Forgive me, I’m sure this question/issue has been brought up and addressed but…
I have been using power for a little over a year now and really started focusing building my bike FTP this winter using Trainerroad. Up to 312 FTP, however that was done on the road bike. Also did the Tour of Sufferlandria on the road bike. On the road bike I was kicking a$$, hitting all my targets for the most part. Every thing was great. Decided to set the TT up on the trainer a few weeks ago to get a head start on riding in the bars.
I’m now getting my a$$ handed to me on nearly every ride. I just can’t generate the same power on the TT that I can on the roadie and certainly not for the length of time I did on my road bike.
Is this normal? I feel my power is WAY lower on the TT. Most of my rides are Sufferfest, with the exception of the long ride on the weekends. I feel like my legs are just tiring out much faster pushing big #'s on the TT but on the roadie I can do it without crumbling.
I believe my TT bike fit is “ok” as I have been riding it in that same position for 3 years now and have done thousands of miles and three 140.6 races in that postion.
I seem to have difficulty mentally riding the TT on the trainer.
Trainers with low inertia really screw up my pedaling stroke because they slow down much more in the “dead zone” than you’d experience on the road. Possibly this is a bigger factor in the TT position.
What are your FTP numbers on the TT bike? A little lower is normal… like ~5%… depending on how extreme your position is and how well you’ve adapted.
I participated in a study at a sportslab whereby we did a ramp test after a full day of rest - once upright in road position and once in TT position. Tests were done one week apart.
General finding was that whilst road/upright position was able to generate more power over time before failure - it was at the expense of a higher hearrate and (not shockingly) aerodynamic penalty. TT position produced less power over same time before failure, but at lower hearrate and had obvious aerodynamic benefits.
Was done by Dr. Michael Tse at Hong Kong University’s Institute of Human Performance. Don’t think they’ve published the official paper yet but those are my personal anecdotal takeaways.
totally normal. you have to adapt to the position. spend plenty of time in the position. Easy and hard. the power will come around. mentally, you need to accept that the power will be a little lower. Keep in mind the aerodynamic benefits! Almost everyone loses power roadie —> tri. Keep in mind that your FTP is relatively high and will be higher than many once they hop on their tri bikes and lose a few watts.
Most of the time I use my road bike for trainer road. But during the tour of sufferlandria I broke a shifting cable, took a few days to get fixed at LBS. So I used my TT Bike. My times and power were significantly higher for the two days I used the TT Bike. Since I want a harder workout, I use the road bike for training.
Different bike, different tires, TT bike is 15 years newer with a mix of Ultegra and Dura Ace. Road bike is all Dura Ace. My recommendation, stay with one bike on trainer road.
Thanks, I am really just trying to get stronger on the bike, specifically the TT as it’s the one I will be riding for 5-6 hours on race day. Diagnosed type1 diabetic 8-14-13 which caused my power to plummet. I have been able to rebuild my base and am now riding at my higgest FTP ever. Not necessarily wanting FTP to go much higher as I will be shifting from “road” riding to tri riding soon and focusing more on long rides. Most riding this winter has been indoors thanks to a fierce winter. Thanks to Trainerroad I have been doing 2-3 hour rides
I’m going to hijack this thread a bit. I have the same issue as the OP, except that I always have my tri bike on the trainer, and I just sit up when I can’t push the required power in the aero position anymore (this includes pretty much all of my FTP tests). Question is should I stay in aero and not hit the numbers, or sit up and hit them? I think I’ve read in another thread that it doesn’t really matter whether you train in aero or not, but someone confirm. Also, should the FTP test be in aero?
I’m going to hijack this thread a bit. I have the same issue as the OP, except that I always have my tri bike on the trainer, and I just sit up when I can’t push the required power in the aero position anymore (this includes pretty much all of my FTP tests). Question is should I stay in aero and not hit the numbers, or sit up and hit them? I think I’ve read in another thread that it doesn’t really matter whether you train in aero or not, but someone confirm. Also, should the FTP test be in aero?
thanks.
I am like you and since 2009 I train with TT on the trainer with powertap and i stay 90% of the time UP. If I go down on aerobars, power numbers are lower and I feel a lot of discomfort. In the weekend, when I hit the road with TT for long rides, no issue on staying even 6 hrs in aero and power numbers are as expected (tested staying UP indoor on trainer).
Nobody could explain me why this but with the experience today I know you should not be worried if you are up, indoor, on the trainer with TT bike.
I must be in the minority. I make more power in aero that up or on my road bike. When I sit up, my HR rises and power drops instantaneously. When I drop back down, all is well again. Even when I do sufferfest revolver at 130% ftp, I’m just more comfortable in aero.
my suggestion is to stay in aero and push through. It will suck for awhile but should eventually come along. Also me mindful to shift gears around to adjust cadence. Often, people find it more efficient to ride at a lower cadence while in aero compared to in road position.
This is considering your talking about being upright for extended periods of time during the workout. I’d say the last 10%(…?) of an interval, do whatever you can to push the watts.
You can test your FTP upright, but is that really your FTP if you are planning to race in aero?