Ramp Test Letdown

I like the idea of a “support group” for lowered Ramp Test Results. lol.
Who’s in?

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I am not afraid him…I can lift more in the gym. I can’t out run/ride him but when he catches me I can handle myself. lol

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I hear you. I just did my ramp test yesterday after SPB1 and I gained exactly 1 watt as well! :partying_face:

Ironically, I gained 30 watts doing SSB1&2. Although, I know that benefited heavily from that being my first exposure to structured training.

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Also keep in mind, you can get to a point where you’re making fitness gains that you shouldn’t expect to be reflected in higher FTP, or anyway, an FTP that is high enough that your’e sure it’s not jus statistical noise. And i don’t know if this is you, of course, but just food for thought.

First evidence, i’ve listened to at least three podcasts over the past year with interviews with pro riders where they say that they hit their peak power numbers in the pre-season, yet that somehow doesn’t mean they are less fit when racing comes around. Sounds like a contradiction, right? It’s not, because by the time they are at hte starting line they have something that’s more important, which is fatigue resistance. They are so well trained that their (already very high) FTP is not increasing much from November until Paris Roubaix in April, maybe it’s even gone down, but their ability to lay down huge watts to make a winning move with 250 km in the legs has gone up, and THAT is what makes them fast.

Next evidence, there’s also of course race fitness and peaking, where you’re increasing power at other durations than the FTP duration. And i remember from my more serious racing days that plenty of cyclists accepted that some of this sharpening would actually come at the expense of FTP (at least that was the conventional wisdom at the time).

FTP might be an important parameter but it’s only one parameter and there are others that matter a lot too. TR focuses on FTP because that’s the lever they use to direct the structure of training, which is fine. But i think that also creates expectations that don’t always make sense.

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