Originally Posted by
valygrl
If you don't do the 5 minute, you have to multiply by 90% instead of 95% to calculate FTP. You do need to be consistent, you get a higher number without the 5. Testing takes some practice.
It sounds like you're going out too hard. Start the 20 just a little easier than you think, for like two minutes, then find what you think you can hold. If you start too hard you blow up. By about 12-13 minutes you should feel like you can't hold it, but hold it anyway, then the last two, ramp up even more. If you can't ramp up that's probably good. You should want to die the last few minutes and want to barf or black out at the end.
Fun times.
Thanks, the 90% makes sense. 220w is really 208w then. Well it can't get much worse than that, and it makes sense that I struggle if I'm over 200w avg in an hour crit. Also it gives me a reasonable target for the 5 min pre-effort, 250w, which is a bit higher than the 240w I managed today.
I'm definitely going out too hard. I have this expectation that I should be stronger, like 270-280w, whereas in reality I'm struggling to break 230w for 20 min.
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