Having successfully Defended and Attacked, I thought it might be nice for people to post their reflections on their top moments of the Tour. I’ve been so impressed by other people’s posts (including @Pierre 's Tour log), and would love to hear what made this year special for everyone else.
1) Norway
What a ride. I am so glad I saved this one up for the Tour, and also that I did a rest day before to ride it at full power. This was by far my highlight of the tour. It was unbelievably immersive, a great workout, and just straight up fun. This really felt like a glorious day of suffering. In a year filled with nowhere near enough outdoor adventures and riding, this was just what I needed on a grey cold February day. It’s rides like this that keep me coming back again and again to Sufferfest.
2) The third sustained interval of Defender
I was definitely not feeling my best on Defender today, which I usually don’t have strong positive or negative feelings. The MAP effort felt relatively good at 100rpm, and then I had some sort of bizarre euphoric endorphin fuelled moment when “Don’t You Know Who I Am” by Midnight Riot kicked in. I have no way to explain it, but it was one of those moments where you hit absolute flow state, and upbeat pop just perfectly fit the moment - to jam out and power along at high cadence.
3) Sir Neal riding Joyride twice
Everything about this moment encapsulates Sufferfest for me. The fact that Sir @Coach.Neal.H has no ego and is willing to suffer for the entertainment of the masses for a good cause, Knights organizing a spontaneous round of extra donations to push him over the $1,000 limit, and the fact that he actually followed through on it. This company, and this community is really special, and this moment really captured that for me. As of right now this (4pm EST Saturday) this is the Challenge page:
I don’t think there are many communities that would manage that high a completion rate on a seven day fully virtual event. The fact that all of this is also raising money for a very deserving charity is even more special.
Chapeau to all the riders this year, whether you blasted through the Tour on nuclear and completed every stage, or were a DNF due to injury/mechanicals or just real life getting in the way. Thanks to the entire team at Sufferfest and Wahoo who made this happen. What a Tour!
An excellent topic proposal Sir. As it is my first ToS, I’m going to steal a 4th as completing the whole thing. What an event. Kudos to Team Sufferfest for making it a brilliantly stretching challenge. But now for the real Top 3:
Stage 5 Norway: Loved every second of it. Came at just the right time for me personally. It totally boosted my motivation and hit all the right notes.
Brilliant. I was totally invested in Carl, more so than in any other ride when it’s ‘me’ winning (except maybe Omnium)…
Stage 2 Nine Hammers: Personal playlist blaring out in the background when Queen Hammer To Fall came on just before the first hammer. And I was totally pumped for what was to come, so much so I put it back on repeat for hammers 8 and 9.
Stage 7b Attacker: The adverts in between segments provided some much needed levity and persuaded me to put an offer on the second house for sale
9H @ 100% including >5 seconds @ max HR - amazed after Stage 1.
Who Dares and Cure - loved it.
Last intervals of Attacker increasing from Nuclear (achieved) to 105% … just because I could.
But those 3 stand on the shoulders of a great product and community. Been training daily for 35+ years and this is the most fun and progress I’ve ever had.
Thank you all.
1 Joyride/Cobbler. The beginning of the Tour. Cobbler is right in my wheelhouse and a great way to start off with confidence.
2. Norway. Loved the new workout and the feeling of what a race is like although it was tough on my tribike setup with all the shifting changes:joy:
3. Stage7. Feeling so leg heavy at the start but going on to get surprisingly stronger and hitting my targets and completing the Tour in Style! TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN BABY!
1 realizing cobbler was almost 2 hours long, nearly died of shock.
2 Norway and Who Dares one day after the other! Love those two!
3 Stage 7. The messages In Defender, the adverts and the final song of Attacker. Pure Agonian bliss even though my bladder d bursting through the last half of Defender… Mind over matter.
Technically not 3 “moments” but suffering is such a blur they feel like mere moments now
Getting to be SD for 13 riders on Nine Hammers. What a privilege. And they all stood for Hammer 8, which is when I learned the power of the Cow Bell and the SD! Then a last minute call for some group riders to join @DancingCyclist and I for Stage 7 was answered and then some! Thank you!!! Unreal community!
Has to be @Pierre daily news updates! Brilliantly entertaining! Hey @Pierre, I’ve an idea for next year, you can dial a bunch of us in…“now crossing live to Sufferlandrian xxx…”
Hobart and Boulder live streams. You guys are amazing! Chapeau for putting ALL your suffering into the public realm for our viewing pleasure. Not only that, adding challenges to the mix. And THEN taking all our smack talk, cheek and “encouragement” and joining in our ridiculous conversations and answering our questions in the chat. Often while above threshold. Oh, and to the big boss at Wahoo for making that last minute payment to ensure David’s tenure in the goat suit. We’ll always remember that, with great appreciation!
3 – Attacker, final ~2min of interval #4 thru the end; right hamstring felt like was on the verge of seizing, left hip tightened up during the wardrobe change following Defender, but somehow it all held up, a savagely wholesome way to wrap it up
2 – G.O.A.T. – just, all of it
1 – 9 Hammers, our familiar pals, 8 & 9 (what? you say there’s a recovery between?)
So many great moments from my first TOS it’s hard to pick just three, but here goes.
The SUF community. From the forum to Facebook to @Pierre’s videos. I experienced the SUF community as never before. And it was glorious!
Doing both versions of Fight Club back-to-back… at 5am… alone in my pain cave… yet feeling like I was surrounded by hundreds of my closest friends and fans all cheering me on… because of $200 in donations from people I have never met in my life… another example of just how amazing this SUF community is.
Experiencing the amazing SUF videos in a completely new way. I’ve done 100km, and 100 miles, and a knighthood attempt all on SUF. and yet doing the videos during the TOS felt new and different and fun again.
Special mentions to Sir David for his goat suit (and all his live suffering), to Sir Neal doing joyride twice, Francois’s inspiration, the bib wall, and the legacy Tour Faces… and so much more!
I have so many thoughts on all the highlights. It still feels like a big blur… I will try to collect and streamline them a bit:
1. All of @YOU.
@DameLisa kicking a** on twitch. @aerobrain’s stream of the last stage. @emacdoug going double on fight club. @Magnito’s first fundraiser and the salvation for the skinsuit. @Erik-KOS collection of epic suffering stories to win a classic flag. @IsiSchneider_KoS crushing every stage in style…
2. The Wahoo SUF Team.
Hobart Gang and Boulder Crew live streams. @Coach.Neal.H doing Joyride twice. The herring challenge. @dylan.robbins puking (surprisingly not related to the herring). Chip Hawkins interview. Davis Phinney popping into the chat of the last stream. @janis.denning crushing the tour despite all obstacles. @Francois-Wahoo amazing artwork and generous donations…
3. Best year ever
„Coming back“ to proper suffering after a two month break and feeling on top of the world after finishing strong. 2021 will be an absolute gem of a year, I can feel it.
I knew this would be a tough week, but I didn’t know how much I would enjoy it! It was the highlight of my day most days.
Half Is Easy – I read all about it and thought it sounded awful, but it was right in my wheelhouse. I was grinning (and sweating) the whole way through and it left me with a major high. That is definitely one I’ll be revisiting when I need a lift
Learning that I could work harder than I thought possible – I have a tendency to panic and take micro-breaks when I feel like I’m going to crack. This week enabled me to really focus on powering through – maybe dropping my cadence, focusing on my breath, and holding out till I’ve recovered enough to get back up to speed.
Getting back on the bike after clambering off 3/4 of the way through Attacker. I really thought about quitting, but then realised I wouldn’t be able to show my face to the SUF community if I quit the tour with 17 minutes to go! Powering on and doing everything I could to keep the pedals turning.
After residing many years in Couchlandria, the Sufferlandrian in me did awaken. This was my first Tour and after a short prep I didn’t know what to expect.
It was a great experience, loved it an just can’t wait for the Tour 2022.
My top 3 moments, very difficult because there were so many great moments
The Community
the support, the initiatives, the pictures, the suffering, the humor, etc…
Just unreal, no wonder you can’t leave once you have entered Sufferlandria
The Group rides @DameLisa, it was an honour to have you as inspiring SD in 9H group ride, it was big fun, I still hear the echo of the cowbell. Pity I couldn’t make in into the 2nd group ride.
I loved to watch the group rides in Hobart en Boulder, most of them not life, but still very inspiring
The daily news flashes @Pierre what a great effort to keep the community up to date. You must have at least 30 hours a day. Many words of appreciation have been written… great job, well done
a big thank you
Furthermore, it is heartwarming to see all these great initiatives for a good cause: the DPF. Raising $370k is a great result
For all Sufferlandrians
Respect!
1- The Sufferlandrians rallying together to ride the Tour.
2- The Sufferlandrians rallying together to raise $370,000 and counting for DPF.
3- The Sufferlandrians’ overwhelmingly positive response to the new workout Norway.
Finishing and not cracking and ending up below 85% of my last tested numbers … steadily lowering throughout but hung in at the end at just above 85.
Super tough by S6/7 to ride at even close to 90%
The number of new riders posting this year has been marvelous and so much positivity.
A new workout and new workout style to play with (Norway). New options amongst an ever lengthening library is great
Norway. Getting so into the video that when Carl finished taking his turn on the front and the group started to pass him I actually glanced back to make sure I wasn’t getting in their way.
Getting through GOAT without my legs dropping off, especially after Half is Still Difficult.
3 or so mins from the end of Defender’s 2nd (?) interval. I was only just hanging on, and in my favourite session too. Then the moment Quintana looks Contador up and down and decides to crush everyone’s dreams and solo to the summit. I found my legs again at that moment and I knew I’d finish the tour strong.
Because if Grunter won’t count properly then neither will I. The support and banter in this forum has been great. And a special shout to Pierre. We’re all a little bit insane here, you took it to another level
. What a great way to get motivated.
Pity I couldn’t make in into the 2nd group ride.
