Hi TR community, Last night I gained my first FTP using the ramp test method. I was somewhat disappointed in my result. I weigh 78kg. I’m 5 foot 6 (if it matters).
My result was an FTP of 114 riding for 22 mins and 43 seconds. I allowed TR to obtain my Strava data so it could get an FTP estimate.
Just focusing on the test. I used a Wahoo Kickr V5 fully updated software (no calibration needed) I rode on MyWhoosh for a around 45 mins prior to the ramp test. All of the test was taken in largest front 52 tooth chain ring and rear 11 tooth chain gear of the cassette. I found that as the ramp test approached the suggested FTP of 135 I literally couldn’t spin the peddles fast enough to meet the power requirement, for the avoidance of doubt I had the energy to keep up, yes I was pushing really hard from a cadence perspective but it felt like I needed more resistance or more gears. The trainer was running in ERG mode. I was only using a HR monitor, I don’t have a power meter on any of my bikes.
About me - Admittedly I’m not at my fittest and went from everesting in September 2024 to zero riding until May 2025. Since May I’ve completed 1676 miles averaging approx 80 miles per week mainly from made up of x2 6 mile commutes 4 or 5 times a week. I’ve been pushing on theses commutes often incorporating intervals and regularly gaining PR’s and recently a small number of top 10 KoM places on Strava. I’ve also done some club rides approx 1 or 2 a month with mileage ranging between 60 and 80 miles.
Out of curiosity I looked up my FTP result and to be informed my FTP is typical of a novice/beginner
I don’t feel is correct. Any advice would be appreciated.
Personal opinion (and I’m not a coach), do at least 2 weeks worth of workouts with your assigned FTP and see how it is. Pay attention specifically to sweet spot and threshold workouts, i.e. do you feel like you’re at or near your threshold for the workout?
In the end, FTP is a number so that your coach (or AI coach) can prescribe workouts with a given level of difficulty, not something to compare yourself against your friends with.
There is a technical problem with your config.
At this power, even at the smallest gear you should not have to spin fast. In fact, you being on the biggest gear could be the issue. I would redo the test on a smaller gear, first plateau, and see if it works better.
Are you sure you disconnected correctly from the software you used first? Dual connection can give issues, the trainer not knowing which instructions to follow.
If you are not used to it, it could be caused by the erg mode. You should keep a confortable cadence and the trainer in erg mode should adapt the resistance to meet the power requirement. If you try to increase cadence, the trainer will just offer less and less resistance
It doesn’t sound as though ERG mode was working correctly - my guess is something else was hogging your trainer.
You are maybe no good at ramp tests; I know I wasn’t and was far better at 20 mins tests; maybe it was ERG. However, the 20 mins tests on resistance mode were probably too high and my best season race wise came when I manually entered an FTP in the middle. Coincidentally AIFTP was developed just after that and it gave me a FTP on par with my manual entry. I suspect that if you go with your ramp test value AI will quickly sort you out to where you should be.
Appreciate the response but this is something else tonight’s workout - Starlight -2 was horrendous. Any time I was required to go near my FTP I just couldn’t spin the pedals fast enough my cadence and power was all over the place.
Hi ChrisDe, I’ve never used a decent smart trainer before so perhaps it is not being used to erg mode but for both the ramp test and tonight’s Starlight -2 I didn’t feel anything from my trainer at all. before signing up to TR I had it all working on MyWhoosh and upon hitting a hill the resistance was there so it’s definitely working but on TR I feel nothing.
I’m getting a feeling I’m not understanding how erg works and may need to do some research.
Harder on a hill is resistance mode. It’s like riding on a real road.
Erg mode sets the power. If set at 100 watts, spinning at 60 rpm gives you 100 watts. Spinning faster at 100rpm still gives you 100 watts. If the requested power gets high enough, you just cannot spin anymore and have to stop. You should definitely feel the resistance in a ramp test.
Do you feel any difference when you switch back and forth between resistance and erg mode in the trainer road app?
Something isn’t working like it should. You should be able to just keep spinning your natural cadence, and the erg trainer will adjust resistance to meet the exact power of the interval.
This is screaming equipment issue to me 
What other programs and devices are in range of your trainer? Is your trainer definitely connected to TR and nothing else?
Was MyWhoosh completely shut down before loading up TR? 
Good question, might be another program ‘hogging’ the connection / controlling the trainer.
You were in the wrong gear, 52x11 has the flywheel spinning too fast for the trainer to match resistance at low power, unless you think your FTP is 400W+? Try again in the inner ring and middle of the cassette. Spin a constant cadence and give the trainer time to adjust resistance.
The kickr v5 is a highly capable trainer - it would cope with any gearing you throw at it.
My money is staying on connection issue 
Some trainers hit a minimum resistance floor at high flywheel speeds, for example, big ring up front and small ring in the back. This makes low power targets hard to reach.
Lower flywheel speed equals smoother ERG control at low power, quieter, and less chance of the spiral of death, where resistance runs away when cadence struggles. It is generally recommended to ride small chaining upfront with mid cassette chain line. This would look like a 34 x 16 to 18 or a 36 x 17 to 19. Generally, your personally selected cadence is best, but ERG mode tends to work smoother on cadences between 85 and 95 RPMs. This is particularly true for people that are newer, or are returning to ERG mode. With experience cadence becomes less relevant.
I do agree with this - but it’s not what’s happening to the OP here.
If anything their experience (spinning out) would be more similar to hitting a wattage ceiling - which would be even less likely to happen using the extreme gear they are in.
General guidelines you reference on gearing is good though 
My n=1 using a kickr v5 and a 1x bike with 54t upfront though is that I can shift into the 11t cog and the kickr copes fine - I tend to keep my chain line straight.
Ok, different explanation with the same solution:
This experience is a known and normal aspect of using a smart trainer like the Kickr (which I have as well). In certain gears and conditions, especially in ERG mode, when you are in a high gear (big chainring, small cog) and pedaling at low wattage, you can “spin out” the trainer’s flywheel, making it feel like there is very little resistance. The trainer controls the resistance to maintain a target power level regardless of your speed or cadence.
High gear = high flywheel speed: When you’re in a big gear, your low cadence still causes the flywheel on the Kickr to spin very quickly. This mimics the feeling of riding downhill or on a flat road at high speed, which creates significant momentum (inertia).
Momentum masks resistance: The high inertia of the fast-spinning flywheel makes it easier to keep pedaling. The trainer applies a small amount of resistance to meet your low wattage target, but the momentum overpowers that force, so it feels like you are pedaling against almost nothing.
Inertia vs. resistance: The Kickr’s flywheel is designed for a realistic road feel, but this effect is a side effect of that design. For a constant power target, the trainer will apply less resistance if the flywheel is spinning faster, and more resistance if the flywheel is spinning slower.
How to fix this issue:
To achieve a more natural-feeling resistance and get a better workout, adjust your setup and technique.
Shift to an easier gear. Use a lower gear, such as the small chainring in the front and a middle cog in the back. This combination of gears will cause the Kickr’s flywheel to spin slower. With less momentum to assist, the Kickr will need to apply more resistance to hit the same low wattage target. This will feel much more like pedaling up a slight incline and require a more deliberate effort to turn the pedals.
Agree with everything you just said - I just don’t buy that it’s the cause of the issue here - this sounds like there is no resistance being applied at all.
Although I admit I haven’t done a load of testing around 100w.
Certainly conceivable that its the combination of the low ERG set point and high gearing.
Speaking of which…. based on the short description of the OPs background I’d be surprised if thier FTP wasn’t at least 200w (my guess would be 250w) so it could be that the initial ERG setpoint is just far too low so the flywheel is getting to fast too quickly.
However, it just feels like it’s still well in the range that the kickr can operate in - my money is still on connection issues.