This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I did the Whistler Gran Fondo last year after getting my first road bike 6 months before and my only goal was to finish the event. I rested a lot at each each stops and finished it just over 6 hrs.
This year I was aiming at a better PR, around 4.5 hr - 5 hrs, which was also the main reason I started to use TR for structural training. My FTP now is at 239w. Do you think I will have chance to finish it under 4.5 hrs with this FTP if everything else works well?
I was following SSB I & II + Sustainable Build + Gran Fondo plans. Then, this COVID thing happened and the event got cancelled. I guess this just gives me more time for base training. 