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Target for FTP test

RumpoleRumpole
in General Training Discussions

Hi-

Test scheduled today (weather permitting).  Key fact: sun ride was 201w NP over 3 hours, with the ability to nail 212w on the way home for 15 min interval.  (Roughly 4000 ft of climbing over 50 miles.  Except for one flat part, it's pretty much constantly rolling.  What does the haus say is a good target?  (Ride had one 5 min stop to refill bottles--included in NP calc).  

I'm thinking trying to hold 235 for the test or so?  Maybe 240?

 

(Just do the test is not an acceptable answer). :-)

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Sounds like you're wanting to use Sundays's ride to predict your current FTP, to make pacing today's FTP test more rational.

    Sun ride was like an HIM in terms of time/distance. Using the NP from that ride depends on how .you felt during and after the ride. If you have some HIM experience to measure your RPE on Sunday against, then if it *felt* like an HIM bike leg, your IF was probably about 0.8, or an FTP of 250. If it felt easier, thenFTP is higher; harder, lower.

    Another check is, could you do a workout the next day? How tired are you today? If you're feeling in fine form, maybe your overall,IF on Sun was less than 0.8.

    I'm betting your 201 NP over three hours represents an IF of less than80%, and certainly not higher, so I'd suggest starting out @ 250 for the first five minutes, and work up from there.

    But if you think you really were working for the whole three hours at greater than HIM effort level, then you'll need to,start lower. Eg, 240 means your 201 was an IF of 0.83, etc

    Make sense?
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    Chris, your 3 hour output sounds an awful lot like mine, and I have targeted between 250-260 for a 30' effort my last 2 FTP tests. 95% of that yields a FTP in the 240-250 range.
  • RumpoleRumpole
    Never done a half, and I ran hard the day before (and tried to do 15 min or so afterwards). I was whipped when finished. I feel great today. I'm going to shoot for the 240-250 test range. It is hot today, but we'll see how it goes. If I have more to give at the end, so much the better. Just want to get a better sense of where to set interval ranges. Starting short course plan. (Mike--I think your VI is probably a LOT lower than mine was.).

    (My real problem is that I'm a stone in the water, but I'm going to give it a couple of workouts before I bring my complaints to the haus).
  • RumpoleRumpole
    Spectacular meltdown. There is a big difference between 74 degrees and raining (Sunday) and 90 degrees humid and sunny (yesterday). Started @ 250, then gradually sloped down. By the time I got to 10 minutes, I was done. RPE through the roof. Cooked, with an AP of 240. Dunno how much heat affects it, but when I went out for the run afterwards I had nothin', and lollygagged all the way home. NP for the ride was 190 and it felt like I'd ridden round the world. SO either not recovered, or simply overheated.

    Either way, though, progress. It's not like that was wasted time. I can guess targets for my next FTP intervals. (2x15 @ 215-220). That's faster than tempo.
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Posted By Chris Mohr on 26 Jun 2013 11:20 AM
    Spectacular meltdown...
    Yep, heat/humidity was the villain. Train with your SWAG'd FTP, and raise after a few weeks if things get too easy. I still think if you can hit an NP of 201 for three hrs, your FTP is 240+
  • cgres123cgres123
    You might also look at your 20 min output in your WKO or power agent and see what that number was. I'm sure it is quite higher than 201. With that information at least you know you can hang at that level. Perhaps a starting point then ramp it up from there.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Similarly, Golden Cheetah has a great fit/plot that you can use to SWAG your FTP. Assuming that you do at least occasionally do some short (VO2) intervals, the CP fit automatically done by GC will be within a very few watts of your FTP if you've done a reasonable number of rides (and you are using recent enough data).

    The new version of GC also calculates NP/TSS/etc in addition to its old more-or-less equivalents of xPower, Bike Score, etc.
  • RumpoleRumpole

    Curve itself guesses 222.  I'll use 225. (the magic 3w/kilo) That sounds close enough. It also makes sense, as due to the topography I change the w/o on my long rides.  It's still 2x15, but 2 hours apart.  On the 2d 15, I had no trouble averaging 215.  I know my LTHR, so I should probably go find the HR strap and run the test. I'd be curious.

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