Cycling Power, FTP & Training Zone Calculator

Cycling Power Guide

Functional Threshold Power (FTP)

FTP is the highest average power output sustainable for approximately one hour. It is the cornerstone of power-based cycling training. Estimate from a 20-minute maximal effort: FTP ≈ 20-minute average power × 0.95. A more accurate method: 60-minute time trial at maximum sustainable effort. Power-to-weight ratio (W/kg) enables comparison across rider sizes: untrained adult 1.5-2.5 w/kg. Recreational cyclist 2.5-3.5 w/kg. Trained/club racer 3.5-4.5 w/kg. Cat 1-3 racer 4.5-5.5 w/kg. Elite/pro 5.5-7

Power-Based Training Zones

The Coggan 7-zone system (commonly simplified to 5-6 zones): Zone 1 (< 55% FTP): active recovery. Zone 2 (56-75%): aerobic endurance — the majority of training volume. Zone 3 (76-90%): tempo — sustained aerobic effort. Zone 4 (91-105%): threshold — approximately FTP effort. Zone 5 (106-120%): VO2 max efforts. Zone 6 (121-150%): anaerobic capacity. Zone 7 (> 150%): neuromuscular power. Power zones remove the inaccuracy of heart rate zones at high intensities (HR lags power by 30-60 seconds and is

Climbing Power Calculation

Power required to climb: P (watts) = (m × g × gradient + m × g × Crr + 0.5 × ρ × Cd × A × v²) × v. Simplified for hills where aerodynamic drag is smaller: P ≈ (total_mass × 9.81 × gradient/100 + 3) × speed_m/s. W/kg on a climb directly predicts climbing speed — a 70 kg rider at 4.0 w/kg climbs at approximately the same speed as a 65 kg rider at 4.3 w/kg (both at 280W). The Alpe d'Huez climb (10.5% average gradient, 13.8km): an average club rider takes 90-100 minutes; a Tour de France pro approxi

Improving FTP

FTP improves with a combination of: Zone 2 base training (70-80% of training volume) — builds aerobic efficiency and raises the power at which lactate production equals clearance. Threshold intervals (20-40 min at FTP) — directly stress the threshold system. Sweet spot training (88-94% FTP) — high training stress with manageable fatigue. FTP typically improves 5-15% in the first training year, 3-8% in subsequent years. Most riders see FTP improvements plateau after 5-7 years of systematic traini