Originally Posted by
TMonk
On a similar note, I tried my first FTP test indoors on Tuesday, since Fiesta Island was cold and muddy from the rains. Longer term, I like the idea of moving towards doing them indoors, since it's more practical and I might not always live next to a 20 min climb or open stretch of road with no interruption.
It went pretty crappy TBH. I tried it on Epic KOM since it's about 20 min at that level of effort for me. It's probably a bit too short of a segment anyway since when I get more fit, I'd run out of road. I was at the same number from my last test at 19' in, but I was a bit psyched out since I got a cryptic/seemingly urgent text from my mom a couple min prior (false alarm), and I was about to hit the ~30s downhill section and I like to ride at max trainer difficulty so it would have been challenging to keep the power up. But I knew that going in so I guess it was just poorly planned.
Not sure what I'll try next time; I'd like to develop some sort of routine. First 20' up the Alpe? Motor on Fuego Flats for a bit? It will be a work in progress.
If anyone else has any pro tips for doing FTP tests in Z, LMK.
The rolling section on Epic KOM usually nerfs my efforts. Would not recommend for FTP test IMO.
If aiming for a 20 minute effort Ventop is probably the best segment. It's relatively steady once the gradient kicks up. You could also do Innsbruck with a few minutes of lead-in to the climb.
For longer, I usually go with Alpe du Zwift and do anywhere between 30min and to the top depending on motivation and goals. The gradient shifts can be a little wonky but it's steady enough. Ventop is visually too monotonous for me to want to do longer intervals on, but maybe I just need to find the right TV show to pair with it.