FTP and Impossible Resistance

Hey I’m a new Zwifter using a Cyclops Hammer smart trainer. Everything seemed to be working perfectly and then I plugged in my FTP from last summer (determined by a coach) and my Zwifting went haywire. I’ll be pedaling along just fine during the warmup, but then the resistance intensifies to superhuman levels. Meaning I couldn’t even turn the crank with all my body weight on it. My FTP is 233w. I’m a 5’8", 140 pound 50 year old. When I deleted the FTP from my profile the system works fine. Any Help? Is my real world (Stages) FTP not compatible with Zwift?

Mark: My thought is that maybe your ftp in Zwift is just set to high. I would suggest that you put your ftp in Zwift @150 or 100 and then do the FTP test in the workouts folder. This will set your FTP for Zwift.

 

I hope it is as easy as that.

Thanks Gerrie. The problem is that I could ride for 10 hours at 150 watts even on Zwift. I did a Sweet Spot ride at that intensity last night after I deleted my FTP and it was way too easy. But for sure I’ll adjust the number and then try the Zwift FTP test. Maybe it is that easy. 

Hi Marc,

if you are in ERG mode, it sounds like you might be going into the Spiral of Death.  if there is a great difference between the warm-up (e.g., 100W) and the next interval (e.g., 500W), the ERG mode might be locking down the resistance if you don’t ramp up the watts in time.  Just a thought.

Spiral of Death:  https://youtu.be/LbeliW8uObk?t=463

 

Thanks Phil! That death spiral is exactly what happened. I didn’t attack the transition from 100W to 320W and it seized up almost instantaneously. I assumed I could spin my way up to that output after a moment but I clearly missed the window. I’ll watch that and toggle out of ERG mode if I screw up. Didn’t know that was an option.