The Sufferfest: The Long Scream

     On Tuesday I tried a new-to-me Sufferfest  called The Long Scream :)  It’s an “Extra Shot” workout, meaning it’s shorter than the other Sufferfest workouts and it’s meant to be added on to the end of another Sufferfest, for some serious, hard-core suffering.

Length: 35 minutes

Format: The Long Scream is ALL time trials. Since it’s an Extra Shot, there’s no official warmup or cooldown. (Although I get a decent warmup pedaling through the introduction, copyright info, etc. at the beginning.) There’s really no recovery—you go right from one time trial to the next.

Music: alt rock with some electronica. I really liked most of the music but there were two songs towards the end that were just a bit too loud and “screamy” for my liking.

Footage: the UCI World Championship Time Trial in Copenhagen. It’s awesome racing down the Old World streets of Copenhagen—especially with some well-known riders (see Other Random Thoughts).

Difficulty: as with Half Is Easy, I made the mistake of doing a lower body workout the day before I did The Long Scream so my legs were really tired. But I think this would have been a tough workout even if my legs weren’t so fatigued. The fact that there’s nearly no recovery time means you’re pedaling all-out for almost the entire 35 minutes. The shorter length makes it doable. 8/10 for difficulty. 

Other Random Thoughts: I loved Time Trial-ing alongside the likes of  Tyler Phinney, Bradley Wiggins and Tony Martin. There’s not much storyline beyond how you’re supposed to be “schooling” said cyclists in how a Sufferlandrian handles a time trial. One thing missing from The Long Scream is the cadence meter—instead of a suggested cadence, you’re expected to match the cadence of the cyclist on the screen (which can be tough). I did miss the laugh out loud moments that are more prominent in other Sufferfests but I enjoyed The Long Scream and I’m glad to have another shorter Sufferfest workout. 8/10.