When I started a Coach Jack program in April, I did a ramp test that led to me setting my FTP to 160. While I often increased the target power in the workouts by about 10%, 160 seemed reasonable (fairly new to cycling, and definitely wasn’t in good shape, but have a history of endurance sports participation). I just today did another ramp test, and based on 75% of the average power for the last 2 full minutes, my FTP is now a robust… 167.
I had genuinely expected a higher number after spending the last 4+ months training, and I was left wondering something fundamental about ramp tests: should I be focusing more on maintaining a specific cadence (say, about 80, which is where most of my riding seems to take place), and allowing automatic resistance to fluctuate to achieve power targets, or should I focus on keeping the automatic resistance steady and use an increasing cadence to achieve power targets?
I know that for actual cycling I tend to ride around 80 (see the “fairly new to cycling” note, above), and if things get harder I shift gears to maintain a cadence (though in the lowest gears I tend to have a higher cadence anyway). My question is not about real-world performance, but about how to use the test to provide meaningful input into training that will eventually translate to better real-world performance.
I would like, for example, to be able to maintain a higher cadence overall. I saw noticeable improvement in that through the last four months, as well as overall fitness. Is a ramp test w/ increasingly high cadence but consistent resistance a poor indicator of FTP for someone whose intent is to be able to pedal at a steady but lower (albeit slowly improving) cadence? Would I be better off letting the resistance increase and holding my test cadence steady?
Here’s a screen capture of the workout (is there a way to “share” a workout with the forum?):
and be accurate.