Training with Climbs versus a flat course
Question from a new guy... I am spending a lot of time doing my FTP intervals on a little mountain road behind house called Chantry. it is 3.5 miles long and averages a 10% grade. A lot of locals, in cluding Coach R train here. My PR up the route is 00:23:19, meaning there is enough room for a 2x10'(3) sessions and I have also done repeats. For longer intervals I can lengthen it by riding down from house then starting up from lower on the hill. This way 2x15' can also be done.
My question is - am I doing the right thing by trying to raise my FTP in the hills versus a flat course. Will I be able to see gains in a flat course earned by throwing myself against Chantry's granite passes? My concern is that I am making good watts, but climing lowers my cadence. Is this good, bad or neither? I understand that a watt is a watt, but am I training my self to mash the peddles in s small chain ring to make watts versus spin them.
Please feel free to tell me I am lame if I am overthinking this. 
Comments
I think it's mentally easier to stay at your FTP when doing climbs and thus easier to get more work done. You'll definitely have the fitness if you build your FTP on hills, but I'm guessing it might not be a bad idea to do some FTP work on flats just so you know what it feels like riding at that effort at higher cadence (i.e. get a better sense of RPE while riding at FTP on different terrain). Plus, you get the thrill of knowing you're going fast.
Having said that, your body is going to adapt to your riding style, so riding up a hill you're probably on a road bike, sitting up right, hands close to together on top of the bars, grinding away at 70 rpm. It'll be painful switching to a tri bike on a flat road trying to hold aero and 90 rpm.
My thoughts would be to raise FT on the hills, but as you get closer to your A race, practice how you expect to ride. If on a trainer, and you are using the newer version of WKO use the quadrant analysis tab to make sure power and cadence line up.
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/cycling/quadrant-analysis.aspx
Best training venue in the LA area. Don't over think it. That hill has been my bread and butter for 6-7 years, easy.
That's it, all you need to do. Bonus if you can do 3x.
@Tom - that is scary accurate picture you paint of me on the bike. I gotta start looking over my shoulder.....
Tom - thanks for the link. I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate Quadrant Analysis into my ride and race analysis.