I could probably have hung on to 200W for the second 8 minutes if I wasn't concerned that my ITB would cause knee instability and do more harm than good. I'm foam rollering and doing glute exercises to help with that, but... I know I'm better than I was on the first test I did 6 weeks ago, and I also undercooked that one, so I was expecting to hold 215W or so, but I followed the guidance and didn't pick a target wattage - I just rode as hard as I could for 8 minutes.
I guess that's why that first test spent quite a lot of time at 230W ish.
I should probably have just tried to maintain 215 for the 2 periods of 8 minutes. As a result of messing up the test, I'm going to use a manual FTP at 190 and see if I can complete the workouts at that level - if not then I'll drop it down a bit at a time until I can. I can't fit another test in on Tuesday - gotta go to Manchester with work (which is why I started on Sunday).
I find it harder to ride high cadences on the turbo than outside - part of the reason is that to keep the noise lower I'm lifiting the resistance on the turbo unit and using lower gears. I'm rebuilding my fixie, so once that's done I'll go outside and spin like a lunatic (when the weather is nice and I don't have a TR ride scheduled) - I think that's only got a 68" gear.