Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

5 hours in the rain and I like to be dry.

Doing a ramp test, is there any advice as to what the starting power should be?

Im so weak that if I start where skinny and cjr’s started a few pages back, if I move up in 25w steps then the test will only last a few minutes! My inclination is to start at 80% of my last ftp test?

Not using a smart trainer?

Nope. My power numbers come from a bike mounted power meter and I just have the same old school turbo I’ve had for the past 10 years.

Surely just reverse the calculation you are going to use?

Are you using trainerroad?
Maybe I’ve misunderstood the Q

Start at 100 or 150w

Best to start at 100w and go from there. The longer time at sub threshold shouldn’t have a huge impact on your best final minute wattage.

Even if you can’t get to the end of one of the power targets, if you’ve managed to hold it for longer than before, then that suggests an increase in FTP.

Huh? Sorry, I don’t think I’m explaining myself properly.

I want to do a ramp test to estimate my ftp and also provide information about MaxHR and MAP. Most protocols for conducting a ramp test (for amateurs) suggest that you start riding at some initial power, and then increase power by 25w every minute until you can no longer hold the target power. MAP Is then taken to be equal to the power in the final minute.

I have seen several protocols that suggest people start at either 200 or 220w. If I did that then I guess my test would only last about 4 or 5 minutes. However, a few pages back skinny and cjr shared their ramp tests and they took between 10 and 25 minutes.

So my questions are:

what impact does test length have on efficacy of a ramp test for estimating MAP/ftp?

Should weaker riders start their ramp from a lower staring power than stronger riders?

And if so, how do you identify what an appropriate starting power should be?

Edit: slow post...

I don't think the starting power is too critical, although it shouldn't be too high otherwise you may see more power from anaerobic systems.

25w jumps every minute seems fast, isn’t it 25w every 3 minutes for that protocol?
Most others I’ve seen work on 15w jumps every minute.

If you start the ramp at around 50% or your FTP and it goes up 15w every minute then roughly speaking it will take 8-12 minutes to get to FTP. Then every minute after will I crease effort until you blow. Normally around 5-8 minutes

25w /min is standard. 15w/min is for elite riders.

Agree. Starting power doesn't matter. It qont really affect the result.

Just crack on from 150w. It's the final minute power that matters.

Start at 150w. 25w/min. Final min avg power is MAP.

Dont try to modify the test to alter the result. Just do it this way and keeping doing it the same way, then its respectably accurate.

Start at 150w. 25w/min. Final min avg power is MAP.

Cheers all. This is what I did.

I started with my typical TT warmup before starting the ramp test at 150w and increasing 25w every minute.

I only made it through 9 steps, which means that the target power for my final completed step was 325w (which would give me an ftp around 244w (assuming FTP=0.75MAP)) and my 1min peak power was 341w (which would give me an ftp around 255w ). I'm not sure which is the better value to use but 244w would be a closer match to my current guesstimated ftp based on recent training RPE. Both results were comfortably higher than the Garmin/Firstbeat black box test that I tried last week and felt like an underestimate.

A few of observations...
a) I liked that test a lot more than 20min test. It felt a lot more repeatable and far lower overall stress... still hard but I don't feel like I'll carry the fatigue for days.
b) My max HR isn't as high as I thought it might be. 173 is pretty much where I'd expect my 10mile TT HR to be - oddly it almost looks like it's starting to drop again in the final 30seconds.
c) You can see from my chart that I'm not as smooth as skinny or onyerbike (sorry, CJR was a typo earlier) were during their tests.
d) b and c probably due to being pretty out of shape on the bike... a long way away from where I was a few years ago, but at least it's a base to build from.

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All you can do is all you can do

HR can flatten off and that's when to stop, if you didnt die already.
Do you have a smart trainer? I used my tacx neo with a workout programmed. I have done it on the non smart lemond and it's hard.

Its peak 1 min power so the higher one. So just take 250, a d if doing efforts off that power then reduce the starting point if need be

Physically changing the resistance yourself is mentally really tough.
Got a ramp test this evening on a wattbike, going to see whether I can get someone to adjust the resistance for me when the target power goes above 320w.

Nah, just an old school minoura thing that I’ve had for the last 10 years! I guess I don’t know what I’m missing with a smart trainer.

Now I can start having some fun with intervals.

If it makes you feel better I was riding a #stupidmoney Computrainer before everyone started making smart trainers and 'racing' at Zwift and I still take my JetFluid outside to train on because even on a turbo, outside is better.

You can’t use a smart trainer outside? In that case I’m out.

I was on the tt bike on an old turbo in the rain outdoors. I had an umbrella balanced to keep the rain off the rear wheel and a plastic bag to keep the rain out of the fan’s extension lead.

Well, you could, but running all the cables and PC and shit outside is a bit of a faff, compared to just plonking the unit on the ground (yes, I know the aussie one is self powered)

Had to train on the turbo after work this week rather than in the mornings. Perceived effort at threshold is way higher than in the mornings.

Anybody else get that?

Edit: I’ve just realised this is almost certainly a caffeine thing.

Would someone please go on British Cycling (who has membership) and send me the discount code for training peaks. I forgot it.
Thanks
Click 'claim benefit' at bottom.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/mem-trainingpeaks

2019BC40Gold

Thanks.
I was close, but they seems to jumble it around a bit.