Well, I've spent a couple of weeks spinning easy on the bike, getting comfortable in the aero position, and (somewhat) getting my bike legs back. So with that, it was time to perform a test day, to set up the next few blocks of training. It's been about 5 months since my last FT test, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.
The 5 minute time trial was a step back from last time, but since I haven't done a lick of high-intensity work since then, I couldn't really expect the edge to be sharp. I overestimated a little to start, and lost some juice in the last 60-90 seconds. If I paced myself a bit better, the numbers would have been marginally higher.
After a brief rest, it was on to the 20 minute block. Given what had happened in the 5 minute TT, I held back a fair bit. Good thing I did, too, since that was pretty much on the maintainable pace. I was able to get a few extra watts (5-10) for the last 3 minutes, but there was no way I was going to hold even that extra bit of effort for the whole duration. I've suffered a pretty significant drop in threshold power, but I'm not too concerned. And here's why:
There are a few reasons what this result is "counterfeited". First, the Tacx i-Magic can be somewhat finicky, so a new bike with new tires (and subsequent calibration) will produce a different result than before. Second, it's well-publicized that in the TT position, a rider will generate less power than in a roadie position. The trade-off is a significant gain in aerodynamics, and a faster speed, at lower cost. And third, as I've noted, it's been a long time since I've done any high-intensity work, especially on the bike. I haven't suffered at that type of effort for a while. When I test again in six weeks, I'm expecting a big rebound effect, and a gain of at least 15w at threshold.
Now I can set my zones for the next couple of blocks, and I'll be adding a weekly FT ride to "raise the ceiling". Check back March 29, when I crush these numbers.
Bike: 2 hours, FT test + 30 minutes zone 1-2
FT test - 5 min TT=352.1, 20 min TT=285.7w, FT=271.42. Weight=64.5kg, W/kg @ FT=4.21
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Good stuff! I can feel my own FTP ticking down with each passing day off the bike... and it's not like I'm getting good recovery in either ;)
I'm pretty sure just about every "objective" consumer-level power measuring device is "counterfeit". Studies show that SRM reads 5W higher than PowerTap on average and that the variability between different PowerTap models is also in that range... so I pretty much don't trust anything as an absolute. I guess the good news is that, aside from Bikeforums DSWs, there isn't much need for absolute numbers. That said, it would be nice to compare your previous test with this one... but at least you have power zones for interval work now.
A question for you: my commute to work is about 15-20 minutes on my fixie... the question is... do I get any training benefit from that whatsoever? It takes me about 20 minutes to warm up these days... so riding to work doesn't even really get me warmed up. Junk miles?
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