Training at NP or AvP??

Personally, I tend to only pay attention to avP, except when I want an ego boost. 😉 This is particularly true for a duration as short as 20', and I can't imagine how NP would be useful for zones.
(That said, I do pay some attention to TSS, which obviously pays attention to NP. But this is only for a 'macro' view, not for details like intervals and time spent in zones.)

peterpen said:

Personally, I tend to only pay attention to avP, except when I want an ego boost. 😉 This is particularly true for a duration as short as 20', and I can't imagine how NP would be useful for zones.

I mostly agree with this statement, except that I also acknowledge that AP probably understates my road performances because of the rolling terrain. I typically place more weight on NP than AP, but judge my true performance to be somewhere in between.

On the trainer it's all AP. 🙂

andoveradi said:

I have been using a Powertap Pro and CyclingPeaks for just over a week now, but have been (trying!) to follow things on this forum for some time now. I'm hoping you can aid my understanding on a couple of (related) points...

Your post reflects common power training questions. I think there are three underlying questions in your post: (1) What is my FTP for setting training targets? (2) How should I manage power during a ride? and (3) How should I interpret the adaptation benefits of a ride?

andoveradi said:

1. As I have no ~1hr TT data yet, I performed a 20minute test for FTP. Should I calculate my FTP (for setting CP Training Zones) as 95% of my Average Power for 20mins or 95% of my Normalized Power for 20mins? I have so far assumed it should be Average Power. Is this right?

This is the first question above. Remember that 95% of a 20min effort is an estimate of FTP and will over- or understate FTP depending on your AWC. For setting training targets, this will be self-correcting. You may as well use NP for this estimate initially. If your FTP estimate is too high, you will immediately realize it because you will be unable to maintain your target power in your interval sets (e.g., 2x20 @ 100%FTP w/5min recovery). Likewise, if it is an underestimate, you will be able to increase power in the last interval of a set.

andoveradi said:

2. When training, should I be more concerned with:
the time spent in the (Average) Power Zones or the NP for the ride in terms of whether I achieved the targetted Power Zone for the session?

This is the second question above. During a training ride, I always manage power based on AP. Even though I can't necessarily see the number, I manage power during a high-intensity effort as though I am managing AP. During a TT, I manage AP for a given segment but NP for the total ride, but that's another story.

andoveradi said:

When I ride with the Powertap, obviously the computer is showing actual and average power and I have no (accurate) idea what the NP will work out to in CP until after the ride.

This is indirectly the third question above. The post-ride analysis question is, "What did I do, how many minutes of L3, L4, L5, L6, etc.?" For this question, I use AP for L5 and above and NP for L4 and below.

Hope this helps.

Thanks RD. A great reply, and the answers now makes things much clearer. 🙂

Thanks to all who replied.