FTP results/possible gains + Stages Power Meters $99 closeout sale!

[toprock]

Still £650 in the UK got for $350 /£267!!

https://store.stagescycling.com/Stages-Power-Meter-XTR-M9000-or-M9020





Or some super bargain $99 remanufactured ones

https://store.stagescycling.com/closeout-cosmetic-blems


Catch - you need someone in the US to ship to.


Got setup and went for test ride on Saturday, 20 minute coggan FTP test x 0.95 = 246 FTP. (MTB gravel track)

Weigh in at 170 lbs / 77kg = 3.19 Watts per Kilo (sounds low!)


Got a top 10 PR up one of my local climbs, just over 3 minutes long at 4.28 WpK. 330 average power.

1. For a 38 year old how much scope for improvement would you say i've got in FTP, WpK, i've absolutely no idea how the above figures relate to a recreational cyclist.

2. What sort of intervals would you suggest to improve my 5-10 minute hill climbing (most hills round here are of this duration)


PS. The whole ride was 35 miles yesterday, with some more relaxed riding, in between the FTP test and trying out some segments, heres the full power stats

Finally peak performances over smaller timescales

 

[toprock]

Cheers some very encouraging results then and sounds like some good scope for fitness gains!

Current riding is generally riding in group one evening 20-25 miles, and generally pootling about, trying out a few segments, and longer ride on Saturday 30-35 miles, again just trying various hill climbs to better my own PRs on segments. No real proper structured intervals or efforts at a perceived power for X amount of time.

After trying the 20 minute FTP on Saturday, I've only just got over sore legs today, felt like i'd done squats at the gym Not really had this type of leg soreness for a long time!

Looking forward to trying out some intervals now with the Garmin timer and 3 second power on screen, i'm sure it will be much more intensive than my usual riding.

Are hills generally better for intervals then, than on the flat/slight incline?

 

[toprock]

Thanks for all the advice guys, sorry not had time to post back.

I've got a training peaks account now, and heres last weeks stats with the new power meter, and the graph thus far


Is 599 TSS for last week too high given the huge fatigue spike, I was super tired on Sunday post ride, but feel good today? Is there a good TSS per week to aim for when wanting to increase FTP?





Tonight i'm sat at 47 fitness, 58 fatigue, and -16 form.

 

[toprock]

10s avg here too but have got immediate power, 1 minute & 3s power on a separate screen I use on group rides when pushing on/attacking/chasing wheels.

As for tests... Depends where you're going to be doing your training. Personally my training is all on the turbo, so I would only regularly re-test on there. Lots of people will have 'inside' and 'outside' FTP's - different conditions, techniques and usually measurement.

Almost impossible to judge what improvements you can make. I'm also 38 and my FTP is currently bouncing around 230-260W as my riding is so sporadic and low this year. Once the cooler weather gets here I'll be riding more regularly with Zwift as that's the only way I think I can get things back on track. Would like to get my FTP back to what it was in the spring (273W), although would like to think I could also improve it at least back to where it was last august (290W) and maybe even reach 300W with enough time to do some training (rather than just racing).

How hard was it to maintain 290w once reached? What sort of intervals and weekly frequency /mileage were you putting in?

 

[toprock]

10s 90% of the time 3s if doing targeted shorter intervals.

I've got my lap screen setup with 3s power, cadence, average lap power, and lap timer. 3s seems ok to hold at a wattage, but find myself trying to hold the lap average power instead, if it drops i'll push a bit harder to bring it up, seems to work when I was trying some 10 minute efforts.

Welcome to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the worst can be 1-2 days after a hard ride for me!

Power training on inclines/hills is easier for me to get mentally prepared for, but as I've found recently, you can power train on the flat/downhill to an extent. However, on longer/steep descents it gets harder to ride a hard gear at a cadence that produces significant power. Taking yesterday's ride as an example, https://www.strava.com/activities/1722691543/analysis/2158/3697 , if you break that 8.52 mile loop up and look at the smaller segments, I'm struggling to get anywhere near the ~300W I managed on the uphills compared to the downhills/flat.

Thanks, i've got an old railway line nearby that goes on for miles, now a bridlepath, its got a slight incline all the way so its my new FTP testing ground I seem to prefer intervals on this slight incline, than actual hills proper where I tend to blow up too soon then power falls off cliff lol

 

[toprock]

I'm 46, 5ft 7.5 and weigh 70 kilos. I would say I've improved my ftp from around 220 ish to 245/250 ish over the last 12 - 15 months though track based training / road based training rides on a ratio of around 65/35 respectively, covering maybe an average of 50 miles a week.

At 38 you should know that your age won't hold you back from improving your fitness, not by a long chalk. At 46 I'm fully expecting my fitness to continue to improve.

Great gains in a short amount of time, 50 miles a week is doable for me

 

[toprock]

That must completely depend on each person.....wouldn't it? I've been using TP for ages and I'm still getting used to it. I'd love to have a progressive upward graph like you, but mine is so up and down because of the frequent trips abroad I make for work.



Last week I went a bit nuts, hence the huge fatigue spike. The huge dip in a month of so is a two week holiday, so I doubt I'll be able to do much there either.

Also, my TSS for last week was 926! Hence why I'm trying to recover this week.

Cheers SN, how do you get the predicted graphs going forward, are they based on future workouts added to the calender?

Are they any free training plans on TP? I've signed up for TP itself, but all the plans are $20-$40, i'm thinking of adding my own routine based on sweetspot intervals.


926 TSS oooof!

 

[toprock]

Thanks. Good stuff

It's more than just FTP though - I feel absolutely amazing in terms of health and fitness, and I'm also just a lot more relaxed in my mind too. If I look at my average speed when I started out - I got a road bike I think Sept 16 ish, then March 17 I did a first sportive - 72 miles at 14.7 mph average. In a few weeks I have a 70 mile sportive coming up that I'm hoping to do at around 17.5mph average. Really that's a fair leap - and way more than the FTP jump would indicate.

FTP is just one test - you could get a 10% gain in that specific test but actually, overall, be 15% or 20% stronger/faster/better, imo anyway. I should probably do another FTP test but tbh I'm too busy just enjoying every minute of this frankly utterly glorious summer of cycling.

17.5mph average is some nice pacing, esp @ 70 miles! My 63 mile ride/5000ft ride on Saturday was only 11.5mph average there were slow offroad technical bits, and lots of ruining hills, although looking back a few years on my hillier rides I was average 7-8mph on some lol


I guess i'm trying to get head round FTP purely so I can start training properly with the new power meter, want to make sure in the right zone, to put out some effective intervals. So far any fitness gains have come from purely trying to better my own PRs on segments and taking it easy rides turning into trying to get up hills like an idiot lol. Agree on the weather, best conditions i've ever witnessed

 

[toprock]

Scott Spark full susser, she has a lovely twinloc button, which controls both front and back together, lockout, trail and descend mode.

 

[toprock]

Aye 2.35" tyres lol have a penchant for hill climbing though, the steeper and more brutal the better

 

[toprock]

Got into a pretty solid routine since getting the power meter, 45min Spin class on a Tuesday which is really intense, Night ride on a Thursday 20-25 mile/2000-2500ft which includes holding onto faster riders wheels and everyone going crazy on different Strava segments, finally longer ride on a Saturday 30-50 miles 3000-500ft, on the Saturday ride i've been doing some sweetspot and sprinting intervals going off power too.


Had lots of fatigue on the graph, but bar legs feeling a little sore on Sunday recovering really quick, highest i've ever seen my fitness.





Last nights ride got all time gold PRs on most of the main power metric times




They all seem to be going in the right direction




I'll also do some shorter recovery rides 10-15 miles, if i'm off on Friday, or Sunday morning, just for a ride out.

Thinking of starting some short morning rides before work, they'll be 4-6 miles, would such low mileage even be worth it? Was thinking of smashing it fast as possible.