Ok!
I saw that there is a specific plan for Mountainbike marathons.
I tried a few last year outdoor and really enjoyed them.
Will probably go for that plan and add some custom workout if I feel that something is lacking.
Great work with continuing the FTP increase!
Nice to get the outdoor PR. I have not ridden outdoor since starting with indoor cycling and are looking forward to trying to set some PB:s when spring comes around.
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2017 after 6 weeks of training non power ( working on a boat offshore with a crappy spin bike) just hr and 3 weeks on a private coach plan 297 futher 4 weeks into my cx season tested again at 345, coach had me doing alot of squats and gym work, this year after a 2 week bikepacking trip with serious days in the saddle and 2 weeks on tr plan 322, fell off plan as was doing rapha 500, now im back on it ssb high volume, hoping to be back around the 330/340 range and smash some crits here in scotland 
Good job!
As for the weight loss: I myself went from 101kg to 89 kg in about 3 months time, and down to 84 in 9 months.
An insight from my journey: Donāt get discouraged or take drastic measures when things slow down on the scale. You might be losing fat, but gain muscle mass so the scale stays neutral for a whileā¦ I fell in the trap of not eating enough, workouts started to get harder and harder and progress on the bike stagnated until I saw a nutrition specialist for more advice.
Keep up the good work!
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I love this thread, seems like a lot of good progress all round. I could hardly wait to add my own results. So here goes
Apr 2018 ā got power meter ā FTP = 235
June 2018 = 261
(Raced early August and then had intermittent time on the bike)
6 October 2018 ā got TR account and did first ramp test = 257
27 November 2018 ā got TT bike and completed ramp test in aero position = 251
29 Jan 2019 = 279 (still in aero)
Up to 3.6 w/kg and pretty ecstatic with TR!
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Hi all,
Here are my results:
1st of November 2018: 198W - Zwift FTP test
16th of December 2018: 220W - start of SSB Mid vol I (Ramp Test); midway thru: 240W
28th of January 2019: 248W - start of SSB Mid vol II (Ramp Test)
I followed the workouts by the book, and added most weeks another workout or two, either outside or on Zwift. My weight since the begining has been more or less constant, 66kg. This curently puts me at 3.75W/kg.
My yearās goal is Lāetape du Tour. My plan is to be >4W/kg. I estimate that with this number I will be able to give a decent performanceā¦and enjoy the event at the same time.
Cheers!
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Hi,
I mostly read, but chances are your powermeter(trainer) is way off. I race Cat 1 and there are not many that have this kind of w/kg. It takes years of training and is not attainable for some people, especially if they were smokers etc. If you could post an outdoor ride where you went hard up a grade, people on here can tell if your numbers are correct, which I doubt and Iād recommend talking to the manufacturer of your trainer.
Sorry for delayed response , 46 years old and ridden and trained before but not what Iād call properly, listening to the TR podcasts had helped loads and getting a food plan to run alongside the cycling is a big game changer.
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My N=1. Currently 64 years old. Raced through my adult life from my 20ās to my 50ās most consistently in my 40ās and 50ās FTP at that time about 230 with a weight of 70-71 kg. Stopped riding pretty much totally except commuting to the gym in my mid 50ās. Started up this spring, finding even 15 mph was painful. 20 min test on Zwift in May put my FTP at 170. Rode consistently over the summer, one shop ride (usually off the back), one 3-5 hr ride and one ācoffeeā ride with my wife. Did the Coeur dāFondo in September in just over 9 hrs. Developed bad knee tendonitis so stayed off the bike for 2 months.
Due to my knee, I started Traditional Base low volume.
First Ramp test: 155
Second Ramp test 277 after Traditional Base Low volume 1
Third Ramp test 308 after Traditional Base Low volume 2
My routine is 3 trainer workouts/week, daily sauna, and one weight workout/week. Currently weight 72.5 kg
Iāll be starting SSB1 low volume.
Unfortunately My Kickr was out of whack. After a factory spindown, it agreed with power pedals that I just purchased. My FTP is a an unremarkable 188, more in line with my age of 64. I hope to get to 3 watts/kg, but without turning back 20 or 30 years, I doubt Iāll ever see 300
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Feb 4 : 264W (+6%) 68.0kg - 3.88 W/kg
Half way through Sustained Power Build LV
Stoked by the results today. Thatās my highest ever FTP since testing. Totally down to the consistency created by the calendar I think (and small amount of effort on my half).
Now totally scared of the next set of training sessions. How am I supposed to do 5x7mins at 277W which I calculate to be 122% of my FTP from October
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If youāre at 4.6watt/KG 4 months into serious training, just do what youāre doing and think about sending requests for a tryout to pro teamsā¦
Not to put you downā¦but are you sure about both your weight and watt measurements?
I just started sustained power build and I cannot wait to get through it. Very excited for these long efforts and hopefully the results will follow. Iād always do something similar to a short power or xc build, but I need a bit more for this base and keep my engine going.
And is he on a kickr/neo etc or a wheel-on trainer?
To be fair I have competed on a fairly high level in running and cross country skiing which have given a good aeroobic base. But I stopped due to a lot of injuries a few years back. I noticed last year that I was able to place high on segments on Strava without a lot of cycling. So I bought a Tacx Neo in the fall with an ambition to try to take some KOM:s this year.
I get your scepticism about the numbers and I honestly donāt know how well the wattage is measured, but I understand that the Neo should be good. And the weight is correct at least.
So I will have to wait and see until spring if the training have any effect on the Strava leaderboards 
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I am starting General Build today so it was Ramp Test Time!
Very happy with the result and I felt that I went all out on the test today, I was completely knackered!
23/09/2018 - FTP 263 @ 99.5kg = 2.64 w/kg
06/11/2018 - FTP 274 @ 97.5kg = 2.81 w/kg
14/12/2018 - FTP 290 @ 92.9kg = 3.12 w/kg
15/01/2019 - FTP 270 @ 95.8kg = 2.82 w/kg
05/02/2019 - FTP 305 @ 94.0kg = 3.24 w/kg
Seeing some very good improvements since I started in September. I was hoping the weight would be a bit lower, but overall I am very happy.
My absolute goal is to be at 4.0w/kg or 320w @ 80kg. I think I may hit he 320watts way before I hit the 80kg!
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Another Tuesday. Another Ramp test. 221 ā 227w. Another 2.7%. Im hoping this gradual climb is more sustainable than the peaky nature of last year.
Interesting. Do you mind sharing your opinion why last year was āpeakyā, and why you believe this years improvements will be more sustainable?
Around mid october 2017 I had some minor surgery that had me off the bike for the 6 weeks. Around the same time I moved house. So in reality my first day back training was new years eve. In effect 3 months off the bike. Thatās why you see the massive drop. In theory I started SSB LV at that point but in reality I mostly subbed in (hard) group rides. From end of March our club drop ride kicked off and I was doing that 2x per week plus club Saturday ride (and something on Sunday if I still had legs left) until the end of summer. In effect I didnāt really do a base block for the 2018 seasonā¦ I just went straight into having my legs ripped off.
This year Iāve actually managed to complete base with a good level of compliance (probably near 100% apart from the Disaster week). It was below what I had hoped to do (LV instead of MV) as new baby and work stress combined to make life a bit harder than expected.
Iāve just completed a mini-VO2 block over the last month and I suspect I have a decent shot of getting through most of the first 4 weeks of general build before my compliance goes to crap with added outdoor rides. Also race season starts March 1st so might be subbing in some races for the Saturday ride from that point on.
To answer you point more specificallyā¦ Iām usually of the view that gradual changes are sustainable changes and have always found my fitness gains to be hard won. I know thereās more low hanging fruit in terms of diet, weight, and body composition however Iām just a guy riding a bike with no real outlook towards being up at the pointy end of anything prestigious so am reluctant to let it take over my life further.
In an ideal world having even more time to work on that aerobic engine would be greatā¦ but itās not going to happen this year and frankly the mental break from base work is very necessary for me.
Bahā¦ thatās a bit stream of consciousness and I probably need a lot more time and space to get it coherent and structuredā¦ but hopefully Iāve given you some idea of my thinking.
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After a 6month break started up training again, this time focusing on improving my power in the Aero position ready for summer time trials and triathlons. I test on the TT bars and try to do my intervals also on the TT bars, sitting up for the recoveries.
Start - 277w (about 40w down on my last test 6months ago, in road position)
SSB LV 1 - +13w (4.7%) up to 290w
SSB LV2 - +14w (4.8%) up to 304w
Very happy with the improvements
Iām now going to re-do SSB LV2 before build and speciality to lead me up to my A Race.
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Started TR on 1 Jan (not intentional, just worked out that way) and tested at 183 watts. Completed SSBLV1 and did my second ramp test this morning to kick off SSBLV2. New FTP: 212.
Very happy with that and excited to continue training.
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