MASTER YOUR FTP
Propello.bike coach, Rob Wakefield, explains how to change your approach to Functional Threshold Power
Becoming a faster sportive rider is about being able to ride strongly for an entire event, not just smashing a few climbs.
WE’RE GOING TOO LONG
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the maximum average power a rider should be able to maintain in a steady state effort for a reasonably long period of time, usually over 60 minutes. Recreational riders don’t do many hard 60-minute efforts - UK climbs tend to be shorter and not many people do 25-mile time trials, so your average rider has sustainable threshold power for around 30 minutes.
FIND THE BALANCE
Riders should be interested in the balance between power and how long it can be sustained. Too many riders think about their performance in just one dimension – FTP. They tend to use the same testing protocol and over time get very good at that test, so their theoretical FTP looks better and better. All they’ve actually done is get very good at a short duration test.
TRY A NEW TEST
To build sustainable FTP, focus on subthreshold efforts of greater than 30 minutes, periodising these efforts so they build intensity and duration over the course of a season. Think of FTP as the power you can build up from say 30 minutes to 50. If you take your current FTP as derived from a test, start these longer intervals at 85 per cent for 30 minutes building to 50 over a couple of months. Repeat the cycle with increased intensity until you are riding at 100 per cent of your tested FTP for a lot longer.