Poll: What's your Functional Threshold power?

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see thats the point, he doesn't do that. He is a very savy racer, i mean he's been a cat 2 for a year. You can't get there by making cat 5 mistakes.
I agree with Beerco. If he's a strong TT-er, and also a savvy racer, then it certainly seems unlikely that he'd spend as much of the race sucking wheel as a strong sprinter. Wouldn't the preferred tactic for a rider of that type to aggressively try to get into breaks?

Indicate your resent FTP, age, best resent result, and total years cycling.

I'll start:
FTP:310
age: 39
result: 2nd Cat4 state championship RR
years cycling: 3

FTP ~ 380ish
Weight ~ 68kgs
Age ~ 26
Best Recent Result ~ A Win
Years Racing ~ 1 (5 races as a 5, 1 as a 4)

FTP:290ish (I plugged in some #'s from a 30 minute hill climb on ac and got 310, so I think this should be in the ballpark)
Age: 16
Mass: 62 kg
Racing Category: Junior Expert MTB/ Junior/cat 4 on the road (haven't done many senior races)
Years Cycling: I got my training wheels off at 4! So 12! Just over a year of serious training
Best Results: 1st junior, 3rd mens b @ UCI 'cross race, 1st french broad tt 15-16

To compare within the age group...\

FTP: 320watts
Age: 15
Mass: 64kg
Best races: No 1 ranked U17 in Region
Years in Sport: 2

FTP: 245watts
Age: 15 (rider aboves twin brother)
Mass: 63.5kg
Best races: No 2 ranked U17 in Region
Years in Sport: 2

FTP: 200watts
Age: 16
Mass: 56kg (156cm tall)
Best races: Top 3 rank in NZ U17 pursuit and top 10 in Road
Years in Sport: 6
Note rider: rider tested after a bad NZ winter full of flu's and was overtrained with far too much interval training before I took over his coaching.

FTP: 225watts
Age: 14 Female
Mass: 58kg
Best races: 2nd Nats U15 TT, 3rd Nats U15 RR, 2nd Nats U17 IP.
Years in Sport 2

FTP: 240watts
Age: 14
Mass: 56kg
Best Races: 10th Nats U15 TT
Years in Sport: 1

At the other end of the spectrum from 1995...

FTP: 475watts
Age: 19
Mass: 69.3kg
Years in Sport: 5
Note: has medalled at World Track Champs for the last three years inc Gold in 2004. Prep 3 days out from World Pro Road Race last year was 3 X 20 LF training doing each 20min effort at 400 watts.

FTP: 470watts
Age: 20
Mass 73.5 kg
Years in Sport: 5
Note: Now a Euro based on Pro on Cat 1 team working as lead out for TdF stage winner and has won several minor Pro races and two top ten finishes in World Pro Road Race.

And back to reality

FTP: 215watts
Age 34 (me)
Mass: 96kg
Years in Sport: 21 (back to cycling in May 2005 after 5 year break)
Best races: Former Regional Champ and Rep, World Ranked in Sport Aerobics and now can't finish Cat 5 races.

FTP: 245watts
Age: 45
Mass: 75kg (Father of twins above)
Years in Sport: 2
Best races: Top Cat 5 rider in Canterbury in recent series

FTP: 350watts
Age: 33
Mass: 66kg
Years in Sport: 20
Best races: NZ rep in Oceania Level Events, Raced minor Pro-Amatuer events in Europe, NZ Age Group Duathlon Champ (30-34 age group)

FYI

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

Yeah, well, I think my one minute power is about 380:( I'll have a closer estimate (although still an estimate) when I get my new trainer.

Hmmm, perhaps you do need those intervals. My gun U17 rider had an ave power of 345 for a 5 min test. This was his first test where his FTP was only 290 (now 320 after going through the whole programme, was tested at start of training and then a week after Road Nationals). We didn't do a 5min test during the second testing session.

That being said he is now out doing 4 hour rides twice a week during our Summer and his School Holidays. Can't wait to do his next testing session. But these numbers are nothing compared to his attitude to racing!

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

FTP: 475watts
Age: 19
Mass: 69.3kg
Years in Sport: 5
Note: has medalled at World Track Champs for the last three years inc Gold in 2004. Prep 3 days out from World Pro Road Race last year was 3 X 20 LF training doing each 20min effort at 400 watts.


Future TdF or World TT champ? What's his name?

To compare within the age group...\

FTP: 320watts
Age: 15
Mass: 64kg
Best races: No 1 ranked U17 in Region
Years in Sport: 2

FTP: 245watts
Age: 15 (rider aboves twin brother)
Mass: 63.5kg
Best races: No 2 ranked U17 in Region
Years in Sport: 2

FYI

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach



Hamish,

Interesting power difference between twins.

Are they identical or fraternal twins?

Would you say they are equally enthusiastic about their training? Or is one naturally that bit more gifted?

Very curious as the father of identical twins.

Thanks.

At the other end of the spectrum from 1995...

FTP: 475watts
Age: 19
Mass: 69.3kg
Years in Sport: 5
Note: has medalled at World Track Champs for the last three years inc Gold in 2004. Prep 3 days out from World Pro Road Race last year was 3 X 20 LF training doing each 20min effort at 400 watts.

FTP: 470watts
Age: 20
Mass 73.5 kg
Years in Sport: 5
Note: Now a Euro based on Pro on Cat 1 team working as lead out for TdF stage winner and has won several minor Pro races and two top ten finishes in World Pro Road Race.

I think it's pretty clear that you're overestimating these guys' functional threshold powers, probably by about 10% or so. That's evident from the fact that 1) the first rider only trains at 400 W, i.e., at 87.5% of what you state as being their functional threshold power, and 2) the values you report would make either of these riders capable of more than they have accomplished to date. For example, given McGee's background (the 2nd is McGee, right?) as an endurance trackie he should be able to take the hour record easily with a functional threshold power that is ~7% higher than what Boardman's was when he set it just before retiring. While I'd love to see him take a shot at it and it's certainly possible that he'd go further than Mosenka did, he hasn't shown anything in road TTs to date to suggest that he'd break it by the margin that your numbers suggest.

Only if 1) his functional threshold power is really lower than PSUcycling's, rather than the same as assumed, or 2) he habitually eats a diet lower in fat (but in that case you'd expect him to fatigue later, not sooner).
Huh? You seem to be saying either that the % of fat used for a given effort and duration is not a trainable factor of performance, or that there is no genetic variation in fuel utilization. I must be missing some unstated assumptions.

Huh? You seem to be saying either that the % of fat used for a given effort and duration is not a trainable factor of performance, or that there is no genetic variation in fuel utilization.

No, I'm sauing that the percentage of fat used for a given effort/duration is primarily a function of 1) your functional threshold power (which is assumed to be the same in this case) and 2) your chronic diet. Age and sex have minor influences as well, but again those are also the same here.

I think it's pretty clear that you're overestimating these guys' functional threshold powers, probably by about 10% or so. That's evident from the fact that 1) the first rider only trains at 400 W, i.e., at 87.5% of what you state as being their functional threshold power, and 2) the values you report would make either of these riders capable of more than they have accomplished to date. For example, given McGee's background (the 2nd is McGee, right?) as an endurance trackie he should be able to take the hour record easily with a functional threshold power that is ~7% higher than what Boardman's was when he set it just before retiring. While I'd love to see him take a shot at it and it's certainly possible that he'd go further than Mosenka did, he hasn't shown anything in road TTs to date to suggest that he'd break it by the margin that your numbers suggest.

Both are Kiwi riders. As for doing efforts at this level it was 3 days out from last years World Pro Road Race so he may have been tapering. These tests were done in the lab in 1995 before they had a Kingcycle. NZ won the U19 World Teams Pursuit title last year and I was told that riders for this year would need to have a 350watt power output at their anaerobic threshold to be considered. I don't coach either of these riders I was invited to help out in a training camp. Before some of these guys head back overseas I am going to try and get them tested so I am comparing apples with apples.

As for the twins the weaker one has been racing track but both were really affected by flu over our winter. In the racing the difference is not so great. For a 16km TT on a slow course they sit around 24.21 and 24.41 using aerobars and aero wheels (U17s not allowed disc wheels). The stronger one at present is showing far more cofidence and focus with his training. The weaker one did have 5 crashes last year and also has a hard time grasping the unfair nature of bike racing (why he does the work and gets sprinted at the finish etc).

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

I did a little research and need amend numbers a little.

power @ 20min ~320 and 30min @ 307

weight at time of rides: 143-144

age: 23

caveat: Last year was the first year that i had structured training (full time school and worked 2nd shift 2002-04), let alone a powermeter. That being said I did 3-4 races on my power meter, so many of my peaks and races were not recorded. The best 20min power i have is from a technical crit midseason...

Both are Kiwi riders. As for doing efforts at this level it was 3 days out from last years World Pro Road Race so he may have been tapering. These tests were done in the lab in 1995 before they had a Kingcycle. NZ won the U19 World Teams Pursuit title last year and I was told that riders for this year would need to have a 350watt power output at their anaerobic threshold to be considered. I don't coach either of these riders I was invited to help out in a training camp. Before some of these guys head back overseas I am going to try and get them tested so I am comparing apples with apples.

As for the twins the weaker one has been racing track but both were really affected by flu over our winter. In the racing the difference is not so great. For a 16km TT on a slow course they sit around 24.21 and 24.41 using aerobars and aero wheels (U17s not allowed disc wheels). The stronger one at present is showing far more cofidence and focus with his training. The weaker one did have 5 crashes last year and also has a hard time grasping the unfair nature of bike racing (why he does the work and gets sprinted at the finish etc).

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach
Hamish, thanks a ton for the wattage info on the juniors. That's something I haven't been able to find a ton of, so thanks for the perspective. However, how was power measured in these tests? (both procedure/power monitoring device) Over 24 minutes for a 16k tt seems ridiculously slow for these wattage values.

Hamish, thanks a ton for the wattage info on the juniors. That's something I haven't been able to find a ton of, so thanks for the perspective. However, how was power measured in these tests? (both procedure/power monitoring device) Over 24 minutes for a 16k tt seems ridiculously slow for these wattage values.

Yes and the huge difference in their FTP (320-245)would not really put them 20 seconds apart. :confused:

Yes and the huge difference in their FTP (320-245)would not really put them 20 seconds apart. :confused:

It is a very slow course. Very exposed, very twisty course, hard to set a rythem and the surface is a very large chip designed for heavy traffic and stock movements in a rural area.

Between the two I suspect the weaker doesn't like testing and has motivation problems when nothing is on the line.

Testing in the lab using a Kingcycle and their own bikes.

I have to wonder how accurate the testing was back in 1995 with those two future Pros. Aussie track team riders from 1994 had a FT of 358 watts. This was however at the end of their short off season (4 weeks) while our guys were being tested four weeks out from Nationals.

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

After an indoor test (12 January 2005 after 3000 km since december 2005)
FTP:315
Age:24
Weight: 62 kg
result: Alpen Brevet Winner (Neo-Prò Rider in 2006)
years cycling: 5

Indicate your resent FTP, age, best resent result, and total years cycling.

I'll start:
FTP:310
age: 39
result: 2nd Cat4 state championship RR
years cycling: 3

Expect not my best effort, but a recent 90 min session where I selected my best 60 mins within yielded.

Age: 49
Category: 5
Current wgt: 135 lbs
Average Power: 240w (3.9 w/kg)
Nominal Power: 260w (4.2 w/kg)
Max heart rate: 188 bpm
Threshold heart rate: 167 bpm
VO2 Max: 64.9 ml/kg/min
VO2Max at threashold: 81%
Yrs racing: 1
Current hours training / week: 9 - 11.
Peak hours training / week: 15.

Since the data came from the best 60 minutes of a 90 min training effort, I expect my current FT would actually be a little higher than quoted above. Hopefully by start of race season weight will be down to 130 lbs (59 kg) and power will be up to 260w+.

Age: 29
Weight: 72-73 kg, 183 cm, 6 feet
60 min continuous power: 315 w
75 min continuous power: 300 w
VO2 max: 74 ml-kg-min

Best results: my 1 hr training power has moved up about 15% since my last race but best was a 30 km TT at 37 km/hr, rolling course Mercx style, and without slicks. I can attest to the fact that indeed racing itself improves performance.

Except for our age differential, you sound a lot like me:

FTP 300 W
weight 68 kg
age 47

License still says cat. 2, but I couldn't really be a "player" in most P/1/2 races any more. If I downgraded to cat. 3, though, I'm certain that I could.

Question - I'm 47 years and have just started training again and testing for my FTP on a computrainer. I believe it is 260, but it is hard to tell when I hit FTP. My legs don't feel heavy like they used to, they just feel dead. Does that sound right - the change of feeling with age?

FTP: 325w
Age: 62
Wt: 80kg
Cat: 4
Yrs Racing: 5 yrs in 1970s, 6 months recently
2005 Results: 2x1st, 2x3rd, 1x17th (45+ age group)

FTP: 325w
Age: 62
Wt: 80kg
Cat: 4
Yrs Racing: 5 yrs in 1970s, 6 months recently
2005 Results: 2x1st, 2x3rd, 1x17th (45+ age group)
Hey RD, looks like our power as well as our cadence is similar:

FTP: 325w (recently averaged 310w for 100 min.)
Age: 38
Wt: 76 kg
Yrs racing: 1 (only 2 races)
Results: 28th, 26th out of ~50 :o