Determining Cycling Fitness Level with a FTP test on Zwift
How much suffering can you handle for 20 minutes?
I am in the middle of preparing for a 100 mile gravel bike race, the Caprock Gravel Grind race, at Southland, Texas on May 4th. As an important part of training, I have been riding in the virtual game world of Zwift since January. With only five weeks left until the race, I wanted to determine my current fitness level.
A standard measurement of cycling performance is functional threshold power (FTP). FTP is the average power (watts) that a rider can maintain for an hour. To measure changes in fitness, coaches recommend that cyclists take this test every six weeks. I admit to avoiding this test until now. There are a ton of videos of cyclists taking the FTP test on YouTube, and they are in some serious pain.
A smart trainer coupled with Zwift is a great method to gauge FTP. I use the Wahoo Kickr smart trainer. Zwift offers both a one hour and 45 minute shorter test. I elected for the 45 minute shorter test. The only difference between the two is that the hour test has a longer warmup period.
Most coaches recommend measuring FTP over a 20 minute interval to estimate an hour’s effort (.95 x 20 minute FTP result). Better to minimize suffering for only 20 minutes.
