Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
In my best 20 min tests I've coasted or otherwise eased about 10 min in. After 10-20 seconds of going easy I manage to convince myself to keep going. Most of the time I fail to do that and I stop. I've completed maybe five 20 min FTP tests in 4 years and I probably started 30-40.
You want to talk a little bit about pacing?
The first five minutes of the 20 minute test should not be all out. Go a little bit easier that you really feel you should go. At about 5 minutes in you should push the pace to what you really feel like your 'test effort' should be. The middle 10 minutes is where it starts to hurt and you think about quitting. Think about something else. The last 5 minutes suck. Go harder than you feel like you can really hold. At 1 minute I start pushing the pedals pretty damned hard. I tell myself, "You can do anything for a minute". At about 20-30 seconds left I come out of the saddle and 'sprint'.
Then I struggle to him my 'lap' button, swear and basically coast for the next 5 minutes or so.