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FTP Test (8 min × 2) · 50 min
Two 8-minute all-out efforts with 10-minute rest. The short-duration FTP test — recommended for Athletes racing 10-mile TTs or criteriums.
Positioning
The 8-minute FTP test is the short-duration alternative to the 20-minute protocol. Veloarchitect dispatches this template when the Athlete’s race profile is sub-15-minute (10-mile TT, criterium opener) — a 20-minute test overestimates the FTP the Athlete can deliver in an 8-minute effort. The protocol requires a true best-effort 8 minutes × 2 with full recovery between; the lower of the two 8-minute average powers, multiplied by 0.90, is the FTP estimate.
The 8-minute FTP test produces a different FTP estimate than the 20-minute test. An Athlete with strong 8-minute repeatability but weak 20-minute sustainability will register a higher FTP on the 8-minute test; an Athlete with the inverse profile will register a higher FTP on the 20-minute test. Veloarchitect reads the Athlete’s race profile and dispatches the corresponding test; the Athlete who follows a generic 20-minute protocol when targeting a 10-mile TT will arrive at the start line with an FTP the body cannot deliver for 8 minutes.
Protocols: Protocol 10 — Adaptive Workout; Protocol 11 — Failure Horizon
Structure
12min WU · 8min best-effort · 10min rest · 8min best-effort · 12min CD
12-minute warm-up ramp 50→80% FTP
3-minute opening effort at 90% FTP
5-minute recovery spin @ 50% FTP
8-minute best-effort #1
10-minute recovery @ 50% FTP
8-minute best-effort #2
12-minute cool-down @ 50% FTP
Worked Example
Athlete: 38y/o, 282W pre-test FTP, 1.61 W/bpm. Effort #1 average: 309W. Effort #2 average: 305W. Lower of the two: 305W × 0.90 = 275W. New FTP: 275W (-7W from pre-test estimate). The pre-test estimate was anchored to a 20-minute test the Athlete took 8 weeks earlier; the body has since shifted toward 8-minute repeatability. Adaptive Workout rewrites the next block's threshold targets at 275W. ZWO→FIT Delta on effort #2 vs #1: -4W (minimal drift, clean test).
Common assumption inverted
The 8-minute FTP test is not “a short version of the 20-minute test.” The two protocols produce different FTP estimates because the underlying physiology is different — anaerobic capacity vs. threshold sustainability. The Athlete who takes only the 20-minute test will over-estimate FTP for a 10-mile TT; the Athlete who takes only the 8-minute test will over-estimate FTP for a 40K TT. Veloarchitect dispatches the protocol that matches the Athlete’s race profile, not a generic default.
All Templates
See all eleven downloadable templates or the proprietary metrics glossary for the signals the Adaptive Workout reads.