Losing power after training

Starting in November I did build 1 and a build phase. going from an ftp of 258 to 272 (my peak last year. I then did base 2. At the end if hiked the Grand Canyon then took the rest week. when i re-tested i got an ftp of 259. Thinking i just messed up the test I took it again the next day and got about the same number. What happened to my power. how did it drop so fast? will it come back?

The 272 could have been a one off, hard to repeat, remarkable day for you. I had one of those tests last year. My next test was lower and it was demoralizing and then it took me six months to beat that one-off test.

For me, if I took a week off and hiked around the grand canyon I’d probably need a week or two of regular training to get back into cycling and feel like all cylinders were firing.

Final thought, don’t get too mentally tied up in FTP. It’s a number for setting training zones so you are pedaling at the right intensity. Too many people make the mistake of getting attached to their highest number and then instead of training in the right zone, they are training in the wrong zone and not improving.

Thanks for the reply. I don’t think the 272 was a one off as i was able to do the workouts through the build 2 was actually doing the last week at +2%. Then I hit the Grand Canyon.

But your right, FTP is just a snap shot of fitness. I am likely over focusing on it.

Is this correct?

  • ftp test of 258
  • base 1
  • build
  • ftp test of 272
  • base 2
  • Grand Canyon hiking
  • rest week
  • ftp test of 259

did you take 2 weeks off between end of base 2 and the 259W test? Depending on which build and your physiology, maybe you simply lost top-end vo2 which is quick to gain and quick to lose. In my experience the ramp test can give more variable results depending on my top-end. The longer tests (20-min, 30-min, etc) can give different results vs ramp. They are all estimates, and individual results will vary.

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Yes this is what happened. do you think i should drop my ftp, do 20 min test to see what that says, or leave my ftp as is?

Personally if ramp estimate dropped that much, I’d do a 20-30 minute test or perhaps a threshold workout at 272 ftp and see how it felt to hold that power for 20+ minutes.

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Thanks, I have over under scheduled for tonight. so I will do those at 272 and see how they go.

Sorry to hijack, but would 20 mins give a fair reflection @ -5%? Wouldn’t attempting 40 - 60 be more like it? And how would one set the power target just + gut feel%? Just trying to understand an alternative that wouldn’t require time spent learning pacing

Ride enough around threshold and learn what it feels like? I don’t know what to say, all of these field tests are estimates. I truly believe you need to learn what threshold feels like and that means going out and riding at it for 20-60 minutes. And like you said, it can take time to develop pacing to do really long efforts.

Not had loads of that in my plan to draw upon, but happily I have Galena +1 (20 @ 95%) in a couple of days, so that will be a good litmus test.

Take it outside or inside turn off erg and learn what it feels like. I’m a school of hard knocks guy, learned via spectacular blow ups on Wed night worlds.

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