So back the end of March 2020, shortly after lockdowns started, I gave The Sufferfest a try. And the rest is history.
But my first ride was….
Cadence Drills
Then three days later I did Igniter and Joyride.
I enjoyed them so much that I did Full Frontal two days later. And now almost 4 years later I’m still here because, of course, you can never leave.
But I enjoyed reading my notes about Cadence Builds which I did on my $20 cheapo manual trainer (which I kept using for 7 more months) and some virtual watts that somehow ended up being pretty accurate at least as far as FTP and MAP are concerned.
Technically, my first Sufferfest ride was Getting Started: Desktop on October 22, 2020. The next day was Extra Shot. It was the first video in the Full Frontal Test Plan. Then Cadence Builds, Taper Efforts, Recovery Spin, Primers, and then Full Frontal.
I did some Mental Training and Yoga along the way.
My very first Sufferfest ride was the first half of Blender in late December 2014. Two days later on Christmas Day 2014 I rode The Hunted, so that is the first one I completed. This was back when Strava gave access to a small number of the SUF workouts.
Soon after that I jumped in and bought the whole catalog via download. And I’ve never looked back - I still love all these Sufferfest workouts.
Looks like it was a build up to Full Frontal about a week later. Then judging by the Cadence Drills, Elements of Style, Open 30, The Chores that followed after the FF, I must have jumped right into the Advanced Cycling Plan.
First I ever owned was Revolver, then Elements of Style and Rubber Glove via downloads in early 2016. But, first I ever rode was Violator, then Local Hero both at a clandestine “studio” in December 2015. I recently reacquired Rubber Glove. Been hooked since day 1.
My notes from Violator: Call me Cramps!!
I credit the Mental Training for my Knighthood and a bunch of other stooopid stuff since.
My first video while on a week-long trial for SUF back in December 2017 was Revolver. It was followed up with Full Frontal the next day, then Open 30, a day off, Long Scream, The Shovel, another day off, and Hell Hath No Fury. Even managed to get in a couple of yoga sessions that week too. I tried out a couple of other platforms before committing in Jan. 2018 to being a Sufferlandrian and have been happily suffering ever since!
I went and looked it up. Igniter in December of 2016.
Don’t remember anything about it. I was just trying indoor training, which is mentally difficult for me because I can ride outdoors almost any day if the year.
I was a runner and novice bike racer when I began riding my dad’s bike in Sept 2018, and raced a few sprint triathlons in 2019. But I was still a runner who found more fun training for half marathons and my first marathon in March 2020.
After I started training using The Sufferfest I realized how poor all my previous self-coached bike training was.
For me Angels, circa 2014, purchased with EoS & ISLAGIATT, as I thought that the sustained FTP blocks were the right way forwards and really suited riding round here.
Was using TR back when you played your videos within their app.
Really turned my motivation to ride indoors on it’s head, as TR was just so boring otherwise with a dumb trainer.
The sustained sections of Angels and ISLAGIATT feel more like a nemesis these days, but the opening music and chasing RP in the TT warm up always makes me smile.
I was lucky the original National Day was both back to back.
Rubber Glove, back when videos were purchased. My next floor neighbor, Sir Gary Moad, was a coach for Team in Training, and brought the video over. We loaded it into Trainer Road and used their companion feature.
I was hooked, then bought all the videos available to do my Knighthood the following summer, June 13th 2015.
