Originally Posted by
unterhausen
Average power doesn't mean too much. There are platforms that will calculate more reasonable metrics, like TSS. TSS doesn't count when you aren't moving, but you do need to tell it an FTP.
I hear ya. It's going to be a learning process to see what data I have, what are the most relevant measured or calculated values, etc. I've got a Training Peaks account that's still active but not being actively used at the moment (not premium), and I've gotten multiple emails about a new FTP being recorded from my rides since I installed the power meter. Those are just the highest power values yet recorded, not reflecting what my FTP would actually be if I pushed it as hard as I could sustain for some extended period. I haven't done that yet. I haven't ridden the last two days so I should be fully recovered from the 7 out of 8 days I rode previously. I still need to get out on a ride today, and I'm thinking I'll make it an approximately one-hour ride and push hard to the max of what I can sustain for that full hour. Then I'll have a pretty good starting value for my FTP that I can use moving forward.