Test Day Tomorrow

Image by Micah68 via Flickr

Tomorrow will be FTP test day for me and I hope to get an “A”.  This will be the second test this Winter training season.  My last test, in November, was OK but not great.  I’m hoping the last couple of months of training have helped.

The Test Protocol

The format for the FTP test I use is straight out of Training And Racing With A Power Meter.  Many people use this format and get consistent results that they are able to track.  To get results that you can “trust” you want to have a repeatable format.  I have used this setup for all of the FTP tests I have done.  Here is how it is broken down:

1. A 30 minute warm up with a couple of “spin ups” of 1 minute each to get the legs ready.
2. After the warm up you do an “all-out” 5 minute effort.
3. Spin easy for 10 minutes.
4. Do a 20 minute time trial at the highest level you can maintain consistently
5. Cool down for 10-15 minutes.

All told it’s about 75 minutes, with 25 minutes at what could be described as a “very uncomfortable” level of work.  It’s tough but doable.  In order to get good results I will need to be “rested and motivated”.

My Studying

This week I have done a lot less than normal weeks.  I rode good, but not tough, workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I rested yesterday and will do a very short 10-15 minute spin tonight.  I plan on getting up about 8AM  tomorrow (Saturday), have a cup of coffee and an Eggo Waffle or two then start the test at about 9:30-10AM.

I’ll post complete test results along with power files early next week.