We Noticed – A Look Indoors

April 8, 2020

During a typical year we’d be well underway with the racing season. The list of cancelled or postponed races, of which we’ve got an ongoing thread on the forum, is mighty long.

Yet, Slowtwitchers have not stopped training. The current poll on the site shows only 1% of us have stopped training. 99% of us are moving, sweating, training, hell, I'd wager many of you are even racing.

Whatever it is you're doing, it's reassuring to see Slowtwitchers are finding ways to work up a sweat. If you're looking for some motivation or a chance to push the reset button, one particular offer caught our attention.

ALL IN on the great indoors

Last week, The Sufferfest and Wahoo announced ALL IN, a 4-week training plan designed by their world class Sport Scientist Team led by Neal Henderson. Positioned for athletes confined indoors during the coronavirus pandemic, the company is giving a free 30 day subscription ensuring anyone who wants to may take part, at no cost. That’s in addition to their 14 day free trial. So, 44 free days in total! Promo Code ALLINSUFPLAN

The company, long known for their eye-popping, lung-searing and quad-busting cycling workouts, and for their annual virtual tour round the fictional kingdom of Sufferlandria, fortified their coaching staff and branched out to tackle other aspects vital to strengthening both the body and the mind.

Their ALL IN training plans are broken out into four different categories depending on your sporting affliction and what equipment you have access to while locked inside: Cycling, Triathlon, Yoga and Strength.

Plus, just added to the ALL IN plan yesterday were three newly developed swim strength workouts for those without access to a pool.

The primary consideration for rolling out this indoor focused plan was to give cooped up athletes access to plans with the focus on improving deficiencies through cross-training and mental toughness drills one might otherwise overlook during a traditional train and race build while not burdening your immune system.

They are also live streaming workouts led by Henderson and Coach Suzie Synder three days a week (Mon, Wed and Fri) and this Friday, April 10th at 12pm EST 2x UCI Time-Trial World Champion Rohan Dennis will be on their recovery spin hosting a Q&A.

In other news on the virtual racing front…

This past weekend marked a return to racing of sorts. In one corner, King Lionel entertained the Zwift ecosystem, and gained some serious street cred from pure cyclists, with a winning solo attack in the Ronde Van Zwift, a virtual nod to cycling's famous Spring Classic Ronde Van Vlaanderen. That's the Tour of Flanders for english speakers, and he beat a cadre of pro tour riders including Mathieu van der Poel, the young Dutch phenom heralded by many as the heir apparent King of the Classics.

In the other corner IRONMAN kicked off their Virtual Racing Series with age-group athletes put to task to complete a virtual duathlon (5k run, 90k bike and 21k run) during a 54 hour window. They also showcased a pro women's challenge on Saturday with Jocelyn McCauley, Angela Naeth, Jeanni Seymour and Mirinda Carfrae and a pro men's challenge on Sunday with Patrick Lange, Justin Metzler, Joe Gambles and Bradley Weiss. Some astute observations on their bike choices and riding position were made in this forum thread from the weekend racing.

Perhaps the lasting memory from the opening weekend came when men's Kona runner-up Timothy O'Donnell mistakenly unplugged his wife Carfrae's trainer DQ'ing her from the event. However, the 3x Kona winner got the last laugh exacting her revenge in a short skit on their social channel.