Hi, I started mountainbiking last August due to lockdown and riding the bike mainly on road and on the hills in Scotland off road. I have an endurance background and I am a male, 53 years old.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a wattbike and did the 20 minFTP programme, I dont know if this is any good?
my stats were- Av power 275w, Av hr 167bpm, av power/kg was 4.23w/kg.
I love the bike and considering next year to enter a novice road race.
Have a nice weekend,
Allan
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Iāve taken lots of ftp testsā¦ been doing this a few years. So I rarely postā¦ sometimes they go up, sometimes down a bit. But what the heck today I got my all time high. 242 watts. Came from 236. Just finished a build session.
Age 44 male, 155 lbs that puts me at 3.4 w/kg. Ride on folks! 
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16yo NICA (High School mtb) racer here. Started at 230w ftp after riding trails for fun whenever i felt. Then got into real training and 2 years later iām at 320w ftp at 60kg. Doing strength work is a huge game changer for me. I think weightlifting especially helps the ends of the age spectrum. Trying to get to 330w by July and 350w by the end of 2021. Then 370w by the end of 2022.
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Been a year since my last update:
Previous high FTP in 2016: 255W - (20 min test)
Lots of spotty training and long time off (work) plus marathon training
Aug '18, end race season: 234W; 3.45 W/kg (ramp test)
Baby 13 Feb during SSB2MV recovery week (convenient)
Deployment, SSBMV, GBMV, and Century plans at various points.
Aug 2019: 270W (ramp test)
Season over, weeks off
Oct ā19: 245W back under 3.5W/kg as I was up over 72kg
SSBMV+, Short Power Builds
Apr ā20: 280W (ramp test), 3.98W/kg
More SSB, Sustained Power and a bit of crit specialty:
Sep '20: 280W (ramp test), manually set 284W
In September, I really started looking at my WKO5 filesā¦
mFTP was 276 with TTE in the mid-30min rangeā¦
Crashed and broke collarbone, took three weeks off. Decided to stop using TR plans and customize my own training using some TR workouts as well as my own custom stuff.
(all FTPs here forward are WKO5 mFTPs based on profile testing)
Oct '20: 249W (based on power profile testing), 3.46 W/kg off the couch
Nov '20: 260W (sweet spot block)
Jan '21: 276W (more sweet spot block) with a TTE well over an hour
Feb '21: 280W (threshold block)
VO2max block, recovery, more sweet spot:
Apr '21: 283W confirmed w/ 45 min trainer effort averaging 283W finishing the final 10min at 287W (resistance mode, not erg). (4.03 W/kg)
Excited to see where this keeps goingā¦ training at 285W and itās very manageable. I have little doubt Iāll get to a 300W FTP that I can actually sustain indoors sometime in the next 12 months. Planning more threshold work for three more weeks, probably another VO2max block and then training some repeatability into the summer race season. Might not be that far off of a 300W outdoor FTPā¦
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Just took a ramp test today after SSBLV1 and 2. FTP went up 6 watts through the whole 12 weeks from 284-290. I live at 6000ā so using conversion tables I am only 15 watts off my best ftp at sea level. I thought I would have improved more than I did since I have also been doing quite a bit of endurance paced base mileage on top of the plan. I can tell based off a recent TT that I could probably actually hold my ftp for a hour but have ānothingā once I go over threshold. I guess that is what build is for!
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Today is exactly one year since my first Ramp Test so it seems like a good time to take a look back at how things are going.
Basic Info: Age 37, ~165 lbs, 6ā3"
Sports background: Mountain biker for past 20 years, but always just for fun. Also been a distance runner for ~8 years building up to a 3:30 marathon and a 50k trail run with 2600+m of elevation a couple of years ago. Bought a smart trainer (Elite Suito) to keep myself sane while the pandemic got worse.
April 27, '20: 234W on first Ramp Test, but I didnāt quit until ~31.5 minutes because of the low estimate TR gave me so it might not be as accurate as later tests.
June 15: 260W after SSB MV1 + mountain biking
August 11: 270W after SSB MV2 + lots of mountain biking, including 2 weeks of no structured riding
Oct 18: 280W after a heavily modified SPB LV again with a couple of weeks of unstructured mountain biking in there
Nov 30: 290W after SSB HV1
Jan 12, 2021: 294W after SSB HV2 and a ton of skiing over Christmas holidays
Feb 9: 290W after a bad ramp test part way through General Build, but just kept going at 294W which worked out well
March 9: 304W after finishing General Build + XC & DH skiing
April 20: 313W after SSBMV2 + XC & DH skiing and just starting to get outside on the bike again
Overall, Iām really happy with the progress over the last year: added 79W to my FTP, bringing me to around 4.15 W/kg. Getting 1/3rd stronger in just a year is pretty crazy. I would have loved to have a year of running like that!
Next up: Currently doing Sustained Power Build in preparation for the four day Gravel Royale that Iām signed up for in August (assuming that it actually happensā¦), and planning to get out for lots of mountain biking in beautiful British Columbia.
Thanks TR!
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One year of Trainer Road:
The last number is not from a strict test but I know its pretty close. I had a ramp test scheduled but my coach had us do an all-out 8 minute effort outside so I used that to calculate (304W x .9 = 274W FTP) and then bumped it down a little since it was only one interval. I know I should stick with one test type but for now Iām experimenting to see what I like. Now Iām moving into Rolling Road Race Specialtyā¦
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Iām 48 years old and a life long cyclist. I started with BMX when I was a kid, switched to road as a teen, raced some local crits here and there but never did any structured training outside of generally and sporadically following Eddie Bās book. In the late 80s I bought a Mt bike and have gradually transitioned to pretty much 100% mountain. I rode trials for a while as well in the late 2000s, but now I would describe the type of riding I do as Enduro. I climb hills for the descent, I have no intention of racing, but I would like to be able to climb with enough left in the tank for the downs and tech parts of climbs, so thatās where TrainerRoad came in. I started on December 17th 2020 with Sweet Spot build Low, but after a bit I realized I could handle more volume, so I bumped up to Mid. Iāve fully immersed myself, I watch the podcasts (mostly during workouts), and Iāve been super happy with the results. Iām a firefighter who works a schedule based on an 8 day week and I work 2 24s a week, so Iām pretty much chronically sleep deprived. To deal with that I donāt ride on days after my 24s and that seems to be working pretty well. Iām now more than a full 1 W/kg up from when I started and wow, what a difference that makes on the trail. Iām looking forward to what the future brings. I start Gravity Specialty phase next. My increases have been incredibly linear so far, I keep expecting the plateau, but happily it hasnāt happened yet. (that 6/28 date is my goal, which I generally add one ahead of time)
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Ramp today and eeked out +1 watt on FTP! From 236 to 237!!
Actually, at 57 years old, Iām pretty happy to keep my FTP at around 3.5 w/kg.
I was hoping to hit 240 but that would have meant a whole minute at 335 wā¦ but I blame poor sleep in the past week, a bit under the weather and totally not mentally fitā¦ Maybe next week Iāll give it another go.
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34 y/o male, mid-pack gravel rider and mountain biker for the last 5ish years. Used Zwift 2017-2019, primarily picking random workouts and rides to stay sane during MN winters. Peaked at 249 FTP in 2019 (68 kg, 3.7 w/kg). I spent 2020 trying to gain lean muscle mass, made it from 68 to 73 kg with improved diet and a very structured lifting plan. That sidelined me from any cycling outside of goofing around with friends.
Joined TR in December 2020 and tested at 229 watts. Iām now following a low volume progression to build for racing gravel centuries later this year (Lutsen, Dirty Lemming, Heck of the North). After LVSSB1&2 Iām already up to 260 watts (3.9 w/kg). I love the structure and canāt wait for Adaptive Training! Excited to test after the sustained build phase. FTP progression from my last five tests:
May 2019 - 249 (~3.7 w/kg)
12/22/20 - 229 (3.3 w/kg)
1/26/21 - 234 (3.5 w/kg)
3/8/21 - 249 (3.7 w/kg)
4/26/21 - 260 (3.9 w/kg)
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Very modest gain of 2 watts today (from 230 to 232)!
But very happy as it comes after a 12 month training plan that culminated in my A event (a completely brutal 1000km bikepacking race in which I finished 1st female and 6th overall), followed by a few days off the bike (and eating like a machine), a few more days of recovery rides, and then back to regular volume after 2 weeks, but no structured training (in which I somehow set a number of PRs on local loops).
Looking forward to getting stuck into the next block, and seeing what comes after a return to structured training. Would love to get to 4w/kg by the end of the year (currently at 3.87).
TrainerRoad has really changed my perception of what I thought possible on a bike!
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10 watts up! Did a 12 minute warmup prior to the test. Happy days!
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That is amazing! Congratulations!
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Newish to TR (started the Feb) and I am having a great time training, love the forum (that you guys and gals), and the Podcasts.
Hereās my FTP history:
08-Feb-2021: 222
22-Mar-2021: 240
10-May-2021: 248, always happy to see improvements!
Hereās my notes and goals for the next block:
1.) Process Goal: Consistency = Compliance = Improvement.
a.) RAMP Test!!! = 248w for a 3% Increase. I will take it
b.) I donāt like to make expectation goals but I would like to see the next ramp step of 355w.
2.) Fuel The Ride:
a.) 15mins prior, Pre-Training: 1 cup of black Coffee.
b.) In-Training: Gatorade Lemon-Lime (10g Carb) + Maltodextrin (5g Carb) = 15g Carb. This was purely for placebo effect.
c.) Post-Training: Gatorade Lemon-Lime (23g Carb) + Plain Whey Protein (25g Protein)
d.) Total Calories = 279 cal.
3.) Listened to AWALLNATION, this works for a Ramp Test.
4.) Ramp procedure:
a.) 15min Prior - 1 cup of coffee
b.) Warmup the Kickr for 10 mins.
c.) Calibrate the Kickr.
i.) Small Chain Ring on Front Cassette.
ii.) 5th smallest gear on rear Cassette.
d.) Fan on High.
e.) Perform test!
Next Block Goals:
1.) Compliance, of course!
2.) Get more Sleep to help with Recovery. I was really feeling very fatigued starting week 3, specifically after Jepson. I blew up during Carpathianās Peak and Spencer+2 destroyed me for 3 days. I need to make Recovery a priority.
a.) Rock solid wakeup of 0700.
b.) 8-9hrs of sleep, that means bedtime 2200-2300.
c.) No iPhone, computer, etcā¦after 1930 to minimize blue light.
d.) Beer day(s) once per week and only two at the most.
3.) Consistently doing Strength Workouts x3 per week. I need to get stronger.
4.) Get my weight to 205lbs. I need to lose 3-5lbs.
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Went back from 311 to 306 a few weeks back. Reshuffled my plans because of race calendar delays (Covidā¦) and re-tested today to start a new Base phase: went up to 316. Delighted because I really thought I couldnāt properly do ramp tests, made me so nervous every time. 
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