Agreed. I think the entire discussion around whether FTP tests are accurate is a bit of a red herring. All that matters is whether it gives you a suitable training benchmark.
Unless you’re close to your physiological limits and extremely highly trained it’s a constantly moving target. Short of lab testing your training will tell you. I’ve been pretty successful through my latest 4.5 weeks of ssbmvII. My “true” ftp is about 11-12 watts, or 3% below my training ftp. On workouts like Mary Austin or Mcadie I can really feel the burn dissipating just below that point, and it’s where my heart rate might go down even at the end late in those sessions. Less so when just above it. That doesn’t mean my training ftp hasn’t been appropriate.
ok, that test switches to resistance mode if you have a smart trainer and normally use Erg. Which trainer do you have?
This doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve used a 50 and 53 chainring up front, and 11-28 and 11-32 cassette. Maybe your resistance wasn’t set high enough? I don’t know.
IIRC, he has a STAC Halcyon, which is a trainer that could act a bit different from other trainers. It should generally handle the mode switches, but the actual feel and function may lead to differences.
TR did change to resistance mode 2x… First on the 5 minute wu at 105 ftp, then on the 20 minutes.
The first time caught me by surprise and it was like hitting a wall!
I have a 52/36 in front, but i cant use the 36. The cable guide to the front derailleur is broken and i can’t shift.
My bike is 10 speeds but I dont remember what i have on the back I will find out when i get home.
All i know is that there is a gap where the power would raise and the cadence would drop (significantly both).
Maybe the resistance was not set correctly, but IDK.
The gear i was using yesterday, usually works well for z3 rides.
I think, if i have had access to shift the front, i would probably have found a proper gear…
but here we are!
You can use the Resistance percentage value, to change the effective resistance you have. If the 35% (IIRC) felt too tough, just notch it down 5% and evaluate. You should be able to find a percentage that will work with your big ring and cassette, within reason.
Sadly, the mobile app has the setting buried in the Devices section. You can change it there, ahead of the workout / test, if you switch to Resistance for a moment, adjust the percentage, and return to ERG.
Then the test will use that setting when the test switches to RES mode.
I think pacing longer hard efforts is a valuable skill, particularly if you compete as a triathlete. Worth developing IMHO. My best ramp test was done in an 80+ degree garage with a Vornado fan, not the best fan but I had done weeks of training in August garage heat plus some outside rides in 100F heat. Its not as humid here, but we do get marine layers most nights as the San Francisco Bay fog bank pushes inland. My most recent 20-min test was 3 weeks ago, outside in 80+F temps but into a 10+mph headwind. It helps I’ve been doing heat training outside in the afternoon.
My next test is in 6 weeks.
I decided to keep the FTP as it was before the test.
I will consider the 20 minute test again, but i really need to test the resistance percent.
Not finding the right gear was the worse part
I knew i was going to failed from the start (going at lower power than needed and higher cadence)
Check out that awesome first 8-min test interval on December 5… Used that first interval to play around with resistance and then the second interval was ok.
Thats a huge difference. I will definitely play with this later!
Maybe even tomorrow since is an easy ride…i could play around with something else to test resistance…
No, I don’t see those as a good swap/match. I’d skip the testing now and just focus on the easy stuff and be ready for Mcadie. It’s a tough one in normal cases, so I would not be testing ahead of it. Maybe look for a different time to test.
I’m also a TTer and do enjoy the 20 mins of pain however I find that in order to pace the 20 min FTP effort perfectly (for testing), I need to know what result I’m going to get prior to doing it otherwise I’ll cook myself early or have too much in the tank late on. Looks like you had a fair bit left at the end of yours too!
With the RAMP test, it’s at the end of a 3/4 week block so I’m never 100% sure if/by how much I’ve declined/increased. So I’d typically do the RAMP test, get my result and then be confident of hitting the equivalent result in a 20 min test by pacing perfectly.
Have many of you ever attempted to confirm a Ramp Test result by following up with a TT Test?
I see a lot of TR users concerned about Ramp Tests giving them too high of a result, so for anyone interested in more accurate FTP & Training Zones … this seems like a smart method for retesting FTP.
Complete a Ramp Test to find your estimated FTP.
Follow this with a day of rest.
Confirm your new FTP by completing a TT Test, using your Ramp Test result for target power.
** Using Ramp Test result for target power during the TT Test should minimize pacing concerns**
Assuming the Ramp Test is accurate, we should be able to maintain the new FTP power for 60-minutes, since FTP is supposed to equal “One Hour Power”, but I think most agree this would also be a painful test to complete indoors. An easier and more palatable alternate could be a 20-minute TT (CP20 test).
Since the 20-minute FTP Test uses 95% of your average power for the test result, we should be able to complete a 20-minute TT at approximately 105% of our Ramp Test result (assuming it’s accurate). For those that do test high with a ramp test (or low for that matter), following up with a 20-minute TT should allow them to confirm and/or adjust their FTP to a more accurate power level.
As an added benefit, these TT tests would also make for a great training ride to start your next training block.
) and still some good effort to complete well.