Time between 20 min and 5 min Bike Tests

If these were your first of each test, it's a good bet that you didn't perform as well as you could (e.g., looks to me like you spent way too much time below 200w for a 216w average in the 20min test).  As you get a better sense of where you think you should land, pacing yourself through the tests will get better and the results will be more 'accurate'.  You can re-test or just use the results you have to start setting your training and then adjust as you get more comfortable with what you can do over different intervals.

Does 189w for CP sound right based on what you have seen in your training?  If you had to do 5 x 5:00 @ 190w with 1:00 RI, how difficult do you think it would be?

Personally, I would redo the 20' test.

Let us know how the second test goes.  

Originally posted by mike761

Originally posted by 3mar Dang it. Well, I guess I know what next Wednesday's trainer session will consist of.

If you puke in the 19th minute of your test, you know you did it right

if you feel start to feel that holding your power is impossible, and you want to quit already...at minute 7, then you know you're on track.  This may sound like a joke...it really isn't.  Most of a 20' test is mental...and as I alluded to before, I don't think you quit know what it is really like to suffer on the bike.  The good news is that a power meter is the best way to test your limits.  Just that it may take a few tries before you actually ride till complete failure. 

He's going to 'see' an increase whether he sticks with the plan or not.  The CP he has now form his tests is too low.

Originally posted by 3mar

Originally posted by Jason N

Originally posted by mike761

Originally posted by 3mar Dang it. Well, I guess I know what next Wednesday's trainer session will consist of.

If you puke in the 19th minute of your test, you know you did it right

 

if you feel start to feel that holding your power is impossible, and you want to quit already...at minute 7, then you know you're on track.  This may sound like a joke...it really isn't.  Most of a 20' test is mental...and as I alluded to before, I don't think you quit know what it is really like to suffer on the bike.  The good news is that a power meter is the best way to test your limits.  Just that it may take a few tries before you actually ride till complete failure. 

I am seeing that. Each time I reach what I think is the absolute limit as far as percieved effort, I find there's even more the next time now that I am pushing it. This morning was pretty rough.

And it's normal to progress that way.  I would bet 20 bucks your 20' power is at least 260 right now.  With room for improvement to the 280 range. You're a far more gifted athlete than I am. 

I also don't perform well at the 20 minute test, so I don't have much advice for you. 

The biggest problem for me is RPE on an indoor ride vs outdoor ride.  For my last Sprint I averaged around 240 watts for over 1/2 hour.  It was tough but manageable and not a soul sucking effort.

For the threshold sessions I'm doing on the trainer now, I need to hold that wattage for only 5 minutes and it feels like an eternity.

Same PM so its not a question of different readings too.

I'm the same way on the trainer...can't hold the same power.  So maybe I should qualify my 260 estimation.  I believe 3mar can hold 260 for 20 minutes if it was an outdoor all out time trial.  It may be much more difficult for him to his 260 on the trainer for 20 minutes.  I know I can't match my 20' power outdoors on the trainer.  But his 20' trainer power is still way higher than 216.

I sit up - in fact, I just use my road bike on the trainer.

In the end, it doesn't really matter that much how you do the test.  Could the results vary by 5-10 watts depending how you do it...sure.  The 20' test is just a general "guideline" to drive your other interval workouts.  It's not some magic number that is extremely important to nail down exactly how you race.  Sure, there will come a time when you need to dial things in with the aero position as you get closer to racing, but right now your focus is simply on bike fitness improvement.

IOW, don't sweat the details right now.  Focus more on maximizing results, however that might be.

If you don't have to immediately write the average watts on your iphone after the test and before the warmdown as you will forget it within 60 seconds since your brain is mush, you're doing it wrong 

I'd say retest, that CP of 189w will be undertraining vs a CP 221 (20' = 240w).  I too think you should be in the +240w (+80%) range.  I just did the two CP tests this week after not being on the bike since June and was able to manage 89.7% of my 5' power.