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2014 Week #8 BIKE THREAD - TEST WEEK!!!

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  • Hello Peeps - back on track after a somewhat rough week due to travel/work stuff.  I have to hit the road again this afternoon for a few days, so I moved tomorrow's bike test up to today.  I had a lousy test in week 1, but felt I was making good progress over the past few weeks, so I was cautiously optimistic…. 

    VO2 increased 12% and is now 8 watts higher than it was at the end of last year's OS.  Much as I dread the Thursday VO2 intervals, they seem to be working quite well for me… I will say I almost fell off my bike after those 5 minutes …. 

    FTP increased 20%, but since I tested so poorly, the more relevant comparison for me is where I was during last year's OS at this time. I'm about 3.5 watts lower, but I still feel like I have room to improve here, especially since my VO2/FTP ratio is still high at 137% (down from 147% in week 1). I felt like I paced myself well during the 20 mins (for once, I didn't start too fast), but also didn't have much of a kick at the end, which surprised me a bit. That being said, I've got that dry cough going that I usually only get after hard long workouts, so I think my effort was good.

    So overall, I realize I can still do better, but I'm actually quite happy. Truth be told, I'm grinning ear to ear staring at my little spreadsheet that shows all my numbers 

    Good luck everybody!!!

     

  • Nice job leading us out Kate.

    I pushed out two nice tests.

                  Week 1     Week 8

    FTP             217        236

    Vo2             253        289

    No complaints as I did have the big chunk of time off from biking with the in-law family vacation.  I'll need to work hard to get close to last years numbers of 260 FTP by the end.  I'm pushing for at least another 19 watts.

     

  • Great job Kate!

    My Vo2 bumped about 28 watts to a 220, and my FTP bumped nearly 20% as well to a 186 from a 158. I too tested poorly in Week 1 so after week 1, I went by HR for a week and then figured out what that corresponded to in Watts. I have been training to a 166 FTP goal in my workouts, so 186 is a nice jump!

    My overall OS goal is to hit 190 watts. :-) On to a nice rest day!
  • @Gordon. GREAT gains! Those are awesome improvements! image
  • Wow! That was work and it hurt. Happy with the improvement, but, as always, still wanted more as I have been working harder than in past years. This is the best FTP I've had, but, really looking forward to continuing to work hard to keep it going!

    Week 1 Test 238 FTP Week 8 Test FTP 2 251

    Week 1 VO2 285 Week 8 VO2 300

    Looking forward to the run on Wednesday to see what I can do!

  • Bike test done!

    FTP Wk 1 111 FTP Wk 8 131!!! I like seeing the improvements!!

    Also, can someone steer me to the spreadsheet where we are supposed to enter everything?

    Thanks!!
  • Howdy folks!   Yet another bike test in the books. I did get a bump up, but only modest since my rotating work sched and young kiddo time are tough to juggle. I feel very good about the improvement though.

    OS wk 1    VO2 Max - 346 NP       FTP 20 min -  288 NP minus 5% = 274 FTP   w/kg 2.56   FTP Ave HR 170

    OS wk 8  VO2 Max - 353 NP        FTP 20 min -  304 NP minus 5% = 289 FTP    w/kg 2.86    FTP Ave HR 167

    Hoping to lose more weight and bump the power to get those w/kg back up over 3 and beyond where they belong.

    Happy testing everyone!   - Ed

  • I am sick in bed since yesterday afternoon so the test will have to wait. Getting very psyched to see all the great work and results the JOSers are having.

    Way to get it done everyone!
  • Mandy - under the training tab, there is a link to En Calculators, that is where we enter in the information for update to the training plan site, or I believe under the zone list on the right hand side when you are looking at your training plan, there may be a link right under that. 

  • Mandy,  If you are referring to the Heads We Win Tails You Lose spreadsheet,  here is the link to that...

     http://bit.ly/1aE0XjG 

     

  • Thankfully I was able to get outside today to do my bike testing.  My week 1 test was on the trainer and it was my first ever bike test on the trainer.  I felt like that and the fact that I had only been on the bike once since IMFL had significant impact on my first bike test this OS.

    WK 1 Vo2 - 266 NP     WK 8 Vo2 - 292 NP

    WK 1 20 Min FTP - 196 NP= 186 FTP    WK 8 20 Min FTP - 226NP = 215 FTP

    So in comparing the data from this test, it is just slightly better than the data from my Oct 9, 2013 test prior to IMFL.  I'll take this as an overall improvement and I'm satisfied with these numbers for now.  Looking forward to the remaining OS and testing again.

  • Quick test update.

    Was: VO2-285 / FTP-225
    Now: VOW-291 / FTP-232

    Moving in the right direction. Glad to see everyone's good results.
  • Ed- exactly what I was looking for! THANKS!!!
  • Mandy, You are welcome!

  • Bike Test in the books – always good when its over.

    And to quote Carl … “BOOM!” ... as I'm sitting on a 22 point FTP bump! 

    Old FTP 211 --> New  233

    Old V02  252 --> New 263

    Now to mentally shift to this new FTP baseline .... 233 is now my new normal ... yikes, cool or both?


  • Posted By Jim Sumara on 24 Feb 2014 01:18 PM

    Bike Test in the books – always good when its over.

    And to quote Carl … “BOOM!” ... as I'm sitting on a 22 point FTP bump! 

    Old FTP 211 --> New  233

    Old V02  252 --> New 263

    Now to mentally shift to this new FTP baseline .... 233 is now my new normal ... yikes, cool or both?

    Both!

  • Holy CRAP! I have forgotten just how HARD testing is! Due to recovering from surgery in December, I fudged a FTP based on some rides and last years early season FTP numbers and rode those getting consistent the last couple weeks. Sooo, this is my first power test in a LONG time! image

    SO GLAD TO BE DONE! I thought I was gonna hurl from nerves during the warm up!

    Big bump from my guestimate.

    I'm now official at:
    Vo2 Max 245
    NP of 222
    FTP 211

    Just like last year, need to bring the vo2 max up. Happy with the new numbers, well until I have to ride at them that is. image
  • Nice to see the results rolling in.  Remember to post both the good and the bad.  It's only 1 day and there are a lot of factors going in to the test.  I've had several failures in my OS FTP tests and it's helped me to learn to pace/push through much better.

    @ Jim - As mentioned both, it's cool today but when the 2X20 show's up it's probably more than yikes.  I've got some similar pain to go through next week as well with my bump in FTP.  Just remember 95-100% is acceptable for FTP rides.


  • Posted By Jim Sumara on 24 Feb 2014 01:18 PM

    Bike Test in the books – always good when its over.

    Now to mentally shift to this new FTP baseline .... 233 is now my new normal ... yikes, cool or both?
    BOTH - mostly cause no you gotta train @ that new level
  • Second week of 4 x 5' @ 110%. 4 x 5' (3') @ 1.15, 1.09, 1.11, 1.14; 10' @ 0.83; TSS 83, IF 0.9
  • Can I tell you that I get just as excited to see all the progress that everyone else has made as my own? There are a lot of big increases here, nice work everyone, so awesome!!!

    I had a good test today. My test on the trainer today tied for my highest ever test which was done outside in summer 2012. I’m pretty excited to see what I can do once I get outside. I do the 2 X 20(2) test so my numbers are a little different than most of yours. I had a good week 1 test but I was coming off from 6 or 7 weeks of poor training and horrible eating. I retested in week 3 and I think that’s a better baseline to compare my current numbers to.

    Week 3 = 288 Watts or 3.53 W/Kg
    Week 8 = 305 Watts or 3.87 W/Kg

    1st 20 minutes 309 NP
    2nd 20 minutes 307 NP
    The 2nd 20 minutes was extremely challenging. I was just trying to hold on and kept wondering when I was going to pull the eject lever. I wanted to quit so badly. The increase in W/Kg is also a result of losing about 8 pounds since the beginning of the OS.

    I have a feeling that the next 6.5 weeks is going to be a lot tougher than the last 7.5! I’m not sure how much more I can increase my FTP but I’m going to keep working hard. Body comp will continue to be a big focus for me.

    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/451059433 Lap 2 is my test.
    http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/774576-No-Guts-No-Glory
    FTP Test:
    Duration: 42:00
    Work: 761 kJ
    TSS: 69.9 (intensity factor 1)
    Norm Power: 305
    VI: 1.01
    Min Max Avg
    Power: 0 601 302 watts
    Heart Rate: 125 176 165 bpm
    Cadence: 31 103 88 rpm
  • Congrats to all...especially Doug. That is just monstrous power!

    I hate, despise and loathe the bike test, but I improved my FTP from 220 to 243 tonight even though I didn't feel particularly recovered from the hole I put myself in over the weekend. Because I continue to follow the same Spinervals test protocol over the years, I don't have a VO2 test. Coach Troy uses a 30 min warm-up that includes 3x30 secs hard, 3 mins really hard, and 3 x 1 min really hard. There is also 3 x 20 secs all out after the 20 min test. I was on the bike 62 mins with TSS = 88.7. Ran 2.24 miles afterwards plus 5 x 20 secs strides.

    Anyway, I am glad to be above last year's injury plagued FTP high of 230.
  • I've been off the last couple of weeks getting ready for and then racing my A winter race, the American Birkebeiner. I'll post a full race report later in the week, but the short story is that there are days in skiing when fitness and skis come together, and Saturday was one of those days for me. My time was 12' slower than last year, but since we had 10" of new snow the skiing was considerably slower. Last year I was 2051 out of 3857 and 205 out of 318 in AG. This year I aged up (45-49 now), but my 4:00:29 time got me into 997/3774 overall and 108/377 AG., so a huge jump up in the standings. As a reference point the guy who came in 997th last year skied the race in 3:20, so the course had a big impact. Anyway, I'm back at it, so looking forward to jumping back in. I'm not going to test this week…I'll just keep the 210 I got 2 weeks ago…started at 190, so I'm up 10%. Have fun everyone!
  • Numbers still low compared to two years ago when I was laser focused, but good to see some gains on the bike.

    Week 1
    VO2 - 213
    FTP - 166

    Week 8
    VO2 - 236
    FTP - 192
  • I got mine done. Skipped ahead to next week (I think) and did 2 x 12" @ 100%. Legs were a little tired but got it done. Have fun everyone!
  • Bike test complete!

    Old VO2 289
    Old FTP 236

    New VO2 300
    New FTP 264 (nP = 278)

    First 10' of the 20' interval nP = 262
    Second 10' of the 20' interval nP = 292

    Cheers

    Greg

  • @ Bill that is awesome, what a huge improvement!!
  • @ Bill McK, Strong work @ the Birkie, must fell good!
  • @ Bill McK, Strong work @ the Birkie, must fell good!
  • Kinda disappointed but at least I made a little gain in the FTP. I went up from 275W to 280W (NP was 294W) and it was probably due to going out too hard. I had a target in mind based on how I did on the on VO2max 5' effort. I went up from 316W to 342W (NP). Alas. At least my weight has held in the mid-160's. I should take comfort in knowing it's essentially July 2013 (my peak W/Kg last year) in February 2014 for me.

    http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/...inute-Test

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