Comparing your ramp test results: overlaying your metrics

Kudos, you have been putting in the time and training well. Now it is time to see if that work has had an effect. Are you better? If so, how are you better? Let’s look at a few things to consider when comparing your ramp test rides.

In comparing the ramp tests we can look at several metrics. As with our workout analysis we want to look at power, heart rate and cadence. In addition though we need to add in time, particularly how much of your final step you managed to finish.

Power and time

The obvious thing to look at with power is how high did you manage to get on the first ramp? Very simply more watts = better. A more subtle approach though will overlay what you managed to do for power with a time consideration.

Let’s say a rider managed 200 watts as a maximum on their last ramp, but were only able to hold it for 1-minute. The progression, before pushing more power, is probably going to be a change in how long they can hold that 200 watts. An analysis would look at that final step in the ramp, where last time the rider held 1-minute, and see if they managed to hold it longer this time, maybe even completing the full step? While their absolute max power did not change, if they can hold the same maximum 200 watts for longer, they are indeed better.

If you have done the ramp test that has a short break and then repeats you can

Cadence

We can now layer on another metric - cadence. What was your cadence doing as you went up the ramp? In our example above the rider is able to hold their maximum 200 watts longer than last time. But what if that rider still only managed to hold their maximum of 200 watts for 1-minute? Are they no better? Let’s take a look at their cadence.

A big challenge for many riders is being able to maintain their cadence as the wattage gets higher. Often, their cadence will drop across the top steps in the ramp. Sometimes, falling off precipitously when the wattage gets too hard, even as they feel they can keep going. This type of rider has a muscular limitation, rather than cardiovascular. After all, it isn’t easy to spin at 90rpm while doing your maximum effort. It requires some muscular strength.

Back to the 200 watts for 1-minute. What happened to the rider’s cadence towards the top of their ramp last time? Let’s say they were riding at ~90rpm for most of the ramp, then in the last two steps the cadence started to fall, 88 - 85 - 80 and then grinding it out at 75rpm for that final minute at 200 watts. Not uncommon. Now, let’s take a look at their latest ramp. The rider does the same ~90rpm for the majority of the ramp, then in the last two steps is able to maintain that 90rpm right the way through that final minute at 200 watts. Again, the absolute watts hasn’t changed but this rider, able to maintain 90rpm throughout the ramp, is better. They have improved their muscular ability.

Heart rate

The final metric we can look at is heart rate. As we did with the wattage, we can look at two aspects of heart rate: absolute heart rate, and how the heart rate relates to the power.

From an absolute standpoint we can look at the maximum heart rate attained on the ramp. A higher maximum heart rate is an improvement. Many riders lack the strength - either physically or mentally - to push through to their limit on a ramp test. Having that reserve to push through is an improvement.

More interesting is to look at what your heart rate did in relation to the wattage on each step of the test. You want to compare the heart rate from the last 15-seconds of each step to the wattage you were pushing on that step.

Putting that heart rate and power on a table will allow you to lay it out clearly and calculate a power to heart rate ratio. Was your heart rate the same, lower or higher on each of the steps? A lower heart rate on each step as compared to the previous ramp would be another indication of positive change.

Don’t be disappointed if you are not better. Change is not linear, nor will every test be an improvement over the last. Rather think of these rides as a way to keep an eye on how you are doing - what is working in the training? are you maintaining your fitness, even as you are not training as much as before? We can’t always be at our best or always be getting fitter. If that was the case we would all be Tour de France champions eventually!

Change can happen in a variety of ways: more time at a wattage, more absolute wattage, a better muscular response, or a lower heart rate for a given wattage. Hopefully, some or all of these changes might be happening for you.