Trev wrote:
No you don't train the same. How you train depends on the time available and your power curve. Also your position which may not be the same for a 25 mile TT as a 10 mile TT.
PM me for further discussion.
Inserting myself into this little bitchfest, which I'm having a hard time dissecting.
But you stated that people should do "proper 60 minute tests" to estimate FTP. I guess. If you really care about knowing your exact 60min CP, and not being off by a percent or two vs. a scaled version. But, as has been pointed out, there's nothing magical about 60 min CP.
The importance of the "fitness test" is to track changes in fitness regularly and consistently.
To track changes in fitness I do an 8-minute test. (as an all-rounder road cyclist). Combines aerobic power with a bit of anaerobic. This is easy to do on a weekly or semi-weekly basis, which gives good consistent data on my state of fitness. As JackMott pointed out improvements in aerobic fitness show up at every duration from a couple of minutes to 4+ hours. Why suffer through a ton of 60-minute efforts just to get the magical hour CP? A true 100% 60-minute effort is mentally taxing. I save those efforts for race day or the prof-amateur Saturday group ride where the pain is masked by the glory of beating up on other type-A mamils. And the results show up on my power curve (training is testing). It is kind of silly to scale 8:00 tests to a predicted 60min. CP. Though I do believe it can be done quite accurately. I just compare my 8min test to my other 8min tests. I use my 40K race power as my "FTP bragging #" Though that's cheating a bit because <brag> my 40K time is waaay under an hour </brag>.
But I just cringe every time someone states that you're only really testing yourself if you go the full hour. Gah. That's just misery.