couple of questions

[chrisf]

Hi everyone, I recently purchased an Isport and although I haven't set it up yet (this weekend I hope) I have a couple of questions that I hope can be answered. My first question is this, does the coast down have to been done before every ride? I have a feeling it doesn't, but I just want to make sure. My second question is regarding the fitness test. I live in Atlanta, Georgia where I can't think of one area (unless I travel far outside the city) where I can ride an appreciable distance without hitting a traffic light (Atlanta is a very sprawling city). I have to deal with this everywhere I ride, so to ride 20 minutes all out and not hit a traffic light seems impossible. Do others on the forum have to deal with this, and if so, how do you deal with it? I want to get an accurate reading on the test, but am unsure of how to manage that unless I hit the pause button at every stop. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

[racerfern]

You only need to do coastdowns once. Once you establish a profile it is remembered by the iSport. The one thing you have to do before every ride is the wind offset calibration. That's it.

I have yet to complete a twenty minute test where I didn't have to stop for something. Additionally, the course I use requires turning around. Just press the center button to pause the timer as soon as you stop pedaling and press it again a couple of seconds after you get going.

The key is consistency. Obviously pick a spot that has as few stop or interruptions as possible. Complete the test. Then do your training and in a few weeks go back and do the test again under the same conditions. An increase in FTP and w/kg will prove your headed in the right direction.