Originally Posted by
genejockey
Last time I did a Zwift race, I got close to that. I find it hard to keep going in Ramp Tests, but in a race I'm not watching my power and HR, just trying to figure when I need to make an almighty effort and whether I can sustain it to the line. Ramp tests I run my HR up into the 160s. Races I've gone over 170.
Last week I did a ramp, in 3 min/25W steps from Z1 to about 1.25 x FTP, for lactate testing. It definitely helped to have two guys yelling at me. No way I could have completed it on my own. However, my HR only got to 170 and it routinely gets higher than that when I ride with the local knuckleheads. I can even hit 180 once or twice a year, but it just hurts, never assplodes, and I don't die.