Are you planning on doing the 20 minute or the 2×8 min test? The biggest key to your first FTP test is to not go out too hard, which is especially true on the 2×8 version of the test. Your mind tends to play tricks on you during the first 2 minutes regarding how short/long 8 minutes actually is. You want to start strong, but control your effort so that power doesn’t slowly drop off as you go through the interval.

Regarding Sweet Spot vs Traditional Base, it’s largely up to how your season is laid out and whether or not you have time for the additional block of training. Check out this post on deciding between the two from Coach Chad: Sweet Spot Vs. Traditional Base
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Professional Mtb Racer & Community Manager at TrainerRoad – Cycling’s Most Effective Training Tool

Anyone having issues with the trainerroad website? Getting ‘too many redirects’ all other websites fine..

Anyone having issues with the trainerroad website? Getting ‘too many redirects’ all other websites fine..

Been a bit slow at times, had to stop loading the page then immediately refresh to get a page to load.

Running ping and traceroute is a bit awkward as it looks like their firewall drops ICMP packets

I’m currently working my way through the mid volume sweet spot base plan. I’ve been replacing the 2h30 trainer sessions with 2-3h sessions on the road and so far it seems to be going well.

Next week I’ve got the week off work and I’m thinking of sacking off TR for the week and getting 3 or 4 good length Z2 base rides in instead if the weather’s not too bad.
Would this be likely to have any adverse effects on my training?

Not, more likely the opposite. For most people getting outside and actually riding as opposed to banging out sessions refreshes the mind and helps them cope with the riggers of the turbo.

Opinion given knowing nothing about your training plans but assumed that sweet spot and November means no racing in the near future

Guys just got myself a set of rollers. I want to start using trainer road.
What is the cheapest option for me to set it up?
I need to buy a speed sensor, Do I need a compatible garmin or can I hook it up to my laptop directly some way?
Cheers

No racing for me until next year now, I’m training towards doing some 12h races next year so aiming to build up a good base during the winter.
I’m hoping that a good few longer base rides during the winter months will help with it.

8 minute test part 2 completed at the appropriate res. level. Enjoyed that. Will that change?

@howsyourdad1 you didn’t ride hard enough if you enjoyed it 😀

@robbie for rollers your need a rear wheel speed sensor and optionally a cadence sensor. You don’t need a Garmin as your laptop is effectively the head unit. I seem to remember that decathlon had bike ANT+/Bluetooth sensors. Your laptop will also need ANT+/Bluetooth receiver. For laptop also read, iPad, tablet, smartphone

I spent 45 minutes riding the new Do As Your Told Sufferfest film tonight, lots of explosive sprints, which on rollers is pretty hard to do. Felt quite easy so either I had good legs of the FTP needs increasing.

@swedishchef I enjoyed the feeling afterwards is perhaps a better description !

I made my first custom workout (Sprint_OverUnder)

I then failed to complete my own workout 😳

It was essentially bear creek with a longer warm-up and then with 1min sprints at 130ftp before the overunders. Into the third set I caved. In my defence, its been a long day and I knew I had work stuff to do for a 9am meeting so that was playing on my mind.

Well that was a humiliating evening. Last ftp test was mid-july about a week after I’d done 7 days of riding and was 294 which was my best ever. Not really ridden a lot since mid-september and nothing for last two weeks. Started the test at 95% but quickly realized that wasn’t going to work so stopped; spun for 10 minutes and then reset the workout. New ftp is 246. My dream of being 300+ by next June suddenly seems a long wayaway. Wondering if other people have had such big swings between on form and off form as I need to gain 20% just to get back to my pb. I knew I’d lost fitness but even so. Power2max meter so don’t think anything has changed there but will calibrate before next ride just to make sure.

Yep. I lost 12% over 4 weeks with a virus.

I did Jepsom tonight, that last 8 minutes was tough, maybe I should have kept to the 320w sprints rather than shooting at 450… but I felt I got a lot out of it. I wasn’t in difficulty with the FTP intervals so I’m wondering whether I can inch it up a couple of watts…

Ebbetts tonight, first one at the new FTP which seems much more like my limit.

I was estimating around 10% higher than previous taking the switch to a left sided PM into account, felt about right as I was sailing pretty close by the last interval.

So either the virtual power curve is marginally high for my trainer, or I’m about 45-55% left-right. Or more likely a bit of both…

Carson tonight (postponed from last night as I rode to work yesterday knowing that with today’s crap forecast I’d have a rest beforehand today). Didn’t find it at all hard other than trying to pedal at 75rpm!

Joined the STW team as a bit of encouragement to keep going with a plan this winter. Doing the sweetspot mid volume, missing out the steady rides as I ride most days and the turbo is a fill in to get more intensity in winter. Focusing on form, in particular cadence, is going to be good for me as trying to get more leg speed. 75 is ok for me, 120 is interesting !!

75 felt like an absolute crawl to me, it was horrible! Not really surprising though considering that my natural cadence seems to be 95-100rpm!

hi all, just finished whorl, my first real session after 2 ftp tests.

Not sure how i feel really, should i be exhausted and seeing stars? Was not that difficult and i found that i was a comfortable 10-15 over the recommended power level. Just loking for a little guidance on intensity level etc.

martininsweden on the singletrack group.

thanks!

i usually ignore the cadence drills, as they are way below was i naturally spin at – i just look to hit the figures, watts is watts

whorl?

Whorl consists of an hour & 15 minutes of aerobic Endurance work spent between 60-75% FTP.

thats why you found it easy, you should be able to ride all day at 60% of FTP

id only do whorl if i was doing a large amount of hours per week, its almost a recovery ride

oh ok. its part of low volume bass training so i guess is more of a intro into the technique. thats good to hear thanks

Use the TSS and IF scores to determine the hardness of the session.

A TSS of 100 means riding at your FTP for one hour, so max and pretty much unachievable. Anything that’s over 85 and 60 minutes in length is going to feel damn hard.

Thanks @swedishchef . With regard to the power output though, should I be aiming to match it exactly , or is 10-15 over ok . I.e that 10-15 over felt comfortable to do .

Just done Eclipse – that was hard! Didn’t quite make it to the end of the last interval.

One thing I’ve found this year is that I’m able to hold my power output within a Watt or two of the target power – obviously there’s some fluctuation going on (I’ve got 3 second smoothing applied) but last year I’d be varying by up to ten Watts. @howsyourdad – if your FTP is right then you should be aiming to keep close to the target Wattage as the different levels work different parts of your system, not every session is eyeballs out 😛

I vary by about 10 (no smoothing) just altering cadence by 2 gives a big swing. Getting better at holding it though.

Givens plus three for me today, but I stupidly decided to see if I could go all out on the last set instead of keeping to recommended power which ruined the set.

Why is everyone doing intervals/anaerobic in the middle of winter?

If you’re doing the base training plan but doing the entire session at 10-15 watts more than required then you aren’t really doing base training anymore. (On the assumption that your FTP is correct). IMO

It’s kinda a no mans zone, slightly lower than sweet spot, but harder than what’s specified for traditional base.

Whether it makes a difference, I don’t know, but I assume the coaches at TR have set those levels for a reason.

Why is everyone doing intervals/anaerobic in the middle of winter?

Because we work 40+ hours a week and can’t train like pro’s so interval training is a more effective and efficient way to train.

first round of soggy bottom XC series in 6 weeks.

Ok so sounds like I should either up my ftp a little or drop back on the power? Thing is that it was saying to have a cadence of 90 I think , and to get that and keep the power output exactly as they say was difficult

adsh – Member
Why is everyone doing intervals/anaerobic in the middle of winter?

CYCLOCROSS!!.

That’s mt reason anyway, last raced on 1st and not racing till 29th so doing a little two week traing block at them moment.

The thing I’m struggling with is how to structure my training after my last race ( 20th December) to get the best prep for the xc season. Assuming the first regional race will be early March, and assuming that I just ride for fun over Xmas I’ll have 2 months. So one month sweet spot one moth build or just base and accept I won’t be at peak for the first race of the year but then build through March/April and be ready for May/June? I’m thinking given the bigger gaps between xc races rather than cross I’ll do a speciality plan through the season. A key event for me is the national at fforest fields as being under 9 stone I’m a good climber

jam bo – Member
first round of soggy bottom XC series in 6 weeks.

Might come down to do some of these as no winter series in Wales this year.

It takes a bit of practice to find the resistance/gearing/cadence that matches a particular Wattage but even so some power levels are not easy to get to particularly with regards cadence. I’m assuming that you weren’t in bottom gear?

I’ve an old turbo trainer but TR have its power curves so I played around a bit and settled on one that let me use the full range of gears and get something that felt OK, even so some of the lower power levels aren’t easy to achieve with a sensible cadence. You might need to do this.

What do people watch whilst on the turbo?

So, I’ve departed the Sufferfest videos because following a TR plan. Yesterday, 2 hour session on the turbo and had UCI youtube on and some music..was ok but became a bit dull…

What do people watch? Any inspirations out there? Or, is that the nature of the longer sessions and I just have to suck it up?

What do people watch? Any inspirations out there? Or, is that the nature of the longer sessions and I just have to suck it up?

either nothing – just music. or cycling on youtube; CX or classics. sometimes on mute with music.

Not done any of the really long steady sessions – too much like the old school “get on turbo and just pedal” style sessions. Up to 90mins I’ve not bothered with anything, it’s been a case of settle in for the next X minutes then relax or change cadence or whatever.

Generally, it’s best not to think! It’s not riding outside and comparing (and moaning about it as if it is) is missing the point.

Alan partridge audio book at the moment

What do people watch whilst on the turbo?

i just surround myself in mirrors and take inspiration from my pain face.

Last winter I got through all of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Homeland. This winter Prison Break and about to start Game of Thrones. Put Stages on phone and prop against screen. Have been known to do longer workouts to

Just finished the first series of 24. Seen it before but makes good turbo viewing as it’s fairly fast paced. Might do Homeland again once I’ve exhausted all series.

Looking to get back on the turbo this week. Has anyone done or looked at the gravity plan?

i just surround myself in mirrors and take inspiration from my pain face. 😀

Think I might try some box sets – good idea. Cheers…