well, I'm depressed today lol I bit the bullet and backed off my FTP to 285 from 310. I did a 3x12min @ ~90% today and things felt right at the 285 target. I had trained at 310 for sweet spot in May and June and was nailing my workouts, then July and August I rode a lot of endurance and a lower volume of short power intensity leading up to CX, but that was a bit of a mixed bag and I guess ultimately I couldn't ride the high I had built up for 6 months. So I have to rethink my training year so I can peak for the fall race season, because I'd be quite a bit better having an additional 25w across the board! But fortunately I still have time to maximize whatever I do have and get a little more race fit
So on one hand, 285 is 10w higher than my baseline at the end of last year and at 4w/kg, which is super good, but on the other hand once you've touched the sun it's hard to come back down lol