I completed The Wretched for the first time yesterday, a challenging video for all of the right Sufferlandria reasons, except possibly one. I’ve done several Sufferfest videos that included a portion or three of AC efforts, and when looking at the course profile before the ride, I equated to a sharp/sudden increase in power demands. When doing those particular videos, I don’t ever remember those AC efforts accompanied with a very sharp increase in incline to the maximum 25%.
The Wretched doesn’t offer very many “good time to take a drink” sections, so last night I was drinking on demand vice looking for the next “quiet period” to take a drink. Anyway, one hand just barely resting on the bars, the other with water bottle in hand and that 25% incline jumped up at 17:56 into the video, it nearly sent me off the back end of my bike because the Climb hit that 25% incline in remarkably fast fashion. Message received, I was better prepared for the following AC efforts with 25% incline at 25:00 minutes, the 22% at 37:35, and 24% at 42:50.
I’m not big on companies that try to bubble-wrap their customers against any possible hazard they might encounter when using their service. Having said that, I think it might be a good idea for the Sufferlandria videos that do have those very high/sharp incline sections as part of the workout to include a note in the narrative that users of the Climb or similar riser device will be hitting max inclines of “X” percent. No need to say when, that would spoil the suspense, but the rider would have a heads-up that these AC efforts are accompanied with a corresponding/sharp incline increase.
Just a suggestion, if off-base, I’m prepared to go to the next available flogging station.