FTP test route in (around) London

Setarkos

Hi,
I usually do my 20min tests around Regent's but that requires some luck with the traffic lights. Not really a problem for L4 intervals but it can cost a few watts in a test.
Can you recommend anything north or north east of London? Essex? Should have no junctions, traffic lights and decents obviously...
~9 miles would probably suffice or 4.5~miles with a roundabout to turn around and flat in both directions...
Cheers

colinsmith123

Redbridge Cycle Centre. Ideal for FTP tests, the only variable is the weather.

http://www.vision-rcl.org.uk/redbridge_cycle_centre.html

jibberjim

colinsmith123 wrote:

Redbridge Cycle Centre. Ideal for FTP tests, the only variable is the weather.

http://www.vision-rcl.org.uk/redbridge_cycle_centre.html

Erm? It's normally an NP buster circuit in a race, so I'm not so sure about that?

Setarkos

Downhill section and bendy...

ric/rstsport

Setarkos wrote:

Downhill section and bendy...

why can't you do an ftp test with downhills and corners?

Setarkos

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

why can't you do an ftp test with downhills and corners?

Are you serious?

ric/rstsport

perfectly. that's what NP is for.

Setarkos

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

perfectly. that's what NP is for.

Not for 20min

ric/rstsport

but weren't we talking about FTP?

Setarkos

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

but weren't we talking about FTP?

...

Setarkos wrote:

Hi,
I usually do my 20min tests around Regent's...

ric/rstsport

my bad.

however, even for 20-min tests i use/don't worry about corner and small dips

edten

Knowing Redbridge I think it's far from ideal. My experience on doing tests where there are bends, hills, downhills mean you are easing off then accelerating back up to speed and spikes like that when your on the limit don't help with pacing and break your rhythm. Everyones different but for me flat out and back works best but I would agree finding routes long enough without traffic lights is a challenge. Surrey and Kent there are some long sections of road without interruption especially early morning, I realise that's not much use if you dare not travel south of the river

Setarkos

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

however, even for 20-min tests i use/don't worry about corner and small dips

Well, I've been doing them on Regent's for more than a year now so yes - it's not impossible.
However I find that I lose a few AV watts in corners that you can't pedal through whereas the metabolic stress on your body doesn't change and it is difficult to get them back. I don't care when I do L4 intervals but I miss these few watts in a test.:)
Acceleration out of corners and upping NP for 20mins is prone to overestimating FTP so if there is a better route in London, I'd prefer it.

edten wrote:

Surrey and Kent there are some long sections of road without interruption especially early morning, I realise that's not much use if you dare not travel south of the river

I'd consider it if you can recommend anything.

Tom Dean

You can use the bottom circuit at HH - no need to go up the hill.

Setarkos

Tom Dean wrote:

You can use the bottom circuit at HH - no need to go up the hill.

Good point. It's still quite bendy though if I remember correctly, isn't it?

ric/rstsport

Setarkos wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

You can use the bottom circuit at HH - no need to go up the hill.

Good point. It's still quite bendy though if I remember correctly, isn't it?

when i do my testing, i do it on whatever road is available. uphill, downhill, corners, straights (i do try to use the same circuit though), etc. that's because the roads i race on, tend to have uphills, downhills, corners and straights. of course, i do sometimes just want something completely uninterrupted so i use the turbo. my only consideration on the road relates to traffic/safety issues.

ric

Setarkos

Well, good for you.
My season is focused on alpine stage races. Unfortunately there are no long steady climbs around so I'm looking for something which at least let's me pace the 20min steadily. I don't care about NP this year.
I said twice already that I've been doing my tests on Regents for a while and yes, it's working well enough but why not ask if there is something more suitable. If there's not, I won't stop cycling - don't worry.

ric/rstsport

Setarkos wrote:

Well, good for you.
My season is focused on alpine stage races. Unfortunately there are no long steady climbs around so I'm looking for something which at least let's me pace the 20min steadily. I don't care about NP this year.
I said twice already that I've been doing my tests on Regents for a while and yes, it's working well enough but why not ask if there is something more suitable. If there's not, I won't stop cycling - don't worry.

i'm just saying what i do.

not sure why you wouldn't care about NP tho? for durations of more than 20-mins it's pretty useful.

Setarkos

But for the alpine climbs I have to focus on steady paced efforts.
Of course I care about NP to some extent - after all TSS and all PMC metrics depend on it. As a predictor for what I can do for an hour it would be useful but a 1h maximal effort doesn't fit my training plan at the moment - so I'm opting for 20min for which NP does not give an accurate FTP estimate.
We both know it's about specificity so what works for you (racing on road with corners, downhills etc) wouldn't work for me (racing on alpine climbs).

jibberjim

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

not sure why you wouldn't care about NP tho? for durations of more than 20-mins it's pretty useful.

For some people, others of us find it pretty irrelevant, I'm quite able to NP bust on numerous circuits - now it may well be because I'm very poor on steady state efforts, but it doesn't change the fact that NP is highly dependant on the circuit I choose - enough that I don't find it particularly useful to compare rides at all other than on the same circuit.

Tom Dean

Setarkos wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

You can use the bottom circuit at HH - no need to go up the hill.

Good point. It's still quite bendy though if I remember correctly, isn't it?

Nothing tight enough to slow you down much

ric/rstsport

jibberjim wrote:

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

not sure why you wouldn't care about NP tho? for durations of more than 20-mins it's pretty useful.

For some people, others of us find it pretty irrelevant, I'm quite able to NP bust on numerous circuits - now it may well be because I'm very poor on steady state efforts, but it doesn't change the fact that NP is highly dependant on the circuit I choose - enough that I don't find it particularly useful to compare rides at all other than on the same circuit.

you should have a word with AC.

okgo

Just go and do a club ten on your road bike?

Our club course near dorking is a fairly easy ride from London.

Or you could go to regents at an obscure time and jump all the lights. Or you could just go round and kind the inner circle? Or you could go to herne hill when they have open evenings.

Hog hill is an np buster for sure, I forget what coggan said on the matter as it was brought up on the TT forum. Probably 'all you can do is all you can do' his default reply.

Setarkos

okgo wrote:

Just go and do a club ten on your road bike?

Our club course near dorking is a fairly easy ride from London.

Or you could go to regents at an obscure time and jump all the lights. Or you could just go round and kind the inner circle? Or you could go to herne hill when they have open evenings.

All good suggestions thanks. I'll pick one of the above.

okgo

I think Herne Hill would be perfect, not sure when they start the open evenings again, but that is probably the best, easiest, and safest bet. Though the inner circle at Regents would be similar if you went really early, just the surface isn't amazing.

Setarkos

I've tried the inner circle and maybe I'm just sensitive but the quickly varying gradient makes it difficult to find a rhythm and you have to shift all the time
I'll check out Herne Hill though and maybe the local club TTs - had thought about that, too.

mrc1

Could try Hillingdon?

I also used to use Regents Park. Couldn't do the inner loop as it made me feel sick going round and round such a narrow circle....

mclarent

You could use just the lower circuit at RCC, but the hairpin* and the wind might annoy you. I know a few people use the club 10 circuit at Navestock, there's a club 10 every day tues-fri, with Fridays being pretty well attended (and good cake). Check the Beacontree Wheelers website.


*note, not a real hairpin

skinnyrider

Richmond Park at non peak hour.

Toks

Setarkos wrote:

Hi,
I usually do my 20min tests around Regent's but that requires some luck with the traffic lights. Not really a problem for L4 intervals but it can cost a few watts in a test.
Can you recommend anything north or north east of London? Essex? Should have no junctions, traffic lights and decents obviously...
~9 miles would probably suffice or 4.5~miles with a roundabout to turn around and flat in both directions...
Cheers

So why not do them at the inner ring at Regent Park? There's no Traffic Lights to worry about. I usually do a few 2 x 20's around there in the summer months