FTP test. Trainer or road?

IMO it's hard to be consistent on road, with slight downhills you may not realize, your 5 min breather will also affect results

Maybe this article will help you - thanks Alex - quote per article "In my experience, FTP is rarely as high as 95% of 20-minute maximal power. 88-93% is not an uncommon range."
alex-cycle.blogspot.com.authe seven deadly sins.htmlOpen ↗

This is an often discussed topic and you will find in the differences of opinions about indoor vs outdoor testing that most agree heat management indoors is one of the greatest challenges. If you have the ability to keep the room and yourself cool during the test it may not be a bad place to do the test.

I have the same struggle in my metro area where it is about a 45 minute drive to a location where I can do a 20 minute uninterrupted test at either two locations. One is on a 11 mile mountain climb and has an average slope of 6% and the other is a stretch of road between two towns that is mostly 3% uphill, but does have about 3 spots of slightly downhill. The last time I did the test between the two towns I really struggled on the flat/downhill portions and I came close to the outskirt of the town, which car traffic picked up. I just barely got the test done before having to slow down for increased traffic, but using that FTP in daily indoor training it seemed to be close enough based on how regular indoor training went.

For the moment I cannot do indoor testing because the room gets too hot and I cannot control it without putting in a window unit AC to bring the temperature down even more (my wife gets rather unhappy when I turn the house AC down low enough for training).

I recently put in an indoor/outdoor weather station to see how my training room is reacts to typical L4 type 2x20 sessions. With the house AC running, two fans and a dehumidifier running the room temperature went up 10 degrees and the humidity went up 10% in just the first 20 minute interval. I live in the southeast US with hotter temps and higher humidity.

But if heat is not an issue with your indoor training area it does provide a consistent environment.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by scottz123
IMO it's hard to be consistent on road, with slight downhills you may not realize, your 5 min breather will also affect results

Maybe this article will help you - thanks Alex - quote per article "In my experience, FTP is rarely as high as 95% of 20-minute maximal power. 88-93% is not an uncommon range."
alex-cycle.blogspot.com.authe seven deadly sins.htmlOpen ↗

Tks Scott,

That blog is very informative.

Whatever you do, just pick something that you can do consistently over the months. No sense choosing some perfect road that's miles away and takes too much effort to get there (meaning you'll never want to do it). An important part of FTP testing, and all testing, is being consistent in method and conditions, or as consistent as you can.

If you're going to spend lots of time on the turbo and not much on the road in the coming months, then use the turbo. If you're doing a decent amount of road, use your road course.

Personally I do both as and when I need it. No need to limit yourself to one or the other.

IF you're going to be training on a trainer, get a big fan - one that'll keep you from dripping sweat like an elephant in a sauna, and do the test on the trainer.

When the weather gets better at the end of winter/spring and you start riding more outside, do the test again outdoors.

If you get the cooling situation indoors just about right, the power you can sustain on the trainer is not a whole bunch different from riding on the road. The key things to look for are heat and motivation. If you find your mind wandering indoors then don't expect the same levels of intensity on the indoor trainer.

Testing is training. Until you get your head around it, testing is actually a very intense training session. Plan tests at specific intervals and don't be afraid to take time in a prior session to a test, to ride easier. It all ends up a wash and if keep test consistent you'll end up with a way of more reliably charting your progress.

I'll weigh in on your question, but I prefer to address the generic question of MP (max sustainable power) testing rather than the narrower question of FTP testing. My preference is to establish regular MP benchmarks at several durations closely spaced in time so as to represent a consistent fitness. My preferred durations are 3, 8, 30 and 60 minutes. I then have the data for input into the Monod Critical Power Model, from which I can derive a pretty reliable MP estimate for any duration from 1min to 2hrs. As to my testing methodology, I prefer to do them on a trainer (or a road segment long enough for the test with a consistent grade and no stops). I always do them as constant power to exhaustion. In this regard, exhaustion means simply that I can no longer hold my target power. Exhaustion sounds scary, as in fall off the bike in a heap and needing hours for recovery. It's not even close to that. It's simply the point at which your legs can't produce the target power regardless of how much your mind wants to. I liken it to the captain of a ship calling down to the engine room, "More power!" and the engine room responds, "Not today, Captain!" Note that it's rare to hit exhaustion at exactly the duration you are targeting. For example, let's say that I am trying to get a 3min benchmark and I estimate that I can hold 400W for 3 minutes. It doesn't really matter whether I hit exhaustion a little before or a little after 3mins, I have a valid benchmark for the Monod Critical Power Model regardless. One word of caution. Doing these on a trainer every couple of months can drive one insane!

A 10 min warm-up and 20 min test sound about right for an FTP test. If you're concerned about the breather on the closer loop, consider doing the test on the gradual slope route instead. A full carbon frameset would surely make the ride smoother and more efficient. Good luck with your test, and ride safe! 🙂

Sure, you can do your FTP test on that 15-minute road loop, but don't expect it to be ideal. A gradual slope and some flats won't give you accurate results. And doing a 10-minute warm-up and 20-minute test on a loop with hardly any rest? Good luck with that. At least you have a trainer at home.

A 15-minute loop for FTP test? Not ideal, I'd say. Flats and gradual slope won't give accurate results. And 10 min warm-up followed by 20 min test on a loop with barely any rest? Tough luck. At least you have a trainer at home. But let's not forget, power meters can give more precise FTP readings. Just a thought. #CrankyCyclist #FTPtest

Power meters indeed offer precise FTP readings, but let's not undermine the value of a 15-minute loop for FTP tests. It may not be ideal, but it can still provide useful data, especially for those without access to power meters. #CrankyCyclist #FTPtest

While power meters provide precise FTP readings, let's not overlook the value of a 15-minute loop for FTP tests. Sure, it may not be perfect, but it can still offer valuable data, especially for those without access to power meters. After all, not every cyclist has the luxury of high-end gear.

Now, imagine you're on a grueling climb with lactic acid building up in your legs, and you're left wondering, "How hard am I actually pushing?" That's where the beauty of a 15-minute loop comes in. It may not be a gradual slope, but it can still give you a sense of your raw power and endurance.

However, I do agree that a full carbon frameset can make the ride smoother and more efficient. It's like having a trusted wingman on your side, cutting through the wind and propelling you forward.

So, let's embrace the challenge of a 15-minute loop and see what it can teach us about our own strength and resilience. Who knows, it might just be the wake-up call we need to push ourselves to the next level. #CrankyCyclist #FTPtest