Did it! At last. New FTP 275W after a 41.5k race this evening. That’s 4.0W per kilo ladies and gents.
Forgot to take a photo of the oh yeah screen, so you’ll have to settle for a foot shot
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Those can’t be feet of a triathlete? My toes are mangled!
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3 layers of foundation, soft focus, and a bit of post production photoshop
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Yet it still make me nauseous.
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Fucking manky trotters again. Avail yourself of the de factor rules laid down in the weigh in thread.
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So, my aim when lockdown started was to get to a 300 watt ftp by the end of July.
This evening’s TrainerRoad ramp test result. 
Which gives a 4.3w/kg 
Just need some time trials to enter now.
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Over a 12% improvement?! Blimey/nice! Well done! How long ago was your last test? Have you been training to the 272w ftp or have you known you’re above that and been bumping up workouts?
For context, my ftp has typically floated between 265-290 for the last couple of years. 290 is my best value attained about a year ago, and I was around 76kgs then. I’ve been following the Sweetspot base I and II low volume plan. Back in April before the first block I tested at 275. The second test at the end of May between the two blocks it fell to 272. I knew that I hadn’t done the test well though and that I was probably around 280ish shape; it was a very warm evening and I was pretty tired from work and had ridden some hard rides leading into it. But I decided to keep the value there rather than guess. I’ve pretty much nailed every single session, and focussed on keeping my power on target or just above. The key session for me has been the midweek 90 min session which is usually over-unders or threshold. It’s a really bloody hard session and I’ve made sure that I’ve had a full day’s rest going into it to make sure that I give myself the best chance of completing it. I do have to really psych myself up for it because I usually find it so hard. After the relative disappointment of the last test, I went into this one determined to get it right, so I was well warmed up, the wattage cottage was cool, loud music etc, just to make sure that it was a fair test. I’ve been super consistent on the TR plan but I think the other key factor has been rest. I’m not doing any running (injured) or swimming at the moment. I’m usually having 2 or sometimes 3 full rest days, which is the most I’ve had in a very long time. I simply can’t cope with the volume that a lot of you are doing, so making the decision to actively not train, especially when I currently have more time to do so has been hard but I’m glad I’ve stuck to it; it seems to have paid off! I think that this, coupled with the predominantly vegan diet I’m still following means that I can recover for the next session better.
Plan now is to do the General build plan. It’s got more of a mix of sessions which look more interesting, rather than everything at threshold. The real proof in the pudding will be how I go in a race, so I’m keen to get a few time trials entered, to see what my performance on the road actually is.
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Off sweet spot low volume too 
I need to quit running!
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I’d always attempted the mid volume plans, but ended up missing sessions or just feeling wiped out. So doing the low volume means nailing the 3 turbo sessions then an easy long ride at the weekend.
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Brilliant effort👍 The benefits of the taper!
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Very much so.
Great job @wheezy
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And the benefits of consistency and hard work and balance in training too, the over-unders are not nice…!
Thanks. TBF, it’s a lot easier to balance when you’re only focussing on one discipline! If I do ever go long again, I will make sure that I incorporate more rest days into my training. I think my days of 6 day training weeks are over.
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I like that … talking to a very fast older age grouper last year…
He has two rest days a week, not stretching, not a bit of weights not light swimming…
Complete and utter rest, mind you he doesn’t work… at all… has to help I guess.
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I’d thought about maybe doing some of the really light TR sessions between the hard ones; Pettit is my go to filler session, but I wanted to see if a complete rest made a difference and it seems to have done. I do think that I should Be doing more S and C, especially as I’m looking at refining my aero position on the bike and this will help me keep my position.
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Nice work. I have definitely done “too much” really. TR sessions Monday/Wednesday and zwift races Tuesday/Thursday was certainly not optimal, but with no races on the horizon I wanted to do the races for “fun”, and then see how my body responded to such volume.
The interesting part for me will be how I fair now I’m back into structure. But running will increase, so whilst there will be much less time on the bike, the fatigue from running will begin to build. I’m like you though … I don’t feel I’ve executed a perfect test yet. Always been massively fatigued going in.
The one thing I would add is just remember this. And do it each and every time from now on. The TR guys always say it needs to be a repeatable process. So as it sounds like you extended the warm-up, you need to do that in the future now as well. I imagine that won’t be hard if you now associate doing the extended warm up with a strong performance!!
The TR ramp test was exactly the same as I have always done, but the warm up was a 2.5hr ride with Mrs Wheezy at an average 9 miles per hour, so won’t be repeating that! But yes, will make sure that I’ve done a good gentle spin before executing the test. Have to say, I’m really not looking forward to the next couple of weeks, where you have to start working at the new ftp; it’s going to sting!
I did the same at the beginning of lockdown as you @stenard. I was doing TR sessions and riding with the club on Zwift and doing racing and it was just too much for me. I really wanted to get involved in the TTT on here, but knew that it would compromise the TR sessions that I was doing as they were hard enough, without also doing a threshold event for almost an hour between two TR days. I think it was @Hammerer who said recently, the only real test is how you go in a race, so while getting over 300w for the first time is a massive boost, it doesn’t really count until I stick a number on my back and see what that equates to on my local 10 course. I know that my steady rides have got easier / faster and I’m climbing better, so it all stacks up
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