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FTP Question

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Old 04-04-11 | 08:48 PM
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FTP Question

I tested my FTP about two months ago on my trainer. Now when I am outside riding I rarely get to my FTP and if I do I feel like I am way over FTP. Can this be affected by wind, road conditions etc? I know my PT was calibrated and currently is calibrated, but it seems odd to me. Thanks.
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Old 04-04-11 | 09:10 PM
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Your FTP is guaranteed to have changed (it's never static). You need to test again. Any other statements are guesses.

Just get recovered and do a real test again. If you want to test on the trainer again, that's fine, but you should start working towards a standard test.

FWIW: I don't really test FTP any more. I just know how I'm doing on certain threshold workouts, and spot check with an occasional 20-minute effort. That's enough for me to set zones/interval targets, and enough for me to track performance and training effectiveness. I'd recommend you do the testing while you're getting started in the power stuff though.
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Old 04-04-11 | 09:13 PM
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As Bill Parcels used to say, "You are what your record is". If you have been testing it recently, and it is calibrated, then that if your power output. I would take your multiple readings from the PT (again - assuming it is calibrated) more than one test on a trainer. I would look more towards changes in sleep, diet, and potentially over-training as reasons, not wind/road conditions (why a power meter is more effective than HR/Avg Speed combo for determining effectiveness.
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Old 04-04-11 | 10:23 PM
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So if my ftp is say 240, then it shouldn't matter if it is windy or the roads are bad or hilly, if I am feeling pretty good (i.e. ate well, slept well, not overtrained) I should still be able to have 240 as an FTP?
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Old 04-04-11 | 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by 18hockey
So if my ftp is say 240, then it shouldn't matter if it is windy or the roads are bad or hilly, if I am feeling pretty good (i.e. ate well, slept well, not overtrained) I should still be able to have 240 as an FTP?
Yes - that is why training with power is so effective. Your ability to ride in a headwind (powerwise) will be the same as riding in a tail wind. Speed may change, but power is what it is. Again - rather than look for external reasons for the change (which as WR said, it will always fluctuate), look for physiological changes. Weight gain/loss, eating habits, sleep, training schedule. My power numbers one week fell 80 watts after a 5 day stretch of brutally tough riding (not in my training plan...why group rides should not be your only training). I panicked. However, through rest, eating well, and taking it easier on the bike, my legs no longer feel dead, and my power numbers are up. I raced two crits this weekend, and my legs felt okay and last weeks power test proved that.
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Old 04-06-11 | 09:35 PM
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Thanks guys. Today I was doing Threshold intervals and was able to actually ride around my tested FTP on a windy day, so I guess it was just me.
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