Power testing ? where do you do it ?

levitronix

Done my first power test yesterday with my new powertap, results where ok i guess considering im so far from how i felt in the summer but i thought they should of been better FTP 258 after taken the 5% away and 5 min was 310, done a all out sprint im my estate and hit 1015 when i got back guess its just the time of year, tests where done as per the workout in the training with power book.
Im wondering where does everyone do their testing ? im living on the southside and i picked the N81 as my 20 min all out and dublin outer ring road for my 5 min all out , round abouts slowed me down there and on the N81 small decents dipped my power a had me changing gears like crazy to keep it up. So im open to ideas for a strecth of road that might be ideal for the test

Another question was cadence i noticed my cad was 94 on the 5 min and a cad 85 on the 20 min, should i of tried to cadenece of 90 on both ?

levitronix

Also should i used my race bike for the test, done it on my winter hack 10kg++

amjon.

On the turbo in the garage in the winter.

levitronix

Its a contant 22' in my house and with kitchen window open i still bake so thats a no no for 20 mins at 180bpm !!

Beasty

Ideally on a steady incline with no lights/junctions to bring you to a halt - the hard shoulder of an N road is probably as good as you are going to get around here. The Batterstown and Moy Valley TT routes are also good roads to push it for a distance.

To hit the peaks I tend to try going all out up slightly steeper slopes where I can get a bit of a run at it - maybe 3-4% or so (although my maximum to date was getting across a roundabout ahead of rush-hour traffic!)

The fact you used a hack bike should not make much difference - it should not affect power output, but will slow probably you down slightly

mloc123

Turbo is the only place IMO, setup the turbo in your garden if you need to.

morana

levitronix wrote: »

Its a contant 22' in my house and with kitchen window open i still bake so thats a no no for 20 mins at 180bpm !!

I use the turbo and the boot inn circuit. Never mind 20 mins @ 180bpm ..20 mins@ 260w is more relevant. You will notice a difference in the FTP's between the turbo and outdoors.

There is a protocol for the max power test which I think says you should use a gear that allows you pedal at 130rpm. I will try dig it out.

Anyway its a great step forward for you and it will be great to see you use the tool. What are your plans from here?

levitronix

I only mentioned the 180 bpm because that was my average HR for the test, didnt use it as a guide while testing

Next year the little lad will be a bit older so more time and try a be bit more compeditive when racing also do a sub 5h HIM

Im hoping for 300+ watts FTP, i think its in me and a good sprint wattage because i can squat a lot of weight with right training it might come together

billy.fish

morana wrote: »

There is a protocol for the max power test which I think says you should use a gear that allows you pedal at 130rpm. I will try dig it out.

Much for muchness, better off just doing it at your natural cadence, or just riding and seeing what happens.

If your wasting energy looking at your cadence you are not going hard enough.

as for turbo, yes its great in the winter but it gives values for the turbo not for the real world.

Diarmuid

levitronix wrote: »

Also should i used my race bike for the test, done it on my winter hack 10kg++

The weight of the bike shouldn't have any impact on the power you can put out

marcofan

Generally speaking is there much of a difference between FTP on the road and on the turbo?I have established mine on the turbo