Triple Threat Triathlon: The Sufferfest ISLAGIATT Review

Monday, March 9, 2015

The Sufferfest ISLAGIATT Review

This past Saturday I had a real "first world dilemma"… it was nice out, a little windy, but plenty warm enough to ride outside. I’ve been riding in the pain cave for several months now, and part of me wanted to emerge from hibernation. On the other hand, my wife had recently bought ISLAGIATT, a Sufferfest video I had yet to experience. My curiosity got the best of me… I really despise the treadmill, but for the most part enjoy the trainer… what’s one more ride indoors?

Long story short? No regrets whatsoever.

At just shy of 2 hours, ISLAGIATT is currently the longest cycling video in The Sufferfest series. Since it features multiple mountain passes, I was under the impression that it took its name from a famous European peak of some kind… I was wrong. Instead, in true Sufferfest fashion, ISLAGIATT stands for “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.” As a side note, the most famous Sufferfest acronym, IWBMATTKYT, stands for “I Will Beat My Ass Today to Kick Yours Tomorrow.”

ISLAGIATT features amazing footage from the Giro d’Italia, and the storyline is as follows:

Like all Sufferfest videos, you represent your home country of Sufferlandria. You are known simply as “The Sufferlandrian,” and are competing for the Most Aggressive Rider award, as “voted on” by race judges throughout your journey. You face some stiff competition, including the likes of “Big M,” “Billboard,” “The Columbian,” “Gloworm” and "Bluebell." The judges vote along the way and you can see where you stand vs. your rivals.

Your fellow Sufferlandrians recently organized a “lactic acid stand” in order to raise funds to watch you compete live on TV. They are stoked for you… you can’t let them down!!

You have a sizable ride ahead of you, so you’ll want to race aggressively yet smart. Like all Sufferfest videos, you’ll be guided as to the effort on a scale from 1-10 and cadence you should target, while rocking out to a quality soundtrack. ISLAGIATT is a great endurance session that also mixes up speeds, cadence, and effort amazingly well. For example, your cadence may range from ~60 on steep climbing sections to 110+. It’s a wider range than other videos I’ve tried, and I really liked the mix.

long lines at the lactic acid stand

Here’s a breakdown of the workout:

Warm-up: 15:00

1st Climb: 15:00 (+3:00 descent)

2nd Climb: 20:00 (+5:00 descent)

3rd Climb: 20:00 (+7:00 descent)

4th Climb: 8:00 (+2:30 descent)

Run-in to Finish: 7:30

Cool down: 4:00

In summary, ISLAGIATT is a high-quality, well-structured workout that will make you sweat, yell, grit your teeth, curse, and even laugh. The commentary is great, and encourages you to keep pushing for the pride of Sufferlandria. Watching your compatriots celebrate your efforts towards the end (hilarious btw) is well worth any blood, sweat, tears, and calories you may shed along the way!

I really enjoyed ISLAGIATT, and it is definitely on the podium of Sufferfest videos I’ve tried so far. I tacked on a few extra minutes to get to 2 hrs total, which in my opinion was much higher quality than an even longer outdoor effort would have been (stopping for lights, dealing with traffic, etc, etc). It was also a far superior workout compared to turning on Netflix and zoning out as I occasionally do.

Whether you’re training for Olympic distance to Ironman, cycling events, or just to get in shape, I highly recommend ISLAGIATT. Check out the trailer of this stellar training video and others at TheSufferfest.com.