Testing Day

The previous day didn't definitively answer the question of whether my training was working. It's a complex question:

1. Does SST on the VT lend itself to improvements in shorter durations such as FTP on the VT?
2. Do increases in power on the VT translate to increased power on the road?
3. Do increases in power on the road translate to increased power climbing?

Yesterday, I seemed to be riding faster and not feeling discomfort at power outputs that used to be fairly taxing. To help satisfy my curiosity, I had an impromptu testing day.

Typically, testing is infrequent and planned out well in advance with a sufficient taper. It is typically not done when I have been subject to a high training load, the day after a hard ride, and certainly not after the first outdoor ride which introduces new stresses.

As a result, I expected to either be in agony a few minutes into the first 20 min interval or complete the workout but suffer like a dog the whole time. Interestingly enough, I did not find the workout taxing at all.



Late last fall, 3x20 at 270Wwas brutal even when I tapered for the test day. That was followed later in the year by 3x20 at 275W, 280W, and 285W, all at high PE. Imagine my surprise when 3x20 at 285W was no longer painful even when I wasn't particularly rested.

As a result, I have conservatively set my FTP to 290 VT watts or 300 SRM watts:

-5W for doing 3x20 instead of 1x60
+5W for not tapering
+5W because perceived exertion was low.

I still need to do a good amount of climbing outdoors before I can draw any concrete conclusions but the past two days provided enough validation to continue with my training without making any changes.

A little validation is good when it's 2 am and I'm watching the snow pile up while doing a 2000 kJ ride.