I used to test FTP in my self-directed training and then in 2025 I started working with a coach. Four months in and no tests, so am I getting anywhere?

The answer is a subjective yes, based on how I'm recovering from significant rides quickly, and without the noticeable leg soreness that used to follow a big day. The workouts I get assigned are mostly longer sweet spot efforts compared to the Bing Bang Boom intervals. I also find having a coach keeps me from overtraining, which I was doing on my own, with ALL the negative consequences. My takeaway is I'm being trained to ride better, not to race.

Good article about cycling performance, without getting overly technical. a pretty quick read. My takeaway if one wants to be their best is work on FTP, Power to Weight ratio, and Durability

Does a big VO2 max mean you're a good cyclist? | Cycling Weekly

...some excerpts...
One of those decisive factors – and one that athletes have no control over – is their genetics. “If an athlete doesn’t have the right physiology, they’re never going to be a good endurance athlete,” says James Hopker, a professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Kent.

“VO2 max indicates a ceiling,” Hopker says. “You certainly need a high VO2 max to compete as an elite endurance athlete, but it’s not the be-all and end-all”. Robert de Groot, Visma-Lease a Bike’s head of development, has recruited athletes from speed skating and a variety of ski disciplines.

All the experts agree. “What’s more important is an athlete’s lactate threshold, their FTP in relation to VO2 max,” Hopker says. “The closer that is to the VO2 max, and the longer they can operate in those high percentages, the better the athlete can perform”. Lactate threshold is the point at which the build-up of lactate outpaces its removal – elite cyclists can comfortably ride at between 85-95% of their VO2 max for prolonged periods. VO2 max is trainable but only to a certain degree.

Hopker next highlights body mass as a crucial factor – the one most likely to be Blummenfelt’s (a tri-athlete considering the ProTour) undoing. “The most important thing in elite cycling is body weight and morphology,” says the scientist. “If you think about going uphill, any additional load is going to work against you”.

Imagine, then, that a cyclist’s lactate threshold power is close to their impressively high VO2 max power, and they can ride at near their absolute max for a full half an hour in the high mountains. They’ve got the foundations for success – so what do they need to do next? “Scientific research has shown more and more in recent years the importance of durability, the ability to sustain exercise for a prolonged period of time and then perform at even greater levels – after a significant amount of accumulated work,” Hopker says. This durability – or fatigue resistance – means being able to mount a race-winning attack six hours into a race, or in the final throes of a three-week Grand Tour.