📣📣📣 The time has come to say goodbye - Ride Goat for the Goat 📣📣📣

[Francois-Wahoo]

Today marks the end of an era, and possibly even more for he, the son of GVA, is saying farewell to what once was The Sufferfest, embarking on a journey to discover the meaning of a life without inflicting Suffering to all those around him (beyond his immediate family that is… GVA has mercy on their soul)

He made us Suffer but he also made us believe.

He, as he once put it, built a tribe a masochists making us laugh and cry tears of Lactic Acid along the way.

In the process we became better.

Please spare a minute of your day today to reflect on the privilege it has been to have him come into our lives to help us discover who we really were: Sufferlandrians.

The only constant in life is change. However sad that can make us feel at times, we must accept it for what it is and what it might ultimately lead to.

You might leave us today but the spirit of what you created will never leave us and, I hope I speak for all of us here to say that this spirit will be with us for whatever happens to us later in our lives.

Ultimately, I will forever feel privileged to have experienced what true inspiring leadership looks like.

I know the weather outside is likely frightfully nice, but could I suggest to those of you still active on the SYSTM platform to ride GOAT at one point over the weekend to mark our respect for the Greatest (Sufferlandrian) Of All Times: Sir @David McQuillen

To all here, please like and share your favorite memories and stories of SUF!

Godspeed Sir.

More Than You & You Can Never Leave.

(Picture: At the top of Col de la Croix, SUFcamp 2018 with Sir David Mc Quillen and Sir Neal Henderson)

[emacdoug]

I dof my helmet to thee, Sir David. You are the GOAT.

May the wind be ever at your back, and the laser goats forever fear your wheel.

[JSampson]

@Francois-Wahoo

You might leave us today but the spirit of what you created will never leave us and, I hope I speak for all of us here to say that this spirit will be with us for whatever happens to us later in our lives.

When I first started on the platform I was impressed with how approachable Sir David was - posting regularly on the forum and answering questions and comments. He really cared so much about the brand and his customers - something unique to business these days.

It is great how much the catalog of workouts have expanded but there are still times where I just need to ride one of the Sufferfest classics at my local pain cave flogging station.

Sir David thanks so much for the inspiration and the suffering!

[emacdoug]

@JSampson

When I first started on the platform I was impressed with how approachable Sir David was - posting regularly on the forum and answering questions and comments. He really cared so much about the brand and his customers - something unique to business these days.

Absolutely. This is the one thing that I always come back to and will always remember. Sir David was always involved and interacted as one of us. I always felt comfortable messaging him personally and he always wrote back personal responses. Because he always cared so much not just about the brand, but about each one of his customers as individuals. That was something very special I will never forget no matter how many hammers he had GVA hit me with.

[pkdaylu]

I already plan to ride Nine Hammers twice this weekend to check out Sir Evan’s alternate music track. Why not add a G.O.A.T.?!!! Seems like a good idea! (As we say in Sufferlandria!)

[Malte]

You’ll be missed!

Suddenly collapsing in the last throws of Revolver just now feels like a fitting offering to the One and Only

[DameLisa]

Aaah Sir David, I think my favourite memory of you, is your barely disguised delight at getting Sir Dylan to eat more pickled herrings.
And your immediate expulsion of idiots from the forum…a true defender of the realm and why this community is such a fantastic place.

I’ll be keeping my eye on your upcoming Tassie Cycling Tours and surprise you one of these days. Just need to find my climbing legs first!

[ediblehedge]

Back in Jan 2013, a few days after the 2013 Tour of Sufferlandria was announced, I sent the minions an email after spotting a couple of typos on the website. I received a lovely thank you email from Sir David along with a code for a free video.

It was clear right from the first tentative purchase that Sir David really cared and built a really special community.

With blessings for wherever life takes you

[Gilles.T]

Thank you Sir David. I hope we’ll see you for a cameo during the next TOS, or for the national day

[Tiago_Branco]

Done.

And by then, Sufferfest will be the most beautifull opportunity to pedal through the magnificence of the glaciers in glorious suffering. Sufferfest, in all its glory, deserves to be honored as a legendary pass.

Gratefull Sir David

Thank you hardly seems sufficient to capture the essence of what Sufferlandria truly is and the countless hours that make it uniquely special. No words can adequately describe it all

[jmckenzieKOS]

Ten years ago i arrived at the Shores of the Lactic Acid Sea. Ive tried to leave several times, but for naught. All were jaunts to Injurylandria, but The Sufferfest, now SYSTM, brought me back. May the Volcano called Mount Sufferlandria not be far away and your presence will be missed, Sir David McQuillen. If you ever find yourself in the area of Southern Arizona, I have a Mountain for you (actually, two).

[Glen.Coutts]

Perfect timing! I guess I don’t have to ride Defender on July 4th now. That’s a relief. Thanks Sir David!

Edit: I guess Couchlandria’s already got him

[Critmark]

Farewell and G_d Speed.

I did G.O.A.T. despite the fact that it was 91F degrees in my pain cave. Down from 99 earlier. Looking at 100 tomorrow. YUCH.

[robyork]

Thanks, Sir David for creating and leading Sufferfest; many of us searched far and wide before finding this place and feeling immediately that we had found our homeland. Allez Allez Allez!

[Thomas]

Thank you Sir David for rescuing me from TTBS (Turbo Trainer Boredom Syndrome) some time after the Lockdown. Your dedication, inspiration, effort, spirit and time are exceptional!

The Alt Tour 2022 was great to get me motivated through COVID.

You introduced a lot of new things into my life, enriching it even further!

I wanted to start the July challenge but just rode G.O.A.T. for the G.O.A.T. - First things first!

[ronburgundy]

Very sad…you will be missed Sir. Thank-you so much!

[pkdaylu]

If our chief laser ghost herder has left, does that mean the laser goats will be freely roaming Sufferlandria and picking us off when we slack? Yikes!

[jmckenzieKOS]

Yep. They are quite upset right now until a new herder is appointed. Fluffy is also ipsrt and totally destroyed a flogging station last night. Fortunately, it was unoccupied.

[Heretic]

I am going to do Revolver soon, I hope Fluffy will have calmed down by then.

[DarrenWCKam]

I share sort of the same sentiment as @Thomas above although I haven’t had a personal encounter with Sir David.

After having been away for a few months from cycling as a whole due to a very personal issue and ultimately one of the lowest points in my pretty young life so far, the Sufferfest content really did help get back on my bike to do some cycling which I have always enjoyed, and needless to say, even challenged myself last year to take on the Knighthood Quest to prove to myself that I have came out stronger from what I have been put through.

Needless to say, the content in The Sufferfest (now SYSTM) has always made me smile no matter how hard the session could and would be. Thank you Sir David for The Sufferfest and all it’s awesomeness. You’ll never know how many lives you have touch and made a difference for which I am truly thankful for.

Thank you once again, take care and God speed!