THIS IS WHAT PROS DO TO RAISE FTP | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 570
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2026
⏱️ 75 minutes
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Summary
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// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Welcome & Hannah Otto Joins the Podcast
(00:01:30) Why My FTP Dropped — And Why That’s Not a Bad Thing
(00:04:03) Listener Question: Are 20-Minute Threshold Intervals Still the Gold Standard?
(00:07:47) What FTP Is Actually For (And What It Isn’t)
(00:12:24) Why Different FTP Tests Give Different Numbers
(00:18:10) Why FTP Is a Poor Predictor of Race Performance
(00:23:07) Training for Unbound vs. Training to Win Races
(00:25:28) Listener Question: Core Training Principles After Your First Big Fitness Gains
(00:28:02) Train Your Weaknesses, Race Your Strengths
(00:36:34) Consistency Matters More Than Training Hard
(00:42:52) Listener Question: Drop Bars at Leadville — Faster or Safer?
(00:46:04) Why Drop Bars Reduce Handling (Even for the Best Riders)
(00:53:44) Will Aero Trends Actually Change Gravel Racing?
(01:03:47) Listener Question: Best Mountain Bike Technique for Trail Speed
(01:06:11) Loose Hips, Strong Arms, and Outside Foot Pressure Explained
(01:14:36) Final Thoughts: Enjoying Training and Long-Term Progress
(30:12) Nutrition and Hydration Plans for Endurance Events
In this episode, Coach Jonathan sits down with pro cyclist Hannah Otto to dig into how pros do Threshold training, what FTP really represents, why a lower FTP number can actually lead to better training, and how using a truly functional anchor improves long-term progress. They explore threshold training, progressive overload, and why starting with shorter, achievable intervals often produces better results than forcing long, maximal efforts too early. Hannah shares perspective from years at the elite level on training for the demands of your events, developing weaknesses in training while racing strengths, and why patience, consistency, and enjoyment matter more than chasing perfect numbers. The conversation also covers real-world racing considerations, evolving equipment trends and safety in gravel racing, and practical technique cues for riding with more control and confidence — reinforcing that the goal of training isn’t a single metric, but sustainable fitness and performance you can rely on.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast, presented by Trainer Road. |
| 0:02.6 | I'm Coach Jonathan Lee. |
| 0:03.5 | We have Hannah Otto with us. |
| 0:04.8 | And today we're going to talk about what pros do to get faster. Because as we realized in a recent study last week that we reviewed, I think that the world thinks pros train differently than they actually do. So we have a pro with us here. Hannah Otto. Hannah, it's good to have you on. Thanks for joining us. Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Yep. I see your Scott Bikes sweatshirt or shirt on there. Uh, race season is, is actually not |
| 0:27.9 | too far away. We're kind of like one to two months away. When's your first race of the year? |
| 0:32.5 | I leave for Spain in less than two weeks. So race season is among us. It's already here. Whoa. That's crazy. |
| 0:41.8 | Which race in Spain are you doing? I'll be starting off with the Mediterranean epic again this year like I've done in the past. So I'm super excited. I love that event. |
| 0:50.0 | Awesome. Okay. Well, Garrett asked a question. Garrett said, I'm part of the Trainer Road AI beta testing group. If you don't know what Trainer Road AI is, by the time this records, I sure hope it's out, or else this is kind of spoiling things. But yeah, a huge new update to Train and Road where we've completely rebuilt the engine behind everything with our own AI model. It was our own AI model before, but it was like not, it was, it was not as complete and advanced as this one is for sure. So I won't belabor that point, but it's awesome. It does a really good job of giving the right work. I go sign up. So, uh, Garrett says, so I hope it's okay to ask this question. I was initially shocked after seeing my FTP drop. |
| 1:28.1 | But to be honest, I always felt like I over tested with the 20-minute test. |
| 1:32.3 | I always ignored AI FTP detection before because it suggested I have a lower FTP. |
| 1:37.8 | But ever since going with a lower FTP, my training is much better. |
| 1:41.4 | I want to give some context to you on this one, Hannah. |
| 1:45.2 | So we have a totally new model for detecting FTP. It's the same model that gives you the right workouts that's |
| 1:50.7 | driving everything behind train road AI. It actually doesn't even know what your FTP is to start with, |
| 1:56.3 | and it doesn't need to know that, which is pretty groundbreaking because all training prescription |
| 2:00.2 | always goes through this model of like, I need to know what this athlete's FTP is or maximal |
| 2:05.5 | lactate, steady state, or whatever else it might be. It doesn't need that. And the way that it |
| 2:09.8 | predicts FTP is, is it can predict it in the future and see what your workouts, like how it will |
| 2:15.7 | lead to it. And, but the way that it detects everything is, it's just looking at your raw watts. |
| 2:21.8 | It knows what you can do. |
| 2:22.9 | And it knows you really well as an athlete. |
| 2:24.5 | So it's really using performance to give this FTP number rather than something else. |
... |
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