As an endurance athlete your main focus in training should be developing repeatable power, strength and endurance in the range of performance around your personal lactate threshold. First you need to know what your lactate threshold heart rate is and that requires periodic testing. Lactate threshold is a rather illusive value for many endurance athletes since it requires sophisticated lab testing and blood sample analysis to accurately measure the body's response to different intensities and physical stresses. To complicate matters further the average cyclist has been convinced that they cannot train effectively unless they know their Vo2max and personal LT heart rates. This is just not the case.

I am not a big fan of lab testing for "recreational" bike racers and I seldom if ever recommend it. Lab test is costly, up to $250 per session and has to be repeated periodically to be useful. Most weekend racers will visit a lab only once or twice a year for a Vo2max test and a test like this needs to be given every 8 weeks or so over several seasons to be useful. Sophisticated testing has great potential for error and inconsistency. Test data can be skewed by many factors like inconsistent testing protocols, machine calibration or faulty equipment. According to a recent Montreal University study athletes who visited two different certified testing laboratories received Vo2 max measurements that varied by as much as 15 per cent, or 10 ml/kg/min. In other words, an athlete might be given a reading of 70 ml/kg/min for Vo2max at one lab but just 60 ml/kg/min at a second facility. This kind of inconsistency was even seen when an individual had Vo2max measured on different dates in the same laboratory. According to the Montreal investigators the main problem was an inaccurate measurement of ventilation rates caused by calibration problems and faulty ventilatory equipment.

All this being said, lab testing is here to stay and for a very good reason. Even with all the challenges associated with sophisticated laboratory testing it continues to be the best way to gather scientific information on the effects of exercise stress on the human body. Sports science labs like those at the US Olympic Training Center conduct ongoing research to gather important performance data on elite level athletes to the benefit of all riders.

It makes more sense for the recreational racer to use simple and less costly testing procedures that will gather useful data and help the coach and athlete prescribe appropriate training. Two viable testing options are the regular use an outdoor field test or a stationary ergometer test using a device like CompuTrainer. These affordable and repeatable tests will give the coach and rider a lot of very useful information and are more easily scheduled into a given training cycle.

Field-testing provides a measurement of a rider's ability under actual riding conditions. Stationary ergometer tests provide a more controllable and repeatable test protocol without the invasive procedures of the lab. So, how do you set up a useful field-testing protocol that will give you useful information that can be applied to your training?

Any field test course needs to be easily accessible and provide a fairly neutral testing environment. A hill climb course should be a fairly steady grade and not be too steep (under 8% average grade). Choose a time trial course that is mostly flat with light traffic conditions and no stops. A turn around on the TT course is OK since it will simulate actual racing conditions and provides practice for the turn around skill.

I use the CompuTrainerä as a stationary ergometer testing platform because the testing environment is very controllable, the protocol is totally repeatable and the data collected is reliable and easily interpreted. The ergometer test I use is a constant speed, progressive load, ramp test that is very similar to the well-known Conconi protocol designed to identify a riders lactate threshold. Lactate threshold is the point at which your body is producing elevated levels of lactic acid as a result of anaerobic metabolism. The presence of elevated lactate levels inhibits muscle contraction and induces fatigue. The Conconi protocol measures heart rate response as it relates to incremental increases in applied resistance as a means of identifying the point at which an athlete crosses the mysterious lactate threshold. The Conconi protocol has been demonstrated to be very accurate when compared to testing and blood lactate analysis in the lab. I will follow up with a field test to verify the ergometer test data and make any necessary adjustments to training intensities.

Another type of ergometer test uses a timed anaerobic effort that is repeated after a measured recovery period. This repeat test protocol brings your aerobic conditioning and recovery capacity into play and helps measure this vital component of your fitness. The efforts are short and intense and the rest interval is sufficient to facilitate recovery and lactate clearing for a strong second effort but not too long to allow for a cool down. This test is best done on a stationary trainer.

Keep in mind that true "lactate threshold" heart rate can only be established by analyzing blood samples drawn during a lab test. The best any field test can do is a close estimation of personal LT. For this reason I like to refer to this heart rate intensity as "maximal aerobic capacity" or MAC, rather than lactate threshold. Think of MAC is your capacity to produce high level, sustainable power output for extended periods of time up to 30min without recovery. Knowing where this threshold is will enable you to set proper training intensities and prescribe workouts to improve fuel system efficiency and boost performance.

Below you will find 4 different testing protocols designed to "maximal aerobic capacity". These tests are designed to be used by the recreational racer as a periodic evaluation of training progress. The idea is to keep the testing as simple and repeatable as possible while collecting useful and accurate data.

5k Hill Climb Field Test
Using historical data I have determined that for a well-conditioned rider the maximal aerobic capacity (MAC) heart rate will be about 6-8 beats per minute below the average heart rate recorded during the 5k hill climb test. These numbers will vary but you will be able to establish your personal MAC heart rate value over time through testing.

During the 5k hill climb test you will record max/avg HR, speed and pedal cadence plus the gearing used and elapsed time. Subsequent tests should be done on the same hill under similar conditions to produce reliable data. A data sheet should be kept for each test that includes specific performance data plus information that will be helpful in repeating the test under similar conditions. Things like, weather conditions, time of day and placement of the test in the training cycle will affect performance.

20k Individual Time Trail Field Test
Using historical data I have determined that for a well-conditioned rider the maximal aerobic capacity (MAC) heart rate will be about 3-5 beats per minute below the average heart rate recorded during the 20k individual time trail field test.

During the 20k individual time trail field test you will record max/avg HR, speed and pedal cadence plus the gearing used and elapsed time. Subsequent tests should be done on the same course under similar conditions to produce reliable data.

A data sheet should be kept for each test that includes specific performance data plus information that will be helpful in repeating the test under similar conditions. Things like, weather conditions, time of day and placement of the test in the training cycle.

CompuTrainer Ergometer Ramp Test
The test begins with a 15 min progressive warm up using the CompuTrainer in stand-alone mode. At the end of the warm up a gear is selected to utilize the athlete's most comfortable pedal cadence to produce 18 mph. This is usually around 90 rpm and uses 39x15 gearing. Some experimentation is suggested to determine optimal cadence.

Ramp test begins at 60 watts after the rider's heart rate has stabilized at the starting resistance and speed.

Resistance is increased by 20 watts every 60sec during the test and heart rate is recorded at every wattage increase. The test continues until the rider is unable to hold the 18mph speed. An "optional" maximal effort to failure at the end of the test can be used to measure Max HR.

Test is followed by a 5 min cool down. Recovery heart rates are recorded at 2minutes and 5 minutes during cool down.
**A test data sheet should be kept that includes beginning and ending HR, HR at each wattage increase, total time of the test, max watts achieved, max HR achieved, computrainer calibration, tire pressure and whatever data will be helpful in repeating the test under similar conditions.

8 Minute Anaerobic Repeat Ergometer Test
Using historical data I have determined that for a well-conditioned rider the maximal aerobic capacity (MAC) heart rate will be about 5-7 beats per minute below average heart rate recorded for two 8 minute maximal effort tests.

During each of the 8 min test efforts you will record max/avg HR, speed and pedal cadence plus the gearing used and distance covered. Efforts are repeated with a maximum of 10-12 minutes of rest between. Subsequent tests should be done on the stationary trainer under similar conditions to produce reliable data.

A data sheet should be kept for each test that includes specific performance data plus information that will be helpful in repeating the test under similar conditions.

It is important to remember that every rider is an individual and will respond better to certain kinds of testing protocols. Once you have determined what you want to test for try your hand at designing your own field test. Be creative and follow these basic guidelines.
1. Determine what data you want to gather
2. Make the test as simple and repeatable as possible
3. Re-test every 6-8 weeks to measure progress.

The coaching professionals at Performance Sports are available for consultation to help you design and use the proper field test and assist in interpreting the data. We have a package available that includes test protocol descriptions and test data recording documents to help you design your test and record the important data for future reference. Check out the Services link for more information.