3 Months Off the Bike and Then This... 

I love seeing FTP tests. To witness somebody when they reach their limit of pain and performance, it’s amazing. The dichotomy between you, on the bike, and me, on my couch, is noteworthy.

Three months off and still faster than most of us at our peak… while at altitude!

I loved your daughter's starring role! Indoor training is never optimal - compared to an Australian summer, having negative temp air being blow through sounds amazing!

Awesome Alex especially after 3 months off...Nice to see you relaxed and living the family life!!!

Thanks for having the stones to do a live FTP test. Very cool to see and it'll also be neat to see how it compares at sea level with some more fitness. You'll be back to 400ish in 1-1.5 months max is my guess.

Please make sure you have a long steerer plug in that fork, considering this chimney is huge! Be safe!

Keep focused and train hard, who knows how good of a cyclist you could become!

Alex...Welcome to the world of Amateur cycling....one minute you're fit, the next after a couple of weeks of on and off the bike or eating a load of crap you're unfit 😂 . Best turbo bike I've ever seen btw 🚴🔥

Alex , fantastic video however the best bit was the way your daughter helps you out. My daughter is now 22 and that time you have now is an absolute dream when you are the best thing in the world ( along with Mrs D ) enjoy....

Great production - Kudos to the three of you for doing these.

Brilliant video, so refreshing to see a pro being so honest. Cheers, Alex!

Such refreshing honesty as ever 👌

Another great video Alex. I’d take your FTP any day lol. Would be great to see your training plan moving forward to get yourself back to race fitness. Keep them coming; we’ll keep on watching them 👍👍

Thanks for doing this on camera mate...you're a legend

I did an FTP test 2 weeks ago after 4 months off the bike, FTP dropped off by more than 30%, so I was going to avoid doing another one for months, but now I feel like I should after a couple of weeks back into it. Thanks for the inspiration/guilt trip!

Glad to know we’ve got the same FTP number…. I’ll ignore the weight difference 😳 Looking forward to how quick your number goes up 👌🏻

Very honest and big respect for doing it live. I’d be interested in your mental view. I ran to a good level but had to lay off for a while, going back was horrific as the times were awful, and I struggled with that a bit.

Enjoyed that, I'd say your daughter also enjoyed being a part of it............making memories with her Dad. 😎👍

Haha I blew up at the same point mate. That test is no joke. Good effort with no training in the legs!

Best bit was Juliettes' commentary 👌

Love it Alex! Great vid!

I feel your pain. To get the best FTP one has to bury oneself. Like a tsunami of effort washing over. My very modest FTP on the same Zwift ramp test was a paltry 270. When you dont have enough energy to open your eyes properly, thats proper rinsing. Only way is up

Thank you for this!

Cracking effort Alex!!! Maybe a sweat catcher next time… I’d be interested in your view on the sun zero kit now your tested it. I always suffer with heat on Zwift. I’ve thrown small bags of ice down back on big tests etc. but dedicated kit looks good.

Holy chimney.... (kudo's for the canerawork by the way. Good shots)

Great to watch this. Thanks for the share. I’ve never done a ramp or FTP test. Now I’ve got a Kickr, I probably should. But I’m not sure if I want to know the result. Got back into road bikes a couple of years ago and am now 66. I think I’d be lucky to hit 150. Not sure how hard I should push myself. My max HR is around 170 which I probably need to compensate for age related muscle loss. I guess I’ll just have to try. The good news is that all the riding has reduced my weight from 77kg to 62.5kg so I’ll feel much better and the hills are easier! Thanks again for a great video.

Thanks for sharing !

Great insight Alex.

I have cardiomyopathy, so great charity to be supporting!

Boss that Aethos steerer is about to snap (they are SO light) with so many spacers above the stem. ESPECIALLY with someone of your weight and power. Cut down the steerer so the steerer plug can do its job properly brother. Get a deda 70mm steerer plug to stiffen up the front end too.

Great video. I'm coming back from 5 weeks off and the numbers now after resuming are as they were 4 years ago. Slow up/fast down.

Came smashing past me doing this FTP/video on Zwift! Didn’t seem like you were going badly 😂

Well done Alex 👏 👍

That Aethos is so a beautiful bike! Waiting for mine but with Sram Red AXS and I’m going to make it 1x to make it even lighter. You have such a cute daughter ❤ Don’t stop making this sort of cool videos now you’re not a professional rider anymore. It’s going to be even cooler there you’re also a ‘amateur’ from now on. What you can name a amateur when you see those watts 😂 Keep up the good work!

This is the test we all face one day…Am I as good as I was? The more data you have the harder it is to get in there and train. I had to take off the heart rate monitor and the garmin and reconnect with the joy of just turning the pedals and feeling the air in my face. Once I didn’t care about watts or times or VAM then I could ride again. Eventually my inner racehorse was able to come back out and play and I can train again but not like before, those days are gone as an older rider but I still like to ride and pass younger riders at will.

Well I got to do a FTP test this Wednesday looking forward to that like the whole the head but needs to be done as got a my First UCI gravel race this year😊well I did have Covid at Christmas so I am going to be a little off, glad you are riding may see you at one of the events plus doing a gravel event in Spain in April only 226k 😊

Nice Alex your willingness wins today 👍

Thanks for being a vulnerable, recently retired pro.

Those last minutes in ERG on the ramp test is hell. Trainerroad's AI ftp is pretty good..

Interesting to see how you weren't stressed that much cardio wise, but the legs just weren't there. Also makes us amateurs with ~300 ftp feel better 🙂

Imagine not riding your bike for 3 months. It always astounds me. I haven’t had more than a week off my bike in 51 yrs

"I am not as good as I thought I was"......nor as bad as you feared you may have been. Regardless of the length of layoff, getting back on the bike or treadmill is always a mixed bag of emotions. I got back on the bike after 8 years off it 15 months ago. I love it more than ever. Thanks for sharing this ramp test, I look forward the next one in three months or so. 💪

Thanks!

Alex, would love to see what you do to get race fit. Genuinely - would love to know. Think it would be really helpful for all of us!

Hi Alex, love the cahnnel and listening to yur obvious knowledge. can I buy a ticket even though I now live in NZ? cheers Mike

I’d argue you have done the ultimate ftp test, at altitude hahah

Hi Alex, I get that you don’t want to cut the steerer tube, but please make sure you have a long expander/steerer plug in there so your stem has something to clamp on to, the father of a friend of mine (who works at cannondale) pointed this out to me on my own bike and said it is very dangerous because the steerer can crack very easily this way…

Thanks Alex.

Good effort & video there Alex but sorry Juliette was a complete pro & the star, she's brilliant

LOL I haven't ridden since mid November due to illness. My FTP will be less than your starting 'easy' power 😂

Haha when I saw which ramp you were at I knew you’d land around the 320 mark which is where I’m at. You’ll be back up there quick haha no riding for 3 months can take a toll 🎉🎉🎉

Nice one, thanks for sharing, did the same test yesterday and blew up at 480 Watts - FTP 355W (but i didn’t take 3 Month off) curious to follow your progress in the coming month and hope to learn how to push up that FTP - my goal is to get from 4,7 W/KG now to 5 W/KG in summer Ironman races

Watts interesting! Yes, it is !!

Where did you bought this little temperature a d humidity sensor thing? I really want to buy one but I just found like with an external sensor with a display, so two piece things... I need A one piece sensor with the small dislpay and it looks like what u have, what I want. Nice contact, keep it up! Patrik from Hungary

Great video Alex. I find ZWIFT undercooks power numbers vs garmin vector 3 power pedals/Atom Watt bike. Is this is a widely seen phenomenon?

Having seen a fair few athletes coming back from injury or time off the bike having that higher level of base fitness compared to the average rider, I'm sure you'll be back to full wattage output soon.

Good lord look at that chimney.

FTP's are the devil work haha. Good to see you back on the trainer. Little one's very astute.

Does the wrist ice actually have a measurable affect on your core temp? And if so would it have been allowed and could have helped your hour attempt??

So you're almost 100 watts down on your best fitness? That's crazy. Although I think I heard 318, and not 380? Cant tell.

Consider an external microphone for improved audio quality instead of the internal camera microphone. All the best to you and your family in the year to come, I enjoy your vlogs.

another sign that I need to do a ftp test

What are you training for?

What's the thinking behind choosing a 2.5min step test Vs the 1min step test. Is one better than the other ? I have normally done the 2.5min step test along with factoring in how much has been completed of the ramp that doesn't get completed. I think GPLama covered this at some point on his channel.

Now do new test every 3 weeks so we can watch your pain + progress, thanks! :)))

7 months off the bike and bad health choices my ftp was 285w. 2-3 weeks later 300w dead. My best ftp was 345w so hopefully can surpass that with dedication. 💪 ftp north of 400w is madness.

You're still way too pro, using cooling pads for your ramp test 😬

Did the cool packs help ?

Good effort after 3 months off 😝

if I would have known you were doing a test i would have waited to give you the ride on @8:23

Save the headset, use a towel!

The Spirit of Gravel gives you another 50 watts though.

PS Alex...towel

dude when I get off the bike for 3 months I feel like starting from the beginning

What counts as "altitude"? We moved from sea level to 1600 meters. Anecdotally, two hours at 230 "feels like" (heart rate/perceived effort) what two hours at 270 felt like, but I'm wondering if there's a handy conversion table that lets you know how far to expect to have to adjust based on how high up you are.

intersting - it looks like even the pros lose fitness over time. In my peak and with a much much higher weight, I am able to hit similar numbers as Alex does off season

Consider your indoor power might be 10-15% below outdoor. Plus the altitude. That would mean you are "only" about 15% of you all time best.

You don't measure core temperature when doing a FTP test? Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine there would be huge differences between riding indoors and outdoors. But I neither have a smart trainer or a core sensor.

Given the pros can't hold their theoretical FTPs for more than 30-40 min its clear 20 min FTP over estimates the hour real test performance. Need to build up that Zone 2 training!

Have some cream with that pie!

A ? Is the saddle not exactly horizontal?

I still hope to hit 300 watts FTP before I snuff it 😄

I get my highest HRs when I’m most fit. I guess not being able to push our efforts to the extreme is our bodies’ way of protecting the hardware.

Ramp test after 3 months off 😱😱

You should really get a digital altimeter so that we can see that you train at like 8848m 😬😬

What do you like for a cadence when you start getting at the top of your power? Asking for a Friend.

Here's me hoping you'd be like all us amateurs after taking a break and be about 150 watts. 😬

Bro, get rid of those spacers above the stem!

The w/kg must be 😱 as well 😂

Just with the drivetrain efficiency… I know you’ve probably tested all the different gearing optimisations but just wanting to kill any suspicions. Does it not improve the inertia of the flywheel by a fair amount running it in the big ring and the smallest cog as that will provide the most speed to the flywheel as that is where the power is measured. Again I have no idea what I’m talking about just wondering about the science…

You said you don’t have a bike sponsor, so does this mean you won’t be riding the Hanzo this summer?

I hate FTP tests but they’re so tempting at the same time. I’ve just come off 6 weeks no bike and honestly afraid to do the FTP test bcos all that pain for just a shitty number is a double whammy for me. I know it’s just an excuse and I should stop being so soft 😂

so is someone else getting the Aethos anointed with bona fide Dowsweat(tm)?

Erg mode off?

I stopped doing ftp tests, or any testing for that matter outside of I program a few workouts early in the season, see how they go, and adjust as I go (upwards in wattage of course). I found that getting a good FTP test for me, was nearly impossible. Adjusting my training around the test, fueling, it was a pain and yielded nothing but confusion because the numbers didn't match real world. Seem to be okay with it, I hate not being scientific about it, I'm a data person, but real world results for me, way off.

Wait, you were trying to get onto the Brit Team Pursuit squad with no training at all for 2 months?!?!? 🤣

Is your seat really low and a long way forward? Doesn't look very comfortable.

That’s really good. 👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

How much do you weigh?...to see know FTP in Watts per kilo

I wouldn’t mind a ftp of 318😊