Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

90+ mins of zone 2 on the turbo is the stuff of nightmares

Ive done much more z2 this year and conversely really enjoyed some of the 90 minute sessions 🙃. Even did some with no music or tv, just sort of meditated.

Did build up slowly, adding 15 mins each session.

Definitely not pro but I was still hoping to race national 10 and 25 plus the amateur TT worlds in August..

Good time to be starting a solid threshold programme then!

🤮

I reckon if you live in Hackney 90-120 mins is better on the turbo as outside you're just spending a good amount of time on Lea Bridge Road which in itself can be the stuff of nightmares.

with no music or tv

Brutal

This is where I'm at. Staring into the thousandth yard with hard intent.

Will try HR and FTP Z2 later this week, to see what it's about, but probably going to settle on RPE, hand recovery is the priority, legs turning over the luxury.

True. I only ride outside for fun though, all the training is indoors, never more than 90 mins though.

time on Lea Bridge Road

Brutal

waves

Sneaky 380w ftp flex

Unintended, and not really anyway, I could weigh 110kg

I know that for ramp tests the idea is that you remain seated for the full effort to accurately gauge ftp but was in the consensus during interval training, particularly with hiit on a smart trainer? I’ve read mixed things online - to me it seems to make sense to stand and change position as you would when climbing IRL but have read otherwise

Generally speaking it's useful to train in the position you ride in ie if you're aiming for TTs, best to stay seated (and in your aero position).

If you're just riding for fitness then mix it up - ride some intervals seated, tucked, standing up, on your head.

As in, if you can squeeze more out by standing during a ramp test, should you? I would get the maximum number you can by whatever body position means, you would during a tough interval session anyway..

As long as you do it the same every time I don’t suppose it matters

@JamesQGM cheers, my thoughts too.

@onyerbike and @dbr my understanding is that standing can spike the ftp, especially during ramp tests and this is why zwift and TR suggest staying seated. But an interesting counter argument here

I guess the takeaway is it depends on riding style, I'm out of the saddle a lot, particularly when climbing. On long seated intervals, especially on the trainer I often feel like I can grind into a hole and rpm drop to the point of grinding away whereas standing allows me to better manage my effort, cadence and pacing

Ramp test based ftp tests are designed to work with seated efforts only - standing skews them.

For training efforts, do what you want though.
I normally only stand for <30s efforts or perhaps for a few pedal strokes on long 10min+ efforts

If TRs data analysis model is based on people not throwing in a massive finishing sprint and you're wanting to use TR to train then it seems pretty silly to counter their advice just for dickswinging watts on your FTP.

This is an interesting article on a few different options though:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/i-tried-5-alternatives-to-the-old-20-minute-ftp-test-and-i-wont-be-going-back

Twenty minute FTP testing is brutally hard and requires serious know-how to do it right

Eh?

If any test isn’t ’brutally hard’ (not sure what that means) it’s not a test.

I think 2 x 8 mins (ave multiplied by 0.9) is the hardest of the traditional ways personally. You turn yourself inside out in the knowledge you’ve got another effort coming.

I guess because of the pacing aspect, rather than physical aspect.
The 20min testing protocol is harder I feel (which is probably why I moved to Ramp tests and never went back).

Yeah, see I find anything with a 'rest' in it easier than a solid block. Which is odd given my TTing history but there you go. I've just got lazy/pissweak I guess.

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