Since this was the first week of my training plan for next season, I did some testing to see how much fitness I lost during my 3-week “semi-active” recovery period. I tested the four durations of mean maximal power (or Critical Power, in Friel-speak) that most experts agree upon as representing the energy systems critical to cycling: 5-second, 1-minute, 5-minute, and 20-minute. I learned that currently, I am 10-15% off of my all-time bests for 1-, 5- and 20-minute powers. I was a little disappointed with the results, but all my bests were achieved on the road, usually uphill, which tend to generate higher numbers than on a trainer (at least for me). Since I plan to test once a month through the winter, I guess it’s good to establish my baseline on the trainer as that’s what I’ll be using when the weather turns south.

I did do my sprints on the road since I find it impossible to sprint all-out on a trainer, where the bike is fixed in a vertical plane. So my 5-second number was the best of the bunch, only 5.5% off. The best part is that I came within only 19 watts of my all-time best maximum power…about 1.5% off! This made me happy and is probably due to the increased strength work I’ve been doing at the gym about 3 times/week. So I’m excited to keep my sprint power high as I periodize my weight work through the winter and include some plyometrics. I can only foresee increasing those numbers.