As I mentioned, yesterday, today I had to perform the scarily looking Ramp test which involves riding for a minute at a time at increasing power outputs.
I did about ten minutes of warm up before starting the test.
The workout started easily enough with some gentle spinning in Zone 1 before the load started to increase.
As you can see from my power, I followed the ramp quite well with my heart rate reaching a maximum of 136. Using the often used formula of 220 – age to determine the maximum heart rate would give 154 so, in theory, I had more to give. In theory.
Any way, you can only perform how you feel on the day and I topped out at 190 watts. After the ride, Mywhoosh informed me that my calculated FTP was now 129.
I was a bit disappointed with this as it is considerably lower than the figure that I was using from the days on Zwift.
Thinking about the situation, later, I realise that my former FTP was from when I was quite a bit fitter and had been cycling for some time.
I’ll stick with 129 for now and see how it improves.
FTP
In cycling, FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power, and it represents the highest average power a cyclist can sustain for approximately an hour. It’s a crucial metric for training, helping determine training zones and monitor fitness progress. FTP is typically measured in watts and can be estimated through various tests, like a 20-minute all-out effort or a ramp test.