Newbie Q's on Power

[tracto]

Hi Guys, i.m a bit new to the whole "power" thing and have a few typical newbie questions for you experts out there. Firstly what exactly is functional threshold power? I did my first bike test at the weekend and was given figures for my power at anaerobic threshold and at v02 max. Are either of these comparable to FTP? Also should i use my power at anaerobic threshold as a target output for a 40km tt or should i aim for a bit higher/lower? Incidentally my AT power was 260 and VO2 max 310 (was told the latter could/should be higher ), is there anyway of using these figures to estimate a 40km tt time for a standard set of conditions (i.e flat smooth surface, no wind etc)?

Cheers guys

 

[frenchyge]

Firstly what exactly is functional threshold power?

FTP is the maximal power that you could sustain for ~1hr (40k) TT. For more details (and an educating read) see: http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/PowerTrainingChapter.pdf

I did my first bike test at the weekend and was given figures for my power at anaerobic threshold and at v02 max. Are either of these comparable to FTP? Also should i use my power at anaerobic threshold as a target output for a 40km tt or should i aim for a bit higher/lower?

AT is close to FTP, and would make a suitable initial target power for a 40k TT. You'd want to do a practice effort or two during your training/prep to make fine adjustments from there.

Incidentally my AT power was 260 and VO2 max 310 (was told the latter could/should be higher ), is there anyway of using these figures to estimate a 40km tt time for a standard set of conditions (i.e flat smooth surface, no wind etc)?

Yes, using the tools at www.analyticcycling.com ("Speed, given Power" utility). Unfortunately, you'd have to know/assume some information regarding your body aerodynamics, which has a big impact on your TT time, as you probably know.

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Hi Guys, i.m a bit new to the whole "power" thing and have a few typical newbie questions for you experts out there. Firstly what exactly is functional threshold power? I did my first bike test at the weekend and was given figures for my power at anaerobic threshold and at v02 max. Are either of these comparable to FTP? Also should i use my power at anaerobic threshold as a target output for a 40km tt or should i aim for a bit higher/lower? Incidentally my AT power was 260 and VO2 max 310 (was told the latter could/should be higher ), is there anyway of using these figures to estimate a 40km tt time for a standard set of conditions (i.e flat smooth surface, no wind etc)?

Cheers guys

You could also have a read of this, http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=powerstern

This gives a little more info on maximal aerobic power (MAP) which is similar (and may or may not be the same - depending on the protocol used) to the VO2max power you were given.

And welcome to the forum! There's a few well read people on the forum who can help you with training and training with power. And, as forum sponsor if we can help you with coaching don't hesitate to give us a shout!

Cheers
Ric

 

[tracto]

Thanks a million lads, some really interesting reads there. I'll get my head around this whole area one day!