Century plan - FTP question

Training
1

I am 68kg and ramp tested 240W at the start of the Century specialty plan. (WKO4 modeled my FTP at 250W, TTE 32min.) This morning I rode a 38-minute climb at 247W. Next week is recovery before the last 4-week stretch of the plan and the A-race on 7th July, which is a 6-7-hour climbing fondo. I plan to pace at about 190W fwiw.

Should I even bother to retest FTP before the last part of the Century plan? What if I stay at 240W and perhaps add more time in target zone? Or should I blindly trust the plan? TBH, I dread the upcoming test…

2

Yup. Do the test. Bury yourself. Don’t feel bad about the results or even worry about it. Remember you are consolidating gains and fine tuning performance right now rather than chasing gains but you may have made some small improvements along the way anyway.

3

I’d recommend doing what Coach Chad says. If he’s scheduled a Ramp Test, do it. If he hasn’t, don’t.

Doing whatever Chad says has stood me in good stead.

4

Yep. WKO4 and that recent 38 min climb suggest you have made some gains so measure, up the FTP and get the most out of the last 4 weeks training

5

WKO4 mFTP is only as good as the data you give it. So you need to do a short , medium and long duration test to accurately fill your PD curve. You can download a Best Times for Informal Testing chart, this will give you the times to test for each duration. These are maximum efforts at these durations.

You 38mins if maximum is a pretty good test, but even so you may need to test your short and medium to get a more accurate mFTP. I’ve found it fairly accurate, as long as I do the testing each month, but I incorporate it into training rides or races (TTs for long duration). Either way, I’d pick one format to determine your FTP and stick with it, whether that’s the ramp test, 20mins test or mFTP, otherwise it makes tracking progress or lack of a nonsense.

6

The difference may of course be down to being able to put out more watts outdoors, and/or put out more watts up a hill, which is fairly common.

Or it could be that your FTP has gone up.

The ramp test is sadly the only way to find out…

7

Thanks to all for valuable advice and feedback. I do not use mFTP to set my zones, and trust ramp test better. In the past I ramp tested lower than 20-minute, probably due to lower FRC. But I am fine with that. I manage to improve FTP and that’s what counts.

I guess I see that last 4 weeks of the Century plan is more about sweet spot work. Therefore, I was thinking that 5 watts inaccuracy in FTP would not matter much and save me the trouble of testing. But I guess this logic works both ways.

8

nah no need to test again, move forward with you plan and use other metrics to estimate FTP: mFTP from WKO, 1 hour NP, and histogram of watts in 10W buckets from a hard race or training ride. LMK if you need help assessing these.

Keep us posted how it goes!

Brendan

9

The 2d half of Century has supra threshold, threshold and long VO2 efforts (e.g., 4.5 min at 116%). Even if you leave your FTP the same, you might find it’s tough enough as is. My mid-plan test put me up a whole 1 W and that was plenty.

10

Generally agree that many experienced athletes can go the route of making FTP/training reference setting changes based on feel and performance in workouts. It can be a double-edged sword for type As as that can lead to your plan exploding, too, so exercise caution as you make adjustments. Don’t let pride or ego get the better of you. If you’re failing workouts consistently, dial it back and keep plugging.

A 5W increase isn’t a huge deal, particularly if your training has been going well and you have reasonable evidence that you can train at that level. A 5W increase just to achieve a certain FTP or W/kg to stroke your ego is a different matter! Be honest with yourself, and I’m sure you’ll be fine!