# Rider type testing **URL:** \ **Category:** Training\ **Created:** [November 4, 2018, 9:48am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086 "2018-11-04T09:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ljuvlig-bawdy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/ljuvlig-bawdy/32/114749_2.png) [@ljuvlig-bawdy](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/ljuvlig-bawdy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 9:48am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/1 "2018-11-04T09:48:44Z")
After watching this [GCN video](https://youtu.be/GdRbpdUGhDo) i was wondering if TrainerRoad has a similar test? Although I know what I _feel_ I’m good at (climbing) I’ve no evidence of this, or how to train it, or _even_ if I am actually a climber! ---
**Author:** ![Lawrence](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/lawrence/32/14667_2.png) [@Lawrence](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Lawrence)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/2 "2018-11-04T15:29:20Z")
@ljuvlig-bawdy yes TR has a similar test that covers similar physiological attributes. See the image and workout name below: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/2X/0/09b8af880892654bdc5dc7637e29e18c3f23f469.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Doughnutman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/captain_doughnutman/32/7694_2.png) [@Captain\_Doughnutman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Captain_Doughnutman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/3 "2018-11-04T16:21:57Z")
You don’t need to do this kind of all-at-once test. Here’s a link to how to do the same tests on an individual basis: [POWER PROFILE AND TESTING PROTOCOL](http://www.thetallcyclist.com/2012/06/training-power-profile-and-testing-protocol/) – The Tall Cyclist Might be interesting doing this on a rest/recovery week in between plans. ---
**Author:** ![Lawrence](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/lawrence/32/14667_2.png) [@Lawrence](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Lawrence)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/4 "2018-11-04T16:29:43Z")
Absolutely agree. In fact I wouldn’t recommend it if you want the best results. You can just scrub to the section of the test that you want to use for that day. He had just asked if there was a similar test to the one they used. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Doughnutman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/captain_doughnutman/32/7694_2.png) [@Captain\_Doughnutman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Captain_Doughnutman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/5 "2018-11-04T16:39:04Z")
> [@ljuvlig-bawdy](#): > > Although I know what I _feel_ I’m good at (climbing) I’ve no evidence of this, or how to train it, or _even_ if I am actually a climber! This test (or the SF 4DP, which sponsored the GCN vid) won’t tell you if you are a climber. It’ll give you your w/kg for that single test, but that’s it. For one thing, what kind of climbs – long 15km 5% climbs? Short 800m 15% walls? 3 long climbs over a day? 12 steep ramps in the last hour of a race? ---
**Author:** ![Lawrence](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/lawrence/32/14667_2.png) [@Lawrence](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Lawrence)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/6 "2018-11-04T17:47:18Z")
Further to @Captain_Doughnutman comments, it is unlikely you will find a test to distinguish yourself in any of those categories of climber either, except to go out and do those types of climbs. If you have a particular climb/s that you want to become better at, go to that climb and test on it, go back and train on TR, then go back and retest on the climb at some point. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![trpnhntr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/trpnhntr/32/93473_2.png) [@trpnhntr](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/trpnhntr)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/7 "2018-11-04T18:04:55Z")
> [@ljuvlig-bawdy](#): > > Although I know what I _feel_ I’m good at (climbing) I’ve no evidence of this, or how to train it, or _even_ if I am actually a climber! Interesting to see this quote today - I’m working my way through the podcast backlog and they were discussing this on an episode I was listening to earlier. Their basic takeaway was something along the lines of ‘if you are a female with w/kg below 3 or a male with w/kg below 4 don’t try to identify and train for a specific focus such as climbing, sprinting, etc - focus on raising your ftp’. There was obviously a lot more nuance in their discussion but they were focused heavily on getting people to avoid specializing before they built up their base fitness to a minimum level (the w/kg targets I listed above) ---
**Author:** ![JulianM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/julianm/32/2112_2.png) [@JulianM](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/JulianM)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/8 "2018-11-04T18:09:02Z")
One of the issues with this type of test (and all tests to a degree) have is that they largely test the type of training and riding you’ve been doing rather than what might be your strengths. It can make it a self fulfilling test to a degree - you think your strengths lie in a particular area so that tends to be the type of riding or terrain you seek out and oddly that’s what you test best at. It can be a vague indicator but not much more than that IMO. ---
**Author:** ![willball12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/willball12/32/3138_2.png) [@willball12](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/willball12)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/9 "2018-11-04T18:14:39Z")
I’d echo these thoughts. It’s arguable how useful these monikers are for our training even up to the highest level. Consider Tom Dumoulin, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas for modern examples. None of them were considered climbers, much better at TTs or punchy terrain. They’ve all transitioned and are probably better in the grand tours at lasting on a decisive climb than a lot of the ‘pure’ climbers around them. At the lower levels of performance I’d argue our potential to change the type of rider we our is huge. Likewise, if you are more experienced then you probably already know your strengths and weaknesses without having to take a test. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Doughnutman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/captain_doughnutman/32/7694_2.png) [@Captain\_Doughnutman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Captain_Doughnutman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/10 "2018-11-05T01:07:17Z")
> [@willball12](#): > > At the lower levels of performance I’d argue our potential to change the type of rider we our is huge. I second this. I too used to view myself as a climber, and I was a _really_ good climber, I just sucked at everything else! Even still, I went from climber, to sprinter poaching KOMs, to training myself how to win time trials. Even at the upper end of the pro ranks, someone like Jalabert morphed from sprinter to climber to 3 week Grand Tour winner to time trial WC – he’s been all 4 rider types! So before you pigeonhole yourself, keep asking yourself how did a guy who spent years training to be a sprinter wind up winning a time trial World Championship; they are supposed to be polar opposite physiological skills/talents. > [@trpnhntr](#): > > avoid specializing before they built up their base fitness to a minimum level The TR crew are right. I doubt many of the pro racers decided to be “just a climber” when they started out. Just think, you still have do the entire race if you want to win, which means doing pretty much everything under the sun in terms of ‘rider type’ – you have to have that strong all around base to support your speciality. (funnily enough, the title of that GCN is something like ‘Training Beyond FTP’, but that other cycling app who worked with GCN on that vid, they relate all those power points back to your FTP and work from there; so even their training methods are more of ‘training in relation to’ far more than ‘training beyond’.) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Doughnutman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/captain_doughnutman/32/7694_2.png) [@Captain\_Doughnutman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Captain_Doughnutman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 2:00am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rider-type-testing/5086/11 "2018-11-05T02:00:20Z")
> **[Want to Excel In a New Cycling Discipline? Blame Genetics Last](https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/how-to-excel-in-a-new-cycling-discipline/)** > > You can train yourself to be the type of athlete you want to be. It just takes a shift in focus both on — and off — the bike.