Project 250 – Part 1

If you’ve read any of Stu’s posts about his initial introductions into Triathlons then you may recgnise me as the person who took on the cycling leg of the first Relay Triathlon we both ever did. 

I was pulled in for this as over the years I have done a few rides, some with Stu, and he knew I was the most likely cyclist to be daft enough to become part of the team. Now before you get any visions of an elite cyclist who climbs like a mountain goat or can challenge for Time Trial glory I need to set your expectations a little lower, in fact a lot lower. 

Yes I am generally faster than Stu, certainly when the road points upwards (I weigh less), but my focus has always been on enjoying myself as well as taking on the odd distance related challenge.  However I just don’t cycle enough year round to get particularly good, and nowhere better is this shown than in my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) numbers.

FTP is considered the amount of power you can sustain for 1 hour and has been used as a simple and understable data point for comparisons. The most common way to assess your FTP is a 20 minute test taking 5% off the average power you sustain in those 20 minutes.  Who wants to put themselves through a whole hour of pain when 20 minutes can be used instead?

Over the years I have done various tests to measure my FTP and though the numbers do improve when I have been training they have only ever progressed from around 180W to about 225W.  Even when I was at my fittest and took on a 24 hour solo ride my FTP never got above 225W. Putting that into perspectives any half decent club rider is going to be around 300W, while Elite athletes such as Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins etc would be 420W+. So why, even when I am doing a lot of training and my cycling capability is definitely improving, do my numbers seem to hardly move?  Well I think there are possibly three reasons

1. Incorrect Training
2. Incorrect Measurement
3. Inability to Suffer

Lets go through these one at a time.

Incorrect Training

I have tried various different approaches.  Riding on the road.  Using a Turbo in the Garage with no specific plan.  Following a plan on Trainer Road.  Although all these have had positive effects none of them have made a significant break through on my FTP. 

I’ve never forked out the money for a dedicated coach or coaching program; I am sure that with one I would have made better progress but would I have enjoyed it or indeed been able to fit the sessions in?

Incorrect Measurement

This is an interesting area, both in terms of the tests you can do to measure or estimate FTP but also in whether FTP is actually the best or only thing that we should be measuring.  There are lots of other things you can measure, VO2 Max, Heart Rate and many more. 

FTP is typically pretty simple to estimate and understand and that’s probably why it’s the main number many systems assess or reference. But is there another approach?

Inability to Suffer

I know I am not the strongest mentally, it takes me time to build mental strength through practice.  I have never vomited during a tough training session but I can push myself hard.  Maybe though there is something more I can delve into that might make a difference, both during training and whilst testing?

The Target

For a long time I have wanted to reach an FTP of 250W.  That would only need an 11% increase over what I have achieved in the past and even with advancing years it feels like it should be achievable with the right training plan. Mulling this over, a few weeks ago I stumbled across a video on YouTube done by Global Cycling Network (GCN).

How Fit Can Dan Get In 10 Weeks? 

Dan Lloyd is one of the presenters on GCN who although a decade ago had been a professional cyclist had dropped much of his fitness and was looking to recover some of that.  He had linked up with the people at The Sufferfest to see what could be done. His first step was to take the Full Frontal 4 Dimensional Power Test. This is an hour long session where you test 4 different elements of your fitness;

• 5 Second Neuromuscular Power  
• 1 Minute Anaerobic Capacity
• 5 Minute Max Aerobic Power
• 20 Minute Functional Threshold Power

Yes, you really go through all those tests (though not in that order) in 1 hour. Once that is done you not only get your Power numbers for each one but you also get given a Rider Type, one from a selection of six;

• Sprinter
• Attacker
• Pursuiter
• Time Triallist
• Rouleur
• Climber

So Dan completed the the 4DP test and then was given a 10 week plan to help him improve his fitness level – with only around 4 hours a week on the bike.  This plan along with the videos and other notes were shared for anyone to follow and partake in with the tag/link Plan With Dan. 

Dan followed the plan and then took the test again at the end of it and showed significant improvements.  One thing that had come into my mind as I read was that he used to be a professional cyclist so surely he would easily be able to rebuild the fitness he has had before, where as normal mortals might not be so successful? 

Well, they thought of that and took the numbers from other people who followed the plan.  The average FTP increase was 12.7% and the average increase for the other 3 scores was similar.

I only stumbled across the plan recently, once the group participation had actually finished but with my cycle training desperately needing a kick up the arse as the Triathlon season approached far too quickly I decided to give it a go.  As there is no time like the present I took the 4DP test that day (Sunday 31st March). 

My scores on the doors were

5 second (Neuromuscular Power): 648W 
1 minute (Anaerobic Capacity): 376W  
5 minute (Maximal Aerobic Power): 272W    
20 minute (Functional Threshold Power): 227W

Rider Type: Rouleur

Hmmm, I was pleasantly surprised by the FTP number, though the way it is measured is slightly different to normal as they take the full 20 minute test result and don’t deduct 5% as you have done the 5 minute effort beforehand.  Even if I knocked 5% off it would still be 215W.  Better than I was expecting. 

The rest of the scores however did not feel so great.  For example, the 5 Second Sprint effort I really struggled with on the Wattbike as it was hard to ramp the power up in such a short period, though I know it’s a significant weak point for me anyway.

The Rider Type of Rouleur is defined by Sufferfest as…

The very definition of versatility, you deliver across a wide range of efforts and terrain. It would take a specialized rider to best you, whether on the climbs or in a sprint.

I think that might ust be a polite way of saying – not very good at anything specific – which probably sums me up quite well on a bike.

With about 10 weeks to go before my first big event of the year – Blenheim Weekend Warriors – I decided this sounded like a good way to try and efficiently build my cycling fitness and at the same time see if I could finally reach my long held target of an 250W FTP Score.  If I could get the average increase that others had reported of 12.7% that would be an FTP of 255W.

Is that really possible after all my previously failed attempts? 

I am currently just over 3 weeks in to the 10 week program and I am actually really enjoying it. Each session seems to have a purpose and they are not repetitive, the videos that are played whilst you pedal are interesting and amusing enough that they act as a slight distraction but not detailed enough you have to pay attention to them.  So things are progressing and I will keep you posted…