Originally Posted by
jjjj
My question is there seems to be a disconnect between Coggan's table for Cat 5 racing and what people are experiencing. My FTP/KG is 3.2. I am considering trying to race, but want to be at least in the ballpark fitness wise with the other racers. This would enable me to actually gain useful experience ie... if I am getting dropped like a FRED then I will not be able to learn.
The disconnect comes in because a typical race does not look anything like a 5 sec, 1 minute, 5 minute or 20 minute test. Most of the time is spent cruising in the pack at 40-70% of your FTP but with sudden bursts at 200-400% for 5-10 sec when the leaders hammer out of a corner or up a rise. Sometimes a few hotter laps at or a little over FTP to chase down a break. And then at the end, if you are still there, a ramping up that culminates in an all out sprint.
What will allow you to stick and maybe compete is your ability to recover quickly from these bursts and be ready for the next one. That isn't shown by any single power vs. time test. You can develop the ability by doing "crit intervals" of alternating 20 seconds at 200% of FTP followed by 20 sec. recovery for a couple of sets of 5 minutes each or similar drills. But the only way to test it is in a fast group ride or in an actual race.
Note that the OP only asked for a rough comparison to a Cat 5 FTP and indicated he understood there was much more involved. I only posted the chart with the caveat that it was a guess at best. But it gives the OP some idea and also shows that there are other relevant power intervals.