Trainerroad

I've never totally liked the percent FTP descrpition. Its useful post ride. But I struggle to relate to itwhile riding.

So I think of it more as interval time.

So your FTP is 60min pace.
I think of sweetspot as 30min pace.

I can feel what a 1min effort should feel like. What a 5 min effort should feel like etc. But I cant sit on a turbo and think 'hmmmmmm this is 88%FTP'.

You can look at your max powers for different interval lengths on TR, and compare them to your FTP to get back to %FTPs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not there killing myself working out if I'm at 95%. Just that when I choose a workout I will look at where the intervals are in relation to my numbers. Normally I wouldn't care that much, but trying to balance work with training that doesn't tip me over the edge is important at the moment.

Also, your comment about the fly wheel smoothing out virtual power is interesting. How do the numbers compare in terms of accuracy?

Havent run them paralell yet.

I guess the work done is the same. Its just that I feel a smoother power delivery might be more maintainable.

I tend to just follow what TR tells me to. But when youre struggling. Its helpful to have way of quantifing percieved effort. Your FTP is meant to be your absolute best 60min effort. But we dont always feel at our absolute best. So some days I just say 'well xxxWatts is todays 30min effort'. So I still have a target to maintain.

So I forgot to tell the programme what trainer I have so I have no power readings from my first test and therefore no FTP. How can I add this in after? Surely you can if it's applying a curve to the existing stats?

Don't tell me my suffering was for nothing.

Don't tell me my suffering was for nothing.

Sometimes, sadly, it is.

Sometimes, sadly, it is.

Think of it in a rapha-esque way. Beauty in suffering and all that.

So I forgot to tell the programme what trainer I have so I have no power readings from my first test and therefore no FTP. How can I add this in after? Surely you can if it's applying a curve to the existing stats?

Don't tell me my suffering was for nothing.

You'd need to convert your speed to power, via the equation that describes the resistance curve of your trainer. Sounds like a PITA.

Do have a speed/power curve handy?
Trainerroad might. What turbo are you using?

I dont see why you cant take your average speed for the interval, and convert it using the curve.

But a FTP test is a great workout. So no suffering is without worth.

I emailed support and they added the power curve on for me.
FTP 74. Not sure if embarassed, confused or certain of malfunction.

74?

It would take you like 90 mins to cover 16 miles at full tilt?

More like 60.

My first 10 mile TT on the 23rd - is it worth filling out my trainer sessions leading up doing longer stuff or shorter sharper stuff? I'm going to be fitting my clip-ons and doing a few sessions getting used to the position and tweaking.

I emailed support and they added the power curve on for me.
FTP 74. Not sure if embarassed, confused or certain of malfunction.

Alternative: support are trolling you for the lols.

More like 60.

I suspect it would take less. But even 60mins would require a FTP in the region of 145watts.

What turbo are you using and what was the average speed for the interval?

My first 10 mile TT on the 23rd - is it worth filling out my trainer sessions leading up doing longer stuff or shorter sharper stuff? I'm going to be fitting my clip-ons and doing a few sessions getting used to the position and tweaking.

General rule for getting faster is to do shorter intervals at higher pace to get your body used to putting out more. I'd stick to 20min intervals with the odd 30min.

Sufferfest 'Hell have no fury' is 2 x 20min.
Sufferfest 'the long scream' is a 30min TT.

I'd be doing shorter, harder stuff than that and making especially sure you get your aero crap fitted asap. So, you're riding in the position you're racing in.

I emailed support and they added the power curve on for me.
FTP 74. Not sure if embarassed, confused or certain of malfunction.

Something's wrong. I could exhale at my pedals and they'd produce more power than that. Do you have two legs? Were they both touching the pedals? Methinks some calcs have gone horribly wrong..

I think some turbos produce funny power values when you apply their curve on trainerroad. It told me my FTP was about 150watts, and I'm pretty sure it's at least 800.

I stopped caring what number it was after a while and just used it as the benchmark figure that dictates your workouts. As longs as you keep increasing whatever your 'FTP' is, whether its accurate or not, the training is working.

Unless you're a sprinter and you're decreasing your max for example.. or other aspects of your training are suffering because you're too focused on some number that's not even correct.

Something's wrong. I could exhale at my pedals and they'd produce more power than that. Do you have two legs? Were they both touching the pedals? Methinks some calcs have gone horribly wrong..

Hopefully you can view.
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/820219-8-Minute-Test
Not sure whats up here.

I suspect it would take less. But even 60mins would require a FTP in the region of 145watts.

What turbo are you using and what was the average speed for the interval?

Using a tacx satori and somewhere between 18-20mph from memory.
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/820219-8-Minute-Test

Which resistance setting did you use? The Satori has more than one? How consistent was your speed?

I'd be doing shorter, harder stuff than that and making especially sure you get your aero crap fitted asap. So, you're riding in the position you're racing in.

That was my thinking. Aero crap is to be fitted tonight and position dialled in. Every turbo session between now and next Thursday shall be done in TT position

^^Yeah. I went for the easiest - 1.
Speed was not particularly consistent - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/459348003

Using a tacx satori and somewhere between 18-20mph from memory.
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/820219-8-Minute-Test

Need the setting. Then just read the average off the relavent curve to find average power for the interval. times by 0.9. Then thats your FTP.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7661/satoript.jpg

I'd be doing shorter, harder stuff than that and making especially sure you get your aero crap fitted asap. So, you're riding in the position you're racing in.

Agreed. But I was put off by it being 11 days away. So a bit late for increasing speed. Better to get used to holding the hammer down.