FTP TT testing results are in...

Sunday afternoon:

So I packed up the car with all the biking goodies and headed over to Village Cycle Sport in Arlington Heights for my scheduled FTP (functional threshold power) assessment test via the Computrainer computerized set-up. The test day consists of a 20 minute warm-up with four - 1 minute interval blasts that ramp-up from 70%, then 80%, 90% and then finally 100% wattage you expect to hold during the actual 30 minute Time Trial testing process. I noticed during my warm-up process my HR was not getting into the proper zones per effort I was riding the specific percentage effort at per warm-up interval…I wasn’t too concerned as I figured I would be in my proper HR zones during the actual test plus I was riding the old Cannondale once again.

Then you get a five minutes break time to stretch, use the rest day, nutrition & hydrate properly or anything else you might keep to due before the testing starts…that 5 minutes fly’s by…

So then the 5 riders testing (8 were registered so 3 were no shows…scared away?) hop back on our bikes for a couple minutes spin-up before the Coach starts the 30 minute Time Trial test. Within the first 60 to 90 seconds of a Time Trial I know exactly where my HR should be and in this test it take a minute or two longer since its not like outdoors. By minute 3 of today’s Computrainer FTP test I know that my legs are not listening to what my mind is requiring from them today. Then by minute ten I’m trying to push a smaller gear on the rear cassette but my legs are screaming at me but I keep pushing thru it. At the 15 minute halfway point I’m averaging 255 watts for the test so I work harder negative split this (good) torture.

I’m constantly on a minute basis looking for the right gear on my bike to push at a proper cadence for my TT style which is at about 95rpm. Every time I choose a smaller gear on the bike about 30 seconds into it my cadence drops way down to around 75rpm which is not right forcing me to select an easy gear to recover and I repeat this process through minute 25 where I through all caution to the wind and just went for it pedal to the floor. As I was gasping for air, lunges & legs on fire I finished the test with an average wattage reading of 263 (last year I tested at the small time at 283 watts on properly recovered legs)…not bad on some severally fatigued legs going into this FTP test.

Below I have provided my infamous Polar HR graph for my stat’s during this test. In 30 minutes I covered 10.9 miles with an average rate of speed of 21.7mph and a max speed near the end of 30.1mph. My average cadence for the ride was 94rpm with a max cadence of 104rpm. The true indicator here is my average HR was only 143bpm and my max HR was only 154bpm which confirms by current state of over-training & not enough proper recovery. Normally I can ride these FTP tests with an average HR of 160bpm and a max HR of about 170bpm…my heart just didn’t want to do it this day…oh well…live and learn plus at least I now know what I can ride on fatigued legs & body ;)

http://www.twodogzdesign.com/cycle09/022209.JPG

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