Video announcement of the course =AT2bz9aw0nE7SkCKqznv4yhaYroEuMypBe_3YzGlvOiodsxws6xsV1fbOZEJZ4p8ZEDSvEJAXY8VtbdfLcYhJxs-ddkH4yCxe6dLy3asEdsYDDGKF6qXebpdWgpoB2zxw4Sqwo_fi17DtXV-EXK7wRzMFwdHoCGbNDw"]here. Different than previous years in that it is seven (not nine) stages. Dates are 14 Feb 21 - 20 Feb 21 (although there is a 50 hour window to start each stage) here. Although they are raising $ for the Davis Phinney Foundation (as always), they claim that there is a mandatory entry fee of $15 this year - that’s new. Prizes, with odds relative to the amount of $ you contribute (or raise through contributions from others). There is a 14 day free trial for Sufferfest, so there’s that.
Comparing 2021 to 2020 is tricky due to the different number of stages. In 2020, the total minutes was 793 and an average IF of 0.90 (TSS is different for everyone). In 2021, 582 minutes and an IF of 0.89 (a little uncertain since the specifications for one stage haven’t been completely revealed - but enough is known that I’m pretty confident that these numbers won’t change much). So, that is an average of 88 min/stage in 2020 and 83 min/stage in 2021.
Conclusion: the ToS is getting soft. Two fewer stages, fewer min/stage and a slightly lower average IF vs. 2020. Practically Couchlandrian. Bring on the donuts.
There is an active Facebook community here, but the plan is to use the new-ish Sufferfest forum (here) as the ‘race village’ in 2021. Facebook opinions aside, dividing the community across two sites is the wrong move. I predict much greater community engagement on the FB site. We’ll see.
I agree that the comparison is tricky especially since the traditional “rest” day seems to be gone.
I also think that the $15 is ok as long as all or most of it goes to DPF, they even mention that they have set aggressive fundraising targets this year.
Yes, technically its “softer” but practically it doesn’t matter. You can’t physically do all these rides at 100% without blowing up (very quickly)
So given that people will ride the bulk of it at 70-90% anyway, what difference does the intensity make? its only the duration that’s really different
not to pick a fight with you (that never happens on internet forums), but imho if you did it all at 100% your FTP (or 4d) settings were off.
but maybe you are super human and i’m wrong.
Many folks complete the ToS at 100%. Maybe they all have artificially low FTP/4DP. But probably not. And the downgrade of the ToS is not just the IF or minutes/stage - both of those are small changes relative to previous years. It’s the missing two days at 0.9 IF that makes the 2021 version less compelling and a lesser training block than before. The question is - why the change? I suspect influence from the new Wahoo overlords, but I can’t really connect the dots. SF claims that the intensity of the 7 day ToS compensates somehow for the lost of two days, but that does not seem to be - objectively - true. Two less days = two less days for fundraising for DPF - isn’t that the objective? I don’t see how a 7 day ToS improves on the 9 day version in attracting donations. Maybe that is a reason for the new $15 entry fee?
All pretty small potatoes, I know - and nothing stopping a true hardman/hardwoman/Sufferlandrian from adding a stage at the front and back ends for a nine day effort. Still, for a community that thrives on ‘toughness’, the 2021 ToS is a pretty noticeable step softer than 2020.
Its possible that my numbers were a bit off. Looking through my records, I tested Nov 12, with the tour 3 months later. This test was a week removed from a marathon and I was using it to reset the numbers for the switch from my commute to the indoor trainer. Though from there, I’m not sure I can say I gained much fitness… Nov/Dec is my annual designated recovery block, and I spent 2 weeks with a serious illness in January. .So while I probably under-tested in November due to coming off the marathon, I probably only put in 4 good non-recovery weeks between the test and the tour - so I can’t really say I gained much either in that time.
My next test was then in June where I did manage to increase my FTP by about 5% vs the previous test (though with Half Monty rather than Full Frontol protocol) Even if I cut the difference and say my true FTP for the tour was midway between November and June tests I still did it at 97% or 98%.
Either way, I found it mostly fine until I got to the last weekend of the tour. There’s usually a ‘recovery’ day in there somewhere and other than Violator (which I didn’t find too bad and is mostly via RPE anyway), last year’s tour was mostly stocked with endurance-type workouts, which I can do better than the VO2-type workouts. Where it got to me was the last two days, where they stacked the Tool Shed and 14 Vice grips on top of each other. By the last day, I remember just standing on the pedals thinking if I just keep pushing, it will all be over soon and not really processing the video or even the next interval.
I’ve done it 100% on fresh FTP a few times, but it’s agony. Not 2020, however, as I was sick with some respiratory virus the week before the ToS, I ratcheted down the intensity or the 1st few stages, then back up as the Tour progressed with 100% on the last couple. I’m aiming for 100% this year, but I’ll probably need to use the 50 hour window to get the first couple of stages in, so I’ll really be more like 8 days for a seven day effort. I should be flogged for that, I know…
Many folks complete the ToS at 100%. Maybe they all have artificially low FTP/4DP. But probably not. And the downgrade of the ToS is not just the IF or minutes/stage - both of those are small changes relative to previous years. It’s the missing two days at 0.9 IF that makes the 2021 version less compelling and a lesser training block than before. The question is - why the change? I suspect influence from the new Wahoo overlords, but I can’t really connect the dots. SF claims that the intensity of the 7 day ToS compensates somehow for the lost of two days, but that does not seem to be - objectively - true. Two less days = two less days for fundraising for DPF - isn’t that the objective? I don’t see how a 7 day ToS improves on the 9 day version in attracting donations. Maybe that is a reason for the new $15 entry fee?
All pretty small potatoes, I know - and nothing stopping a true hardman/hardwoman/Sufferlandrian from adding a stage at the front and back ends for a nine day effort. Still, for a community that thrives on ‘toughness’, the 2021 ToS is a pretty noticeable step softer than 2020.
I believe they said that it was due to the pandemic. A full 9 day ToS would take a hit to your immune system, and they’re wanting to be good citizens in that regard. Same reason why a lot of their new training plans suddenly have a bit less volume/intensity.
I’m not sure how 7 vs 9 days accomplishes this, but that’s the reasoning anyway.
The last time I did this tour was when they partnered with TrainerRoad. You could get updates on how many started the tour and how many finsihed. You could see how many were in each stage and how many did not complete that stage. I recall it being extremely difficult thing to complete.
Not sure what year that all was, but soon after everything turned into monthly subscriptions so I had to pick and at the time I went with TrainerRoad, and moved on to Zwift. I keep meaning to try Sufferfest again since they are a completely different platform now than when I did the old ‘videos’.
The last time I did this tour was when they partnered with TrainerRoad. **You could get updates on how many started the tour and how many finsihed. You could see how many were in each stage and how many did not complete that stage. **I recall it being extremely difficult thing to complete.
Not sure what year that all was, but soon after everything turned into monthly subscriptions so I had to pick and at the time I went with TrainerRoad, and moved on to Zwift. I keep meaning to try Sufferfest again since they are a completely different platform now than when I did the old ‘videos’.
Good luck all.
As of 8PM CST tonight, 3,368 people have completed Stage 3. It looks like 3,829 completed the first part of Stage 1 (which was 2 separate videos).
I’m doing it for the first time on pretty much no training so I am not doing it at anything near 100%. I’m using it to jump start my bike training. It came at a good time since we have ice and snow and frigid temps this week. Plus, a chance to get used to my new Wahoo Kickr Bike.
You got me thinking about how many people are doing this Tour compared to last year. I pulled the number of riders who completed each stage in 2020; an average of 1901 riders completed each stage. So far in 2021, an average of 3827 riders are completed each stage! Over double the riders!
It may be because of covid forcing more people to ride indoors, or maybe because the shortened Tour is less daunting, or some other reason. But I hope that this results in a big boost in fundraising for the DPF!
Same for me with the weather. We are getting so much snow this time of year even the fatbikes are having trouble keeping up with grooming, so I don’t stand a chance on a regular mtn bike.
I’m doing it for the first time even though I’ve known about it for many years and I have a friend who is also doing it for the first time. I bet Covid has a lot to do with it.
I completed it, all at lowered intensity since I have barely been riding the bike, but I loved it. Over $370,000 has been raised and the initial goal was $250,000, so not bad.
I did it all at 80%. I didn’t enjoy it as much as last year, which was my first tour. Maybe it was because it was reduced intensity, 7 days or because my training partner is injured this year. If felt odd doing things in Z2 when they were calling for higher intensity.
Of the new videos:
-I loved cobbler, though maybe 2019 was just an awesome Paris-Roubaix. I forgot how much WVA chased back.
-Norway I could take or leave. Maybe it needed some music, or you need to do it at 100% for full effect.
This was my first ToS. Rode at 100%. Was well prepared. If i had paid more attention to the 50 hour rule, i would have built in a rest day - both for physical and mental recharging, but all in all i thought it pretty manageable and not quite deserving the hype I’d read about. I definitely would have enjoyed a longer, 9 day version.
I had only ridden 2 or 3 of the stages before and enjoyed trying new workouts, so that was fun. I also enjoyed the bike focus and hope to continue that after a few days off (no outdoor riding or running just yet) - maybe train for KoS without actually doing the attack on the castle.
The one thing I think I didn’t like this year was the 7 days instead of 9. Not because it was 2 fewer days, but because it meant cramming more time into the week.
Previously: 2+ hours per day on the weekend, >1 hour on the weekdays
This year there were a few days during the week where it was 1h30 or thereabouts. Definately doable, but I found it a bit harder to plan given that we all tend to think of our lives in 1hr chunks. For me, that meant one of the days I woke up early, and another day I split the videos with one in the morning and another after the kids went to bed.
Again, definately doable but it messed with the routine a bit.