Hammonjj

I just recently completed six months of cycling and I'm ready to make this my first competitive season. I just love this sport! I just bought a powetap SL to aid in my training. I've tested for my 15sec, 1min, 5min and FTP and unfortunalety, my numbers are quite low. They are in the high end of "untrained" in the training/racing with a power meter, but I am not discouraged as this is only my starting point.

Question 1a:
I was wondering, given a solid training plan, how long will it take before I start seeing results in the various categories at 12 hours per week? My current plan concentrates pretty heavily on FTP for the moment. FTP is where I felt I would recieve the most immediate benefit, ie. not getting dropped.

Question 1b:
I'm trying to come up with goals for the next season and I've managed to come up with some good general riding and racing goals, but I'm struggling coming up with wattage goals because I don't know what's reasonable. Training smart about 12 hours a week, is a 10 watt a month too much/too little in regards to FTP?

Thanks
James

Enthalpic

Too much. At first you will improve quite quickly but after that things will slow down significantly. If you have done 6 months of training already improving FTP by more than ~5W per microcycle (eg 4weeks) is a big stretch. If you do a 18week or so mesocycle something like 10% gain is reasonable.

Look at this thread, NomadVW trains like a madman and his FTP “only” went up 40W in a year.

https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bike-racing/349221-once-future-wattage.html

However, if you are overweight your W/kg may improve more consistently.

NomadVW 

Yah. Don't be surprised to see numbers go up quickly at first when you're transitioning from "no" to "any" training plan.

10 watts per month is a HUGE gain. To be honest, much of the gains will seem almost imperceptible, but then you'll have times where you get on the bike and think "Wow, my perceived exertion is telling me I'm riding much easier than what the PT is telling me."

Also realize that as you learn how to ride with a power meter, your pacing ability should/will improve. Which means, what you tested as your 20 minute power may be a little low because you could have started off the test too high/too low, etc.. and skewed the possible results. As you get a better "feel" for what FTP is, you'll test differently with better pacing and your tested numbers will improve even if you haven't actually gotten stronger - just becoming a better rider.

(This is one of the reasons I'm an advocate of the Stern MAP protocol, because pacing is eliminated from your testing)

In the last year (almost to the day now), I've lost 10kg and gained ~40 watts on my FTP. The first 30 watt gain happened quick, less than 6 months. I've gained about 10-15 watts in the next 6 months. 40 watts isn't that big a deal, but a gain of almost 1 w/kg is huge. I can only dream of adding 1 w/kg in the coming year.

JPradun

What is your w/kg now, Nomad? Those numbers are impressive. 5w/kg, with a good sprint, could get you into domestic pro territory.

I just tested at 261w at 68kg (66 race weight), which is 3.84 or 3.95w/kg. Apparently my previous test was off (277w) in March, and it was really only 246w. I've gained 15w in 7 months. At my peak, right after superweek, it was probably 275+, but I moved back to college 8 weeks ago and haven't really been riding. I really hit this this level off genetic potential. I haven't trained this year as much as I should have. Next year will be different.

This year entails a ****load of training...

To the OP, 10w/mo is a LOT. Maybe 5w/mo for the first 6 months if you're lucky enough to hold it that long. After that, it's anyones guess. You could accidentally do a mini-peak and lose wattage. Let us know, though!

NomadVW 

I'm running around 4.7 w/kg now. I haven't retested MAP recently and probably won't until probably end of December. I'll get a good gauge of 20 minute power at the end of November when I do a hill climb TT. My goal for next year will be the 5 w/kg mark, but it's admittedly a long shot. I can't get any lighter @ 6'2" 74 kg on the best days.

Duke of Kent

Like others have said, it's a long, hard road.

I got my PT after a year of riding in September 2006. Baseline estimated (from 5+20 testing) FTP of 285ish, I think. 300w for 20 minutes. Pretty sad.

Fast forward to this summer. Been cranking out intervals and doing all sorts of racing. 330w and around 310w threshold. I did 300 for an hour in April during a race, so 310 is my best bet.

A boost from 4.38w/kg to 4.76 in FTP, and 4.6 to 5.08 in 20MP. With the weight loss I'm currently working on (3kg between now and April) I should be at 5.5w/kg with a 10w gain in 20MP.

Basically, in two years of training with power, I will only have gained 40w in my 20MP, if in fact I can pull that off. I'll take it, but it just goes to show that there isn't a magic formula. You get out what you put in.