Test
75 min
High intensity
Set the numbers every other session is written against: a 15-second sprint, a five-minute maximum and a twelve-minute maximum, each with full recovery, from which CP, W′ and peak power are derived.
Matteo Cigala
Coach, Cigala Cycling
Test
75 min
High
10 / 10
Advanced
Indoors
The session
The workout
Written as a share of critical power, so it fits every rider. In Vekta it becomes your watts, with the W′ cost shown before you ride.
Matteo Cigala
Why this workout
The breakdown
Inside the workout
The test measures the highest power a rider can sustain without continually fatiguing, and from three maximal efforts of different lengths Vekta derives critical power, W′ and peak power. Every session in this library is written as a share of CP, which is why this one matters.
After a ten-minute warm-up and a short tempo block, the efforts are a fifteen-second sprint, a five-minute maximum and a twelve-minute maximum, each followed by fifteen minutes of recovery so the next one is ridden fresh. Pacing is the skill: each effort should be even and truly maximal, not started too hard.
Run it in Vekta and the three efforts update CP, W′ and Pmax; zones recalibrate the same day and every planned session follows. Vekta also estimates CP continuously from normal riding, so the test is a reset, not a requirement.
Every eight to twelve weeks, after a break, or when an athlete joins with no history. Otherwise let the ride data do the work and spend the day training.
Test
Stimulus
Advanced
Workout level
Indoors
Best ridden
Road,
DISCIPLINE
WHAT YOU NEED
The stimulus
Test, explained
Structured efforts that set your numbers: critical power, W′ and peak power.
What it is
A test session with several maximal efforts of different durations, typically 15 seconds, 3 minutes and 12 minutes, ridden fresh with full recovery between them. From the results the model derives critical power, W′ and Pmax.
Why it matters
Every session in this library is written as a percentage of CP. If the number is wrong, every session is wrong. Vekta estimates CP continuously from normal riding, so a test is optional, but a clean test is the fastest way to reset the model after a long break or a big change in fitness.
Ride each effort as a true maximum, paced evenly rather than started too hard, with the recovery as written. The result is not a grade; it is the input that makes the next month's sessions fit you.
Use the test when the model's confidence is low, at the start of a block, or when an athlete joins with no history. Otherwise let the ride data set CP and spend the training day on training.
Run the session in Vekta and the CP, W′ and Pmax update from the efforts; zones recalibrate the same day, and every session on the calendar follows.
Common questions
Do I need to test to use Vekta?
How often should I test?
What is the difference between an FTP test and a CP test?
The Next workout
Workouts to pair with this one
Free for coaches. Test with your whole roster during the trial.