Anyone start with under 100 ftp?

Last weekend my 2.3W/kg dropped a 4W/kg rider. Take that into the hills and it would be the opposite. Its why the Spring Classics are dominated by larger, stronger riders with more raw power. And a guy like Sagan is in the gruppetto on big climbs in Le Tour.

Both metrics are important.

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can confirm. first test was 162, second test after ssblv1 was 203. I wouldn’t think low volume base would add that much to my FTP, so I’m sure a good portion is knowing what the ramp test is and how to approach it.

Donated whole blood yesterday (whoops), so we’ll see where I end up after this upcoming rest week.

I fully agree that hearing “I started at an insanely low 225” is a barrier, I’ve only recently cracked that myself and still feel like I’m weak compared to my squad (got a whole thread on it)

But what I can say is this… Definitely keep at it if you love riding. Been a long road for me as well. Plenty of injuries, crashes, lack of fitness, etc.

I’m 77kg and In June 2015 I started with an FTP in the 120 range, Nov 2016 broke 190, 2017/2018 squeaked passed 200 and by end of 2019 up to 238. So, while it took a few years, I’ve doubled my FTP or had annual gains of ~15-20%.

You’ll never be “happy” with your FTP, and will always want it higher. Many of us would love an FTP of 200 when the person with 200 wants 250, etc… I struggle with this as well seeing some of my faster friends, but just keep at it if you love riding and want to get faster! This forum has great folks who can provide excellent advice (as they’ve done for me). I’ve realized im not going to be pro and those 25 yr olds still blow me out of the water, but doesnt mean i’m going to stop trying.

I’ll end with this thought:

If you quit now… you’ll end up right back where you first began…

And when you first began, you were desperate to be where you are right now.

Keep going!!

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So true.

What a great success story! Saw this and texted the thread to my sister :wave:

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I started close to that: FTP of 130 weighing 105 kg. Started cycling in April 2019.

Now, after a little unstructured training, I’m starting to take TR more seriously. My FTP is up to 178W after about six months, my weight has only marginally decreased to 101kg, but what I really care about is that, whether slowly or quickly…

As long as I keep working at it, I keep getting better.

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I should’ve mentioned I weighed like 48 kg and 5’5 M when I hit my peak so I was like 3.4w/kg which people were telling me were absurd for some with a 154w FTP :joy: I hope people read this thread and be more motivated to keep training hard and it’s definitely doing it to me!

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I started TR last January with a 149. Topped out at 170 during race season and am now at 168 in my second base season. I’m a 55 year old female and I’m 54 kg so I’m no powerhouse. I won a lot of age group races and had fun doing it!

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Got trainerroad late January 2019 with a FTP around 100. My last test was before IM lousiville and I was 188 using the base, build, specialty full distance plans.

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Just retested after ssb1 lv. Went from 140 to 166.

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I started with a 98 and reached a high of 221. I think that I will top that this season. I also went from 182lbs to 163lbs.

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Amazing work!

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Thanks all for posting. I know I’m not alone, but it’s disheartening when I see a newbie post their first ftp test at 200+ ftp.

I know I’m not under 100 ftp, but I thought I’d share my low ftp & stats. started cycling around summer last year just noodling. Male 5’7" 63kg mid30s relatively new to aerobic sports. zwift said 155ftp. just switched to trainerroad a couple weeks ago and ramp test put me at 113ftp. looking at my outdoor power estimates prior to zwift/TR, my TR ftp looks/feels right.

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Encouraging thread. I was relatively inactive for about 12 years & got back into cycling almost two years ago. I’m 52. My ftp on zwift about a year ago was 185. After (nearly) 5,000 miles on the bike in 2019, I shifted to lv ssb in mid October. Wanted three days of structured & two days/week just doing my thing to get hours close to 12 for week. At start, I rocked the ramp test with an FTP of 181! At first I thought I may have bailed too early but now, half way thru lv ssb 2, the workouts are hard enough to be a tad anxiety provoking. Feel like I’m in the right place​:blush:. I’m not trying to win anything. I’d kind of like to ride with the faster kids on my weds group rides but mostly I have process & event completion goals…and it helps my mental well being. Nice to hear I’m not the only one whose cycling skills primarily include plodding :+1:

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I am 47, In April 2019 I test 150FTP at 6ft tall and 258Lbs. This was after a Sedentary winter of 2018 and spring of 2019. I have done nothing but SSB since my April test and just tested at 217FTP and weight of 205LBs.

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I’ve only recently got a Smart Trainer, prior to that I used virtual power, which I know is not ideal but I tried hard to have everything consistent and had a consistently rising FTP of above 220 ( I must add after years of training inconsistently using TR). I would have been early 100’s at the start, probably lower.
Now I’ve got a SmartTrainer and there was some inactivity prior to getting back into it, but I tested at 150ish, which I suspect is way more realistic. I’m 6"2’ and 85kg so its under a 2W/KG.
I was in the strain gauge industry for many years (for a different industry) so I know well the inherent issues with power testing. We at best can aim for consistency (repeatability) rather than accuracy and comparing numbers between individuals I think is problematic. Comparing test to test for an individual is as good a measure as there is for measuring improvement.
I don’t think this gets talked about enough. The pure engineering behind measuring power in different places on a bike as well as the differences between two meters of the same brand not to mention all the other issues involved in such a dynamic and difficult environment mean we really should only use the numbers personally. Anyway this is a heartening thread and realistic, I do like to know I’m normal enough and not everyone is at >4W/KG.

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^^^ This

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138 ftp in May 2013 (looked at my history). This was virtual power in my kurt road machine. Took a few years off from 2015 and 2016.

Now I am at 280 but I really have moved it from 200 to 280 in the past couple of years as I have been more consistent. I am 170lbs. Goal to get to 320 by the end of the year while maintaining or dropping 10 lbs.

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You’ll be shocked how fast your FTP will pop if you stick to a plan or just ride more regularly. But always keep in mind W/kg. Absolute numbers are nice and flashy, but even if you have a 3 handle in front of your ftp, if you weigh 100 kilo, then even with you being 100w lower than him, you’ll cook em. You have the benefit of being a “lightweight” so as the power builds that W/kg will ramp up pretty quick. Ie. a 10 watt increase for you will be worth and additional .16 w/kg while for the 100kg rider it’ll only be worth .10 (marginal gains).

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I started this fall at 110 FTP and 70 KG. I’m now at 150 FTP and 60 KG on low volume plan. I’m about to fishish SSBLV2. It takes time. And don’t compre yourself to others. Nothing good can come out of it. And I see it makes a difference thoought the whole power spectrum. Max power went from 400 to 600. 1, 5 minutes power grew. I can now handle SS work, treshold work, VO2Max work. Stick to the plan and be consistant. Don’t hesitate to redo part of a plan if you feel you struggled.

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:heart_eyes:

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