The R-12 is an award given by Randonneuring USA and is earned by riding at least one randonneuring event of 200k or longer in each of 12 consecutive months. Unlike the UMCA Year-Rounder I tackled in 2010, the R-12 doesn’t allow rolling out of your driveway on a route of your own choosing. Each ride has to be an official RUSA or ACP event, brevet or permanent, which means you have to do a lot more planning. The R-12 isn’t based on a calendar year, so any 12 consecutive months meet the requirements.

I’ve had a number of friends complete an R-12 over the last few years.  I know the distance isn’t a problem for me and it shouldn’t be that tough to complete. But, I still have not been willing to make the commitment and say, publicly, that I’m working on one.

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 Version 3 of the Sufferfest/CompuTrainer ERG File Spreadsheet is now available for download.  Version 3 adds an ERG file for the latest Sufferfest video, Extra Shot.

In addition, I’ve had a few requests to start the ERG file at the very beginning of the video, instead of when the video title first appears on the screen.  I set up the original spreadsheet with the start-up delay in order to give me time to start the video , get everything arranged, realize that I can’t reach my towel, etc.  But, I want everyone to be happy, so I added a start time field to the tab for each video.  The default will be the current time delay, but you can now specify the elapsed video time when you want to start the ERG file.  If you want to start as soon as the video starts, enter a zero in the green box.

Thanks to fellow Sufferlandrian Graham Dunn for suggesting a simpler calculation of the workout time.

You can read the original blog post about the thought behind this spreadsheet here.

The 2nd version of the Sufferfest ERG Spreadsheet is now available for download.  The download link in the original blog post (Sufferfest on a CompuTrainer) has been updated and points to the new file as well.

Version 2 adds data for the newest Sufferfest video, Hell Hath No Fury.  This 1:15 workout uses footage from the UCI Pro Women’s World Cup races.  The workout, as described on The Sufferfest website:

Onto the trainer and into another world! You are a Sufferlandrian. And you’re racing for the Sufferlandrian National Team in the Tour of Sufferlandria. You’re expected to take the leader’s jersey (and a very special jersey it is) over the race, the stages of which are:

• 3:30 Warm-up
• 5:30 Stage 1: Easy, flat terrain at effort level of 6/10 with a few accelerations
• 20:00 Stage 2: Rolling terrain with a series of attacks as the pack tries to take the lead from you
• 6:00 Recovery
• 20:00 Stage 3: More rolling, attacking racing in which you try to break away to get the lead back
• 4:00 Recovery
• 3:30 Stage 4: Team Time Trial in which you have to crush yourself in order to take the lead, and the Tour of Sufferlandria victory
• 6:00 Recovery, featuring Mental Training Reflection from Athlete’s Audio

I’ve also added the support for the MultiRider format (MRC).  On the tab for each video there is a yellow box containing the text for an ERG file and a blue box with the MRC data.  Pick your poison.  I don’t have a copy of the MultiRider software, so I’d appreciate any feedback on the files from anyone who tries the MRC version.

Matt McNamara, USA Cycling Level 1 coach and president of Sterling Sports Group, recently wrote an article for PezCyclingNews.com titled Sufferfest Videos: From The Power Perspective

Mr. McNamara was kind enough to include a link to my Sufferfest ERG Spreadsheet but his review goes much deeper into how well the videos work as part of a power-based training plan, focusing on the training stress score (TSS), intensity factor (IF) and interval composition.  Check out his review and see how the Sufferfest stacked up.

(The Sufferfest ERG Spreadsheet has been updated a couple of times since the original version. The last couple of videos point out how critical it is to consider your personal power capabilities and the workout profile of each video when you set your power numbers in the spreadsheet)

As much as I hope to continue riding outside during the winter, the reality of winter in Ohio means I need a plan B. Last year I spent my trainer time putting myself through the pain of Sufferfest video workouts and spent more time on my trainer than I usually would. This year I’ve moved my indoor riding to a CompuTrainer and I have a pretty solid, power-based, workout plan to follow but I still want to include Sufferfest videos when they fit in the plan.

The Sufferfest workouts are interesting, challenging, motivational and, occasionally, fun. But, they suffer from the same problem as all “perceived exertion” based workouts. That is, they rely on me to determine if I’m working hard enough. I have great intentions when I talk about the workout and even when I climb on the bike, but when the screens says to go at level 9/10, am I really giving it 90% of my absolute best effort? So, with that in mind, I set out to combine the gut check of the Sufferfest video with the technology of the CompuTrainer.

The rest of this post has some of the details behind this project but, if you really don’t care how all of this works, just download the ERG Spreadsheet, read the short instructions in the file and get on your bike. Read the rest of this entry

I tried to keep this short, but I was unsuccessful.

We rolled out of Blue Ash, Ohio at 5:00 with 34 riders and the promise of a dry, sunny and very hot day. The first 300k was a repeat of the first part of the 400k from a few weeks ago so I knew what to expect. Much of the 2nd 300k would be on roads from the 200 and 300 this year so I had a pretty good idea what the latter part of the ride would be like as well.

After the 400k, I added a small mount for my light that raised it above the handlebar and got it out of the way of my GPS. Very quickly on this ride,I realized that it wasn’t tight enough and my light would rotate toward the ground on every bump. I tried to adjust it while riding but, eventually, ended up just holding it in place with my left hand until sunrise.

The group separated on a tough hill a few miles from the start and the faster riders settled in to a brisk, but manageable, pace for the first 56 miles to the control in Georgetown. I think the whole group was concerned about riding this 56 mile section on the way back. It would be very hot by then and there just weren’t a lot of options for water in that stretch. One of the local riders in our group pointed out a small park with bathrooms and a water fountain. I marked the distance so I knew when I could expect to get back there later.

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