mountain in MAP block plans, and it kinda wipes me out. I live close enough to Boulder I should try to replicate it IRL next summer.
Also, yep. My notes on that one are “bring your A game, You’ll need it!” Also, you should pop by Sir Neal’s new shop and see if you can hop on their group ride up Rabbit Mountain.
Only the magic of SYSTM allows me to ride with Sir Neal and his associates! On the real road, I suspect those ten minute intervals would take me 20 or 25 minutes!
@emacdoug I’ll have to disagree with Joyride. I just barely make it though at 80rpms for each MAP set. I would not survive it at the prescribed cadences.
I had more intended to mean that Holy Week was sneaky tough and that knocked me backwards a little, making the subsequent ToN2 even tougher than expected (I expect that Pro Rides are tough).
To add another to my Sneaky Tough list - I just did the Lemond documentary “The Last Rider”, thinking it would be a little like other inspiration rides of just time in the saddle. It was a 1.5 hour Sweetspot ride that nearly buried me.
Great documentary, I thought. Almost took my mind off my legs!
I had the same experience with The Last Rider. I subbed it for a scheduled Z2 ride at the end of two hard weeks and barely made it through. It didn’t help that the themes were so emotional that my HR kept rising unnaturally. Awesome film, though.
) so I’ve been running old numbers, lasting as far as possible before having to dial back.
