Month: June 2024

FTP Test on Rouvy Ramp Test Lite | Project: FTP Builder (Part 1)

/ Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Hi, I’m Elliot, a writer and age-group triathlete training for a sprint distance triathlon in 5 weeks and an Olympic distance triathlon at the end of summer. But more specifically, I’m here to improve my cycling skills. To achieve this, I’m embarking on a project I call FTP Builder, named after the workout I’ll be taking on in Rouvy, the indoor cycling app. This series will be told in five parts. This is Part 1, entitled: Benchmark. 

In order to determine my current level, I decided that I’ll run a few different baseline tests. First will be a test to determine my FTP. I’m sure you already know what an FTP test is, but here’s a quick refresher.

FTP—Functional Threshold Power—is a measure of the highest power output you can sustain for one hour, normalized to your weight. It’s a key metric for cyclists because it helps gauge fitness levels, set training zones, and track progress. For me, understanding my FTP will be crucial because Rouvy will use this data to properly design my FTP Builder training plan.

I’m a pretty light guy, and given my weight of 66 kg, it was recommended I use Rouvy’s Ramp Test Lite, which is designed to provide a solid estimate of my FTP. This will serve as my primary benchmark.

I’m not good with tests, but I did my best to take this one seriously. I got as much rest as I could and picked a weekend with low stress to attempt it. The competitor in me wanted to have a high mark, but I also knew that if I take it to my limit, I’ll just have a higher bar to deal with going forward. Nevertheless, I set off with an attitude to do my best. 

As anticipated, the first half was smooth sailing. My heart rate remained steady and manageable as I increased the power output incrementally. Up until the 200-watt mark, I felt strong and in control.

But at 220 watts, things started to get shaky. My heart rate climbed, and the effort required began to take its toll. By the time I hit 230 watts, my legs were starting to feel the strain. Holding that wattage for the full minute became a real struggle.

The default course for this Ramp Test was in Norway. I’m not even going to try to pronounce the name of the region I was riding through. I went up a winding road and saw some nice houses built on the side of cliffs, but really, I wasn’t paying too much attention to my environment. While I like the realism of Rouvy, sometimes the roads in the real world just aren’t that interesting to look at. For most stretches, Norway looks pretty similar to the mountain roads we have in British Columbia. Sometimes scenic, sometimes just a wall of trees.

The test continued, and as I approached the 250-watt mark, I found myself struggling to maintain that power for more than a few seconds at a time. I made occasional bursts of effort, pushing myself to reach higher numbers, but it was clear that I’m at my limit. My heart rate soared past 180 beats per minute, and my primary goal shifted to holding enough power to simply finish the test.

That bit of motivation helped me squeeze out every last bit of energy, allowing me to reach a maximum wattage of 306.

Finally, the test was over, and according to Rouvy, my FTP was calculated to be 225 watts. To be honest, that number feels quite high to me. If FTP is a measure of what I can sustain for an hour, there’s no way I could maintain 225 watts for that duration. However, I’ll take this result as a starting point and see where I can go from here.

So there you have it, my initial benchmark: 225!

In the upcoming episodes of Project: FTP Builder, I’ll be taking on my next benchmark test, which will be comparing the indoor ride on Rouvy with the exact course in the real world. I will be doing a time trial of the Vancouver Stanley Park loop to see how I perform indoor vs. outdoor. This will hopefully help me determine whether my indoor training can be translated to the real world.

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Rewriting My Novel: 4 Years of Work Down the Drain?

/ Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Nearly four years I’ve been working on this project, and it just feels like I’m getting started. It’s a crazy feeling and I know I should be somewhat demoralized, but I’m actually more excited than ever because my story is actually starting to make sense. 

During the midst of the pandemic, I wanted to work on a big project, something that will be with me through the good and bad times, a place I’m always welcomed, characters that can stay with me, a story that I can build upon and evolve as I do. I did that. The pandemic came and went and here I am now with pages upon pages of words. Three books in a trilogy. All at different stages of completion.

As I wrote, I loaded so many ideas into the story. It was something of a journal. It was therapy. Anything that I was feeling, anything that was happening in the world, anything that I wanted to learn more about, I put it into the story. Naturally, things went in many different directions. 

One can say that I was undisciplined, unorganized, and simply writing by the seed of my pants, and that was all true. I started writing with only one idea, and as I sent the character through trials and tribulations, more and more ideas arised. And I embraced it all, because — even though I had a sense of where I wanted it to end — I didn’t know how I wanted to get there, and more importantly, I was experimenting with the tone and style and flavor of the story. 

Now that I have all the drafts in front of me, I see what I want to do clearly. Not only do I know how to style this project, I know what my next projects will be and beyond. But before all of that, there is a lot of work left on this one. Like I said, although there are thousands and thousands of words on the page, many of those words are not the right ones. I think of them as stand-ins for a more specific story that I want to tell. A story that is more focused, more clear. A story that doesn’t meander around like someone at a supermarket with nothing they need to buy. 

In other words, I am going to be rewriting everything. From book one which I last left off at draft five to book three which I have just finished writing the first draft long hand and am now transcribing. 

I am going to go from beginning to end, from the first word to 300,000th word and make sure that it is all serving the main story that I want to tell. The skeleton is there. It took me 4 years to get it, and it was necessary, because without it, I would have nothing at all. And I cannot say that I could have gotten to this point without all the work I’ve put in previously. So, no, I don’t think that 4 years of work is down the drain, although a more pessimistic side of me would certainly want me to think that. 

About a year and a half ago, I came close to abandoning this project, like I have done for many before. But after getting the ending down, and really thinking through what kind of writer I want to be, and what stories I want to tell now and in the future. I’m rejuvenated. I have never felt more clarity than I do now with my creative projects. And I just want it all to happen fast. 

Then I remind myself that it took 4 years to get here, and it might take another 4 years to get to the finish line. Which gives me a bit of peace. There is no rush. Maybe some of you out there are waiting for it, but heck, there is a lot of other stuff to read in the meantime. So patience. 

Most importantly, I’m enjoying the process again. This project is my highest priority and I’m glad to be able to spend even a few minutes working on it every day. Little by little. Which is all I can ask for as I try to balance work, exercise, mental health, and rest with everything else in life. 

I know it’s not interesting to hear someone talk about their unfinished project for over 4 years, but hey, that’s the creative process that is often rarely acknowledged. It’s not exciting. It’s a slow grind. It’s endurance. It’s doing it even when everything else is telling you to stop. 

So, that’s where I am. I know where it needs to go now, more than ever. I know the path to take. I know all that. It’s just about going all the way back to the beginning and doing it all over again. Like an actor taking it from the top, so it goes with this project. 

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