If you’ve read my ramblings for any length of time you’ll know I like a damn good flogging on the turbo trainer from time to time and 2013 is set to be no different.  This month we see the creation of the newest early season tour  - the Tour of Sufferlandria

Straight from the evil mind that brought you such monumentally difficult indoor training videos such as ‘The Hunted’ and ‘The Long Scream’ comes an early season race to rival the humdrum routine of the Tour of Qatar and the Tour Down Under. “Slotting in nicely to the UCI calender of early season races, the Tour of Sufferlandria was created to bring back the drama, agony and misery that the early season peloton deserves. Starting on January 26th, the 9 day event promises to turn even the softest rider into a true Sufferlandrian by the end, on Feb 3rd.”

The Tour of Sufferlandria has been designed by race director Grunter von Agony to be a serious test for those riders who have already been putting in the hard work over the winter and are looking to flourish in the first few months of the new year.

“The course is carefully balanced between agony, misery and despair. So, yes, the Tour of Sufferlandria is a worthwhile target for anybody looking for an early season goal. You really ought to have some solid training behind you before you start it, and you’ll surely go through a roasting in hell during the race. When you come out the other side? With a solid 9 days of effort behind you, you will be able to take an ox, tie him to your bike, drag him up and over Mt. Sufferlandria while he tries to run the other way, and drink a flagon of ale made from the bikes of all those you crushed on your way to a glorious victory. Or the Minions will eat you for lunch. But, whatever.”

- Grunter von Agony

Comprising of 9 stages, starting on January 26th, competitors will take on a different Sufferfest training video each day. And for those thinking that this sounds like a recovery week in the world of The Sufferfest, three of the days cover such a large amount of terrain that you will be required to complete 2 videos! 

Full Schedule:

• Saturday, Jan 26th: Hell Hath No Fury
• Sunday, Jan 27th: The Hunted
• Monday, Jan 28th: Extra Shot + Fight Club
• Tuesday, Jan 29th: A Very Dark Place
• Wednesday, Jan 30th: Angels
• Thursday, Jan 31st: The Wretched + The Long Scream
• Friday, Feb 1st: The Downward Spiral
• Saturday, Feb 2nd: There is No Try + Revolver
• Sunday, Feb 3rd: Local Hero

If you head over to The Sufferfest blog you will find a run down of each individual stage before you slog your way through it, some advice from athletes who have completed previous editions of the race and also some FAQ’s.

As an added incentive, if you sign up to TrainerRoad.com and log your stage numbers via their site you enter yourself into a competition with an absolutely outstanding prize pack…

For those who finish each day: we have three sets of Sufferfest decals to give away every day, as well as a free month of TrainerRoad.

For those who finish the entire Tour on TrainerRoad.com: we will put you into a pool and draw names to win the following prizes…

• The choice of a 32GB iPod Touch or 16 GB iPad mini (provided by the kind gents at TrainerRoad)
• 1 PowerBar Sufferlandrian PowerPack
• 2 sets of Sufferlandrian National Kit (Jersey + Bibs)
• 1 Sufferlandrian National Jersey
• 1 year of free TrainerRoad
• 1 Sufferlandrian Windvest
• 3 flags
• 3 Tour of Sufferlandria posters
• 1 full refund of all 12 videos
• 1 free entry into the TransRockies Challenge Mountain Bike Race in BC, Canada
• 1 x Cyclepassion Calendar 2013
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “The Italian Job – Gran Fondo Recon” – 6 DVD Set
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Alpine Training” – Free download
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Pyrenean Training” – Free download
• 5x Athlete Audio’s App (Mental Training)

If you can’t sign up on TrainerRoad (I won’t be as my rollers do not plug into my ‘puter) you can join the Facebook group and we can revel in joint misery! Hopefully I’ll make it to the other side and I’ll see you at the finish line!

Stevie

There comes a time in every cyclists’ season when the gluttony of an extra spoon of sugar in the coffee or a cheeky pain au chocolat or three over the winter catches up with them and something snaps. When that happens and the balance of treacle sponge versus training regime swings towards the more energetic activities THESUFFERFEST are always round the corner waiting to pounce give you a darn good seeing to… and this time it’s no different!

THE WRETCHED works on the premise that you’ve had a terrible season, under performed at every race and the team are in desperate need of a win at the Tour de France. Unfortunately the French have gone on strike and in order to get the stage done, the TDF powers that be are going to condense the 7 hour stage into just 35 minutes, something that sounds ridiculous but you never know these days! After a quick warm up powered by the strange but enchanting rock sound of Banstead band Redados you reach the top of Box Hill, which featured in the Olympic Road Race. It was great to see the Box Hill climb in a Sufferfest video as I’ve ridden it many times and is fairly local to me, but it also highlighted the hierarchy of the climbs I’ve ridden in real life as this was merely a warm up!

On to the job at hand and all the Sufferlandrian DS had asked is that you follow every break, take the King of the Mountains competition for the day and win in the final sprint. Now if you’ve never ridden THESUFFERFEST before let me tell you it is very similar to real racing, just without the handlebars bashing into you or the crazy noob in front swerving all over the road. Throughout the video there is the feeling that something is about to go off. When you are not attacking, you know that something is going to happen and begin to beg the riders around you to give you a few more seconds respite before it all goes off again.

The early attacks ping off the front

Some slick new graphics and the great choice of music (as always) make this video one that you will love to hate from the word go. The music, all by bands that I’ve never heard of and frankly probably wouldn’t have done if they weren’t Sufferlandrian national treasures is one of two main driving forces behind this video. Everyone’s had that feeling at some stage where music cuts deep into your soul. A ballad you attribute to the ups and downs of your first love. The rock anthem that swells and makes you feel invincible. Or the fun summer tune that stays in your head for months and makes you dream of beaches and cold beer. This video has them all and with the change of scene comes a change of music and each time you get a new song you thank Merckx as it just fits so beautifully and either soothes those muscles as you briefly recover or drives you on like a lunatic.

10/10, full on, no holds barred

The other noticeable driving force behind The Wretched is the use of such recent Tour de France race footage. Taking officially licensed footage from the 2012 Tour de France makes this video a delight to watch whilst your legs feels like they are about to fall off. As with the on-screen stars of most of THESUFFERFEST videos, over the 35 minutes of pain I grew to hate Cadel Evans who backs you into the pain cave and then sets the wolves on you. Any stage that finishes with a 3 man battle between Tommy Voekler, Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt has got to have been a tough one and this training video definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Having been an avid ‘Fest lunatic for some time now I’ve done my fair share of roller riding in front of the TV and would definitely say this is up there with the toughest of the videos that have emerged from the depths of THESUFFERFEST pain cave. There is a great range of videos in the series now with editions covering all aspects of racing and something to suit everyone. There will always be the classics, the favourite videos but if you are about to buy your first training video and get on the road to glory make THE WRETCHED your first buy and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be flogged, abused and left crying in a pile in the corner, but you won’t be left wanting.

Purchase The Wretched or any The Sufferfest video right here.

Another double LovingTheBike thumbs up to THESUFFERFEST team!

Stevie

Another #30daysofbiking has just wrapped up and it’s totally safe to say that this has been the best one yet.  I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part in this event and committed to riding bikes every single day in April.  I heard a whole bunch of great stories and experienced once again how much magic can be created just by having people ride their bicycles.

Thanks to everyone who took part in #30daysofbiking by being a part of Team #LovingtheBike.  It really has been great seeing all the pictures posted to Facebook, the tweets with the #LovingtheBike hashtag, and all the support offered between team members.  Feel free to keep this up and continue to share your great rides and adventures through these same channels all year-long.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes

Thank you to Clif Bar, The Sufferfest, and Far End Gear for providing out team with some great prizes.  We appreciate your support on this event and look forward to our continued partnership over here at Loving the Bike.

Official First Place Finisher:

It was a close battle, but the teammate who came out on top with the most points was Julie Starling.  Julie not only took part in #30daysofbiking….she’s on track for #365daysofbiking.  Way to go, Julie….below is your pile of winnings:

• One of anything that Far End Gear has to offer: www.farendgear.com
• Clif T-Shirt
• Clif Beanie
• Clif Kleen Kanteen
• Clif Silver Eco Lunch box
• Clif nylon Stuff Sack
• Sufferfest Video: Hell Hath No Fury
• And…6 Boxes of Clif Product

Runner Up:

Our Team Loving the Bike runner-up is Bob Avery.  Bob is another cycling commuter….and I’m beginning to think that these commuters have the upper hand in our #30daysofbiking challenge.  Nicely done, Bob and congratulations on your performance.  Here’s what you win:

• Clif T-Shirt
• Clif nylon Stuff Sack
• Sufferfest Video: Hell Hath No Fury
• And…4 Boxes of Clif Product

Special Recognition:

Honorable mention goes out to Riaan Coatzee over in South Africa.  He did amazing and I love the way he branded all of the photos he put up on our Facebook page.  It’s been great having you on the team, Riaan.  Riaan, we’re sending you a copy of the Hell Hath No Fury DVD from The Sufferfest.

As the youngest member of Team Loving the Bike, I wanted to give an honorable mention to Kayla Beaconsfield from Australia.  She had an incredible month of riding with her Dad, Mark….and I want to thank her for being a part of our time and sending us that cute little video she put up on Facebook.  I’m not sure what it is yet, but we’re definitely going to send something out to you soon.  For now, get your Dad to give you a huge hug from the team.

Bonus Prize: I mentioned part way through the 30 days that we’d also give out a prize pack to someone who did something that really stood out.  At the time, I wasn’t sure what that was going to be but now I know.  The bonus prize goes out to Laura Faulkner and her Grandson, Sean.  Laura had the goal of beating her 601 miles that she put on last year and with one day to go she was 65 short.  Below is her story of how the final day unfolded and how she battled through:

“After morning thunderstorms rolled through the skies cleared and I was off. At the 45 mile mark I met up with my husband and those ominous clouds were gathering again. We did the next 5 miles in a full sprint but to no avail. The last 2 miles was a downpour. We ate at a deli while trying to dry out. I climbed back on my bike and started cranking towards home and of course all hell broke loose. With torrents of rain falling and lightning flashing, I rode with my husband following in the Jeep with the flashers on. Drivers that passed joyfully beeped their horns and called out cheers of encouragement like I was someone training for the olympics.

The storm started to get much worse and I really wanted to keep going but it was getting downright dangerous and I had to stop just short of my goal. Today’s remaining hours look like more of the same.  If the clouds part again before midnight I will try to reach my goal.  But if they don’t, I am just as happy because I know I could.”

Sean was an un-official member of Team Loving the Bike and joined Laura Faulkner on several of her rides in Florida.  It was great having him as a part of all the fun and we’re awarding him with a Clif Beanie and Clif Silver Eco Lunch Box.  3 boxes of Clif Product will be sent out to Laura…..she could probably use it after all the calories she burnt up on that final day epic ride.

Okay, Team Loving the Bike…..once again, you’ve made me so proud.  On behalf of my team co-captains, Ian and Stevie, we’d like to thank you for sharing in one fantastic month with us.

Happy New Year to one and all. I’m sure you will have enjoyed the festive season wherever you have celebrated it and I hope you are looking forward to a great 2012. Whilst most blogs and websites have been writing reviews, roundups and summaries of 2011, I chose to stay away from this area for two main reasons. Firstly, there are many fine writers out there who are much more qualified than I am to write such an article. Being able to write a blog on a daily basis really gets into your blood and the mind which makes recalling information though memory and your own archives much easier. Secondly, if I write about stuff that’s already happened and is in the history books, other people can check the accuracy of my research and writing and find me out to be a lazy, fantastical nincompoop and condemn me to the non-non-fiction section of the interweb. Therefor the obvious solution is to write about stuff that has not happened yet and you can’t tell me I’m wrong… yet! Genius!

2012 The Year of The Dragon

In my extensive research (stop sniggering) for this article I found out that 2012 is the Chinese Year of The Dragon and amongst other wonderful attributes such as hard-wearing scaly skin and a warm disposition the dragon is described as having “enough courage to face challenges and easily finds weak points that stand on his way to success.” A nice way to be I think. Although Mrs D has just reminded me that China beats to their own ancient drum and we’ll have to wait until the end of January sometime for the dragon magic to kick in.

2012 is set to be a great year for all… I can feel it in my dragon juice. Below is a selection of things I’m looking forward to in the coming year ranging from events and races to blogs, sites and products.

London 2012 Olympics

Bit of an obvious one really but I thought I had better lead with it. In short this Olympic games is set to be the biggest, shiniest and boldest games in history and will be a true statement of British achievement and world status. The home nation of any major sporting occasion always makes a big song and dance and gets behind their sporting troops, whether it be a FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games or World Series (!?) but being in the midst of that fever feels brilliant and it will only get better as we move closer to the event itself. Cycling as a sport has more separate disciplines than any other in existence so is sure to be a majorly exciting part of the games and of course, for British hopes of lots of medal! [Ed: I have no basis for this statement and have done no research to confirm this but someone once told me in a pub. So there.] There will be many articles about London 2012 as the months tick by but if you have any doubt about how much of a show-stopping event we are going to put on, check out the video below of the ‘V for Vendetta’ style fireworks display over London. The fireworks from the Clock Tower of St Stephens (known to most as Big Ben… that is actual factual!) were amazing. It’s a long video of the whole display to music but it is impressive to the last bang. Set aside 11 minutes and 28 seconds in your day and check it out…

Union Cycliste Internationale

2011 has seen its share of scandals and ludicrously mishandled issues that landed with a thwack on the desk of Mr McQuaid but I can’t help felling a sense of loving familiarity with the silly old git. As much as I hate the UCI sitting there quietly, doing their silent little farts in the room of cycling (which absolutely stink by the way and I wish they would do it behind closed doors or not at all) I can’t help feeling like I want to give them a cuddle and tell them it will be alright in the end. Just like that slightly musty smelling relative who arrives around Christmas who you don’t really want to sit next to at the dinner table. You also don’t want them to pass on to the re-cycle centre in the sky. So I say, “Pat, keep rocking on and try to balls up less stuff than you did in 2011 and you’ll be on to a winner.” I think that is about as much as we can ask from them!

Racing

Personally I’m looking forward to doing some proper training and racing this year. I said it last year and never pulled my finger out and organised a licence. This year is going to be different damn it and I’m putting serious efforts into competing… not necessarily winning! On the professional race circuit there are a few races I’m looking forward to in particular. The Santos Tour Down Under is only 2 weeks away and sparks the arrival of the new season. It’s a crazy race with Aussies fresh from the National Champs toting for glory along side pros looking for any early season spurt. The Ronde Van Vlaanderen will be held without the Muur this year as the finish line will change from Meerbeke to Oudenaarde. For those unfamiliar with racing in Europe, Spring Classics or Flandrian bike history, for the riders not to be tackling the Kapelmuur (and the Bosberg incidentally) is like… well I couldn’t think of something similar but its bloody weird! hopefully the race itself won’t be tainted by what will surely be a relentless media commentary on how the race will be run without two of it’s most iconic climbs. My final race I’m really looking forward to (I’m just plain-looking forward to all of them) is the Tour de Suisse. Not one of the most obvious races on the calendar but golly is it exciting!? Riders that have been absent from the Giro or Critérium du Dauphiné (Dauphiné Libere if your old school) suddenly come storming out of the gate. It truly is an exciting race and I urge you to find a feed… probably from @ProCycling Live.

Crying in pain

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times (never understood that phrase!) I love The Sufferfest videos. They don’t pay me to say that I promise. I’m looking forward to see what other dastardly montages explode out of that hellish studio, 2012 looks big for pain. A relative new kid on the block in the realm of indoor training videos is 3LC.TV. An Isle of Man based outfit that utilises the close-knit professional cycling community including World Champion and Team Sky rider Mark Cavendish. Keep your eyes peeled for a review of 3LC.TV coming to LovingTheBike.com in the near future.

Cranklist

If you weren’t already aware, here at LovingTheBike.com we have The Cranklist which is a collection of bike related blogs across all disciplines from across the world. Check them out but I have some of my personal favourites which I urge you to check out to get the most out of your cycling bloggery in 2012. Big Ring Riding is a great collection of photos and funny comments showing the hard-arsed side of cycling. Only championing the hardest of hard men it has bite-size chunks of Chapeau. Not a lot needs to be said about Cycling Tips, one of the finest cycling blogs out there and the reason I began writing about bike racing. Wade Wallace is considered by many to be the king of cycling bloggery and the excellent articles as well as breathtaking photography from around the world’s greatest races are well worth checking out. As a regular reader, Cyclocosm feels like a UK political magazine called Private Eye (I’m sure there is an American equivalent but I’ve no idea what it is). It is a mix of satirical, funny and intelligent articles from a guy who really knows his stuff about bikes and especially racing. Finally, The Inner Ring is what I consider to be the finest blog about professional bike riding as it incorporates so many up to date issues, covered in-depth and with a real understanding of the subject. I urge you to check out these blogs and others on the Crank List. I know most of my particular selections are race orientated but that’s what I’m into… this is my list not yours!

Bring it on…

There it is. Lots of things I’m looking forward to in 2012. Not an exhaustive list by any means but it’s something to be going on with. Here at LovingTheBike.com and #bikeschool we are really looking forward to a great 2012 and will be looking to push the limits. Of course we always want your imput so do let us know.

Tell us what you are looking forward to in 2012 in the comments below. You never know, your wish may become our blog!

Keep The Rubber Side Down

Stevie

As many of you will remember I spent a week in July at Le Tour with @SteamyWynndows & @AndyMWild and as a result of that trip, ended up the proud owner of a limited edition Team Sky jersey signed by the riders. Since returning from the Tour I’ve been determined to make that Sky jersey the centre piece in my lycra-man cave… less affectionately known as ‘the 3rd bedroom’. Now finally, the room is complete. The hand painted World Champion stripes are finished, the jersey has returned from the framers, the pictures are hung and the adminration has begun!

But this room isn’t just for looking at, it’s become my motivation. Where better to punish yourself in front of a Sufferfest video (or two if you feel particularly anarchic!) than in a room surrounded by memories of World Champions and pioneers of the sport!? Short of riding your turbo in Jens’ garage, you can’t get much more motivational than my new bike room! I’m very pleased with it and I hope The Sufferfest see fit to add me to their list of bike torture chambers.

So when a friend asked why I had decorated the room in homage to my idols… I answered, “Because I can!” Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

#IWBMATTKYT

Stevie

1 hour is just never enough is it? That’s what makes the #bikeschool hashtag so marvelous, it means we can catch up on everything that has been going on in the world of #bikeschool and the lives of the class. So here is another ‘Happenings’ post, a sort of two-wheeled omnibus of the #bikeschool goings-on.

Class Prefect

He might have been a bit quiet at the front of the #bikeschool classroom lately but @bikerly is given some much deserved respect as a founding member in the #bikeschool boardroom from @miklmck. Thankfully “You’re Fired!” doesn’t get said around our boardroom!

May the force be with you!

Another original noggin-box genuius supplied us with what has become my new favourite desktop background!

Flip Reverse

As the regular #bikeschool slot rolled around we were treated to 2 classroom treats. For the first time in #bikeschool history we had a bonefido Olympian, not just in the class but running the whole shabang! And it was the classmates chance to ask Lauren Cambell (@gunzycampbell) the questions. What a great opportunity!

@IanCyclingreds (a great young Irish amateur rider) may have a professional career in mind when he finds out how great the travelling is for a pro athlete!

Not content with being a rocket scientist, Danniella (@dmuheim) sizes up whether she has enough time to turn her hand to Olympic domination! What discipline will you be taking up Danniella?

Food is never far from the classmates brains. Thankfully they are often thoughts of something more nutritious than the @tacomakingrobot would like, at least I think thats what @Cyclegirl108 was aiming for!

@MarkBeaky suffered a computerised puncture but the hard working domestiques of the class dragged him back. It’s late in the season… these things happen!

EVOLness

Our EVOL friends at @TheSufferfest have recently released their new video ‘A Very Dark Place’ and also have a range of their Bike Torture Chambers on display over at the home of suffering. Stay tuned this week for a Sufferfest review from the LovingTheBike team.

Poutine!?

What seemed like a suitably frantic hour of #bikeschool ended with everyone craving Canadian poutine. Now if someone would explain what the frickety-frack poutine is I’ll be ok! I’ve only just got my head around taco’s!

And a big thank you to @RydersEyewear and @gunzycambell for a great night…

Don’t forget to keep checking back to the LovingTheBike page for some great competitions coming up. Don’t forget to leave us your comments and suggestions here and on Twitter with the #bikeschool hashtag.

Keep The Rubber Side Down

Stevie