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Pretoria - 20min FTP Test


Rudi Pollard

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So my base training for the Epic has come to an end, and my FTP tests is due this Saturday. Can anyone point me to a nice 20min segment in or around pretoria? I have a few routes in mind around WTF, but all of them has some flat/down sections in the middle which is going to mess up the efforts a bit.

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Wattbike in Virgin Active Menlyn... :whistling:

 

You can get a couple of complimentary visits to any Virgin Active Facility to check them out before you sign up with them. I have used this in the past to "calibrate" my efforts and results on a Wattbike.

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Wattbike in Virgin Active Menlyn... :whistling:

 

You can get a couple of complimentary visits to any Virgin Active Facility to check them out before you sign up with them. I have used this in the past to "calibrate" my efforts and results on a Wattbike.

That is option number last... I know it works but I'd much rather do them outside. Its frowned upon to vomit on other peoples training equipment after all...

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That is option number last... I know it works but I'd much rather do them outside. Its frowned upon to vomit on other peoples training equipment after all...

 

Better than vomiting on your own pride and joy bike.

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Indoor FTP is NOT the same figures as outdoor FTP. 

 

My 20min routes includes:

  • Boschkop road out, starting at the police station dip. (1% avg gradient)
  • Boschkop road back from the train bridge to the T junction in Lynnwood (1% avg gradient)
  • Babsfontein road out starting just past the nature reserve as the hills start.
  • Monument Park loop (2% avg gradient) starting at Fountains circle, ending on top of Klapperkop (Strava route)

All road / tar sections though but it helps if there are not krullietjies en draaitjies and you can only focus on putting down the hammer.

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So my base training for the Epic has come to an end, and my FTP tests is due this Saturday. Can anyone point me to a nice 20min segment in or around pretoria? I have a few routes in mind around WTF, but all of them has some flat/down sections in the middle which is going to mess up the efforts a bit.

go out east with Lynnwood road past the boschkop turn....that road starts climbing gently until the T Junction ....

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So my base training for the Epic has come to an end, and my FTP tests is due this Saturday. Can anyone point me to a nice 20min segment in or around pretoria? I have a few routes in mind around WTF, but all of them has some flat/down sections in the middle which is going to mess up the efforts a bit.

 

 

Indoor FTP is NOT the same figures as outdoor FTP. 

 

My 20min routes includes:

  • Boschkop road out, starting at the police station dip. (1% avg gradient)
  • Boschkop road back from the train bridge to the T junction in Lynnwood (1% avg gradient)
  • Babsfontein road out starting just past the nature reserve as the hills start.
  • Monument Park loop (2% avg gradient) starting at Fountains circle, ending on top of Klapperkop (Strava route)

All road / tar sections though but it helps if there are not krullietjies en draaitjies and you can only focus on putting down the hammer.

^^^^

I would listen to this man.

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So my base training for the Epic has come to an end, and my FTP tests is due this Saturday. Can anyone point me to a nice 20min segment in or around pretoria? I have a few routes in mind around WTF, but all of them has some flat/down sections in the middle which is going to mess up the efforts a bit.

Go and ride Tierpoort adventure farm last section(hill) its a beast and you can really push yourself to the max there 

Edited by pellieg
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Go and ride Tierpoort adventure farm last section(hill) its a beast and you can really push yourself to the max there 

I once "had to" stop on the little climb for a "nature break". (Good enough excuse to rest halfway up that craaaazzzzyyy climb. )

 

Not sure if it would be good for a FTP test.  Your FTP on a hill is normally higher than on say a flattish piece of road.

I guess it depends what you want to do with your FTP figure. 

Edited by Spinnekop
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I once "had to" stop on the little climb for a nature break. 

Craaaazzzzyyy climb. 

Not sure if it would be good for a FTP test.  Your FTP on a hill is normally higher than on say a flattish piece of road.

I guess it depends what you want to do with your FTP figure. 

I want to go as big as I can for 20min... Thats the reason for asking advice. I know a lot of routes where a decent number can be achieved, but none where I can climb for 20min+ without flats or downhills.

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surely you should use the exact section you used before starting your base training for a more accurate comparison?

 

my 2c is that an indoor ftp in a controlled environment is far more accurate, even if you are using the same sections tail/head winds, temperature etc can impact the results slightly?

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As far as I know a FTP test should be done on a flat road or as flat as possible.

If you going to climb your FTP will be higher than what it actually is.

Then your zones will be off.

 

Much harder to do a FTP test on the road than on WattBike / indoors.

 

Also a different thing doing a FTP on a slight downhill. Much harder to put those watts down.

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As far as I know a FTP test should be done on a flat road or as flat as possible.

If you going to climb your FTP will be higher than what it actually is.

Then your zones will be off.

 

Much harder to do a FTP test on the road than on WattBike / indoors.

 

Also a different thing doing a FTP on a slight downhill. Much harder to put those watts down.

Im not looking for a hectic 10% gradient. Just something gradual which will allow me to pedal consistently. I've got a few ideas so will just have to hammer it...

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I am really not sure where you would find a long enough constant road to do an FTP test on and have consistant output.

 

I think that's why the indoor FTP works so well and you can get an accurate FTP of what your legs and heart can do for for the effort thus eliminating the other factors as climate and road conditions.

 

This will however not exactly translate to the same numbers on the road due to the same factors mentioned. Thus the 2 figures would not be comparable and no doubt that the outdoor figure would actually be lower than a controlled indoor environment.

 

Maybe you would see outdoor figures equate to 80-90% of the indoor possibly even less depending how good your road fitness is (micro muscles for balance and dealing with vibrations etc)

 

my 2c from personal experience using indoor trainers / power meters and wattbikes etc.

 

I would use the controlled indoor test as the 1st step and use it to track fitness and power output increase but not what you are actually going to maintain while out on the road.

 

Being off the training for 1 1/2 month my ftp etc figures are now totally skewed and I got to restart all. Nearly lost 60-70w on my ftp test alone. (Far too festive the festive season)

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surely you should use the exact section you used before starting your base training for a more accurate comparison?

 

my 2c is that an indoor ftp in a controlled environment is far more accurate, even if you are using the same sections tail/head winds, temperature etc can impact the results slightly?

Spot on - an FTP test is used to gauge your progress so it's important that you try and replicate each test you do to ensure that your training you are doing between the tests is working.

 

The key is consistency - it doesn't help doing an FTP test on an Indoor, and then using that value out on the road with your Stages, Garmin or similar - To sum it up, whatever power unit you used for the test, must be the one you are using for your program - after all your entire program will be based on those values so you need to make sure they are correct

 

A lot of our Athletes do their FTP tests on the Indoor but then do most of their interval sessions on the indoor and similarly a lot of them also do their FTP tests outdoors - whether you do it indoors or outdoors makes no difference, as long as you are using the same power unit to train as you did the test on.

 

Having said that, the R513 from Cullinen to the R568 is a lovely 18.5km stretch of road with a slight downhill (starting Cullinen) where a lot of our Athletes do their Tests.

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Im not looking for a hectic 10% gradient. Just something gradual which will allow me to pedal consistently. I've got a few ideas so will just have to hammer it...

I know “the lab” is considered not real BUT you only get 1 chance therefore:

Klap IDT on gradient 1.5% and your FTP would have been finished 2 hrs ago.... no traffic, no wind, no heat wave, no hub QandA

 

Good point raised by someone earlier, where did you do your ftp prior to starting base?

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