For the second year I rode the Flying Wheels 100, pulled along by Maura, a very strong rider. Drafting when I could, it made for a shorter day had I been on my own. This year the event seemed so much easier, one being on my new Trek road bike and two, being in much better cycling shape than I have been in decades. Just last night I did an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test…where FTP indicates supposedly what power one can hold in watts for 1 hour. When I started out with my new Wahoo trainer last October, my FTP was about 165. Zwift constantly samples your rides and my FTP was adjusted automatically upwards 3 times, to 184, 192 and 198. My test resulted in a current FTP of 212. I knew I would get more fit but I’m surprised at how much the FTP increased over these past 8 months for my advanced age of 68. The introduction to this 68/35 blog talked about margin, and I am currently seeing the results of my targeted training…see the A Magical Day post prior. I was very surprised at how easy it was to bike that route (West Side Road and Paradise) on my weighty mountain bike, never getting out of the middle front chain ring for the climbs. Let’s just say I’m “tickled pink” in my fitness progress so far (fingers crossed) as I aim towards my 35th Wonderland hike, now tentatively expected the first part of August.