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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

I use TR and an Ambit 2 for all my trainer workouts and the power I see on TR and the Ambit 2 are exactly the same, so I'm assuming that I'd see the same power if I were not using TR.

I think I'm more likely to see some difference as i switch from my P2M to PT - P2M is indoors, PT is outdoors.

Why would you think the numbers would be different on the Edge if you're using a power meter for trainer road?

Lots of beautiful country up there - my inlaws live in Bellaire. Plenty of hills up that way! Where are you and what kind of terrain do you ride?

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

It's real simple. Test. You have the equipment.

No reason in particular. I seem to remember reading on another thread that sometimes people see higher power readings outdoors vs indoors with the same perceived effort. With the accuracy of the strain gauge in the quarq (vs something like virtual power), your assessment makes sense to me. I just wanted to check and see/hear what others have experienced. BTW, I used virtual power for one month prior to purchasing the quarq, and the power readings were very close. I have yet to go outside, so I suppose that will tell me what I need to know.

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

I live in Charlevoix, and work in East Jordan. In this area, its impossible to avoid climbing. I previously lived in East Lansing and Ann Arbor (during college and grad school years), and the terrain was very flat.

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

I agree, that would be the best way to determine current FTP, although it seems like it may be difficult to do even a 20 min test uninterrupted (with traffic, other cyclists, etc.). I'll work on it.

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

I think at least one of the reasons why people might see higher values outside than inside is the ability to dissipate heat - a problem I have given it was 42C outside today.

Indoors or outside in heat you don't have the cooling effect - and I think quoting someone here, cyclists are only about 25% efficient, the 75% of energy goes to cooling or is lost as heat (I could be making all this up). The result is that outside where its easier to remain cooler - the wind in your hair - that you can put out greater energy for the same RPE. Of course the thing to do would be to test that theory.

I'm riding outside for the first time this year - this week and i'm faced with roughly the same problem - I need to see whether the power numbers from indoors stack up outside so that when I come home and spend the next 9 weeks on the trainer I can at least attempt to prepare for riding outside again.

Of course all of this could be complete bollocks and you find that when you get outside your power is half that on the trainer in which case I'd go back to riding indoors :)

The reliability of cycling efficiency

I have nothing to add in relation to the power question but thought I'd chime in and say that the northern Michigan area is my favorite place to ride. I'm fortunate enough that my parents have a place in Petoskey so it's easy to jump on the bike path or hop on the roads and ride pretty much forever with lots of hills. I haven't been up there in a few weeks and am looking forward to it now that the snow is gone.

Yup, no way to avoid those hills! My brother in law is a PA up there. Used to live in Central Lake and work in EJ - gorgeous riding! We'd take family rides to Ellsworth for breakfast...you're reminding me that we need to schedule a visit ASAP.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

I live in NY and just got back outside yesterday, and just installed a P2Max last week and immediately took an FTP test, so we're in similar situations.

1) My numbers outdoors seem easier to hit outdoors than indoors.. not sure why. Maybe because of the temp/wind or maybe because I'm moving and not as bored - I don't know. I have read on here from reliable sources that ppl are simply able to work harder outdoors than indoors. Note that doesn't mean I'm not fatiguing as quickly.. just perception from my initial 2 rides.

2) The biggest difference I have noticed is the variability of your output outdoors - or should I say - the difficulty of avoiding variability, especially on rolling terrain. I train in an area that has many rolling hills (though not especially steep) and I found it hard to keep my power on target at the bottom of a hill (it would spike) and going down a hill (it would lag). Initially I was shifting way too often to try to meet the target but gradually dialed it in a bit better by varying cadence.

In short I would use your PM as a guide to determine what xx watts feels like on a flat, going up a short hill, steep hill, etc and then concentrate on maintaining momentum and using the PM as a feedback device. I think it's counterproductive to look down at your computer every 2 seconds to make sure you're hitting your numbers.

Good luck!

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Strava

Below are a couple things I noticed when I got on the road after a winter of TR.

1. I became very "good" at riding with constant resistance from the trainer, so when I got out doors it took me a little while to smooth out my riding. I was pretty much all over the map for the first couple of weeks and my power numbers per ride were actually lower that what they had been on TR. I recommend getting out and just riding smooth and not paying attention to power until the ride is over. After a couple weeks, you should start to see avg power numbers above what you saw on TR.

2 I can hit considerably higher numbers for intervals when I am outside. (Climate, things to look at, etc...)

3. For me, the TR 20 min test was not good a indication for my FTP. (Higher than it actually is) I used it to base my wattage goal for my first 70.3 of the year and I BLEW up on the bike. If you are going to test on the trainer, I suggest doing a 2 x 20min with 5 min recovery between. For me it was much more accurate and helped pick proper wattage goals for my other races.