Hey all, Happy start to 2026, hope you all have a great year doing all the amazing things you are planning.
Are you planning to ride an early year FTP Test, some may think it is valuable. These efforts are never easy but depending on your bike plans and goals for 2026, they may be useful tools. If you don’t have any goals other than just riding and having fun on a bike, they may still be worthwhile. Knowing your limits before you commit to the ride can make that ride so much more enjoyable. I tend to use the British Cycling version of an FTP test. 5 Ramps to warm up, 2 minutes of short active and 2 very short hard sprint efforts, 2 min of easier active and then 30 minutes of “test” with a cool down of 10 minutes. (FYI, There are lots of other FTP test versions)
With an FTP test in mind, I have a few docs to share that are my take on FTP tests to make them productive. Some of the docs are direct screen shots of Charts in Training Peaks so if you are a Training Peaks account holder, even Free accounts, you can find these charts by logging in/opening TP’s (better to do so with a computer or at least a tablet), go to the top of your account “Home, Calendar, Dashboard, ATP, etc.” and select DASHBOARD. Once that opens, you may see some charts already in your Dashboard. There is also a Charts Library icon on the left side. You can open the library and drag charts onto your Dashboard that you may feel useful. The charts can be modified by date ranges and other metrics. Experiment and see what you find helpful.
I like to use the Peaks Power, Peaks HR and Peaks Cadence charts. I set up two versions of each, YTD and Last Month. Once installed, you can hover your cursor over the charts and find an appropriate time span to analyze where your fitness level is currently and in relation to the past year. Pick the same time span for each metric so you can understand what rpm, HR and watts of power match up to give you optimal results for the type of event in your goals plan.
I have what I call my Golden Triangle posted as well. I’ve used a similar process over the years to determine ideal combinations of the three elements to train for very specific velodrome races. The points of the triangle represent Watts, HR and Cadence, all key elements in knowing ahead of time what you can execute during a particular event. You might think an RPM is best but then you add some extra watts and your HR starts to spiral up to an unmanageable high. Back off the rpms, add a few more watts and maybe that is the golden combo. It’s all trial and error for a while as you experiment with the right combo.
By using the Dashboard charts, you can realistically manage your FTP test or events for best results. If the charts say you can do 225 watts for 30 minutes at 90 rpm and 160 bpm, you may not want to start the FTP test or event riding at 250 watts, 100 rpm and 165 bpm. Start realistically and then maybe increase your efforts as you ride the FTP test to the end of that 30-minute effort or that event.
The three TP’s Charts I use can be seen by selecting the below link. None of them are interactive here as they are in TP’s, just samples. As always, you can use your TP’s account to learn so much more. https://pjwracingadventures.com/training-peaks-dashboard-charts/