What's your Threshold Power reading?

Hi All,

I have just completed the 20′ TP test on a Watt Bike with a TP reading of 222W. Clearly this gives plenty of room for improvement but would be really interested in others folks experiences and readings.

Dogsby

It also depends how heavy you are.

Mines 330 and I’m 66kg

Eddie,

I am 78kg which makes my readings even more depressing!

You also don’t know how much I ride or my age so there are lots of factors here.
But the main thing is how you handle a bike in a race, you may whallop me down hill?

Eddie,

I would doubt that! Just in the first week of a training programme so we will see how I get on.

Yep exactly, I’ve raced for years and am a big numbers geek.
Things to consider are can you push yourself harder when you might end up second? I struggle with emptying myself on a turbo where I can in ‘anger’ it’s all relative in my eyes.

Goodluck with the program, stick it for 12 weeks then loads of adaptation will of happened

Mines 330 and I’m 66kg

Your also 5w/kg and ready for a GC challenge, well done but probably not typical of the average stw’er.

OP- 2.8w/kg is pretty good.

For perspective 3w/kg is an hour up ADH.

Eddie,

I am following Joe Friels programme so I will hopefully be able to see my progress in the coming months. I’ll let you know in four weeks!

I wouldn’t feel too bad, when I did the Zwift from test I got 165w and I’m 80kg+ 😕
I’m not that slow though.

Cheers Wilburt, makes me feel a bit better!

Mines 330 and I’m 66kg

Is it? That’s pretty bloody good.

I could do 330W for 20 minutes, maybe more over the summer, probably less now.

Also depends what was used to measure the power. Wattbike should be pretty good, virtual power on trainer road or similar can be innacurate (but that does not matter if it is repeatable).

Eddie can still ride a bit for an oldie !! I won’t blow his cover on here, but his figures would be true enough.

Taxi25 do I know you? Thanks for acknowledgement

Njee20 – yes it is, but I’m rubbish at going round corners so it’s all relative!!

I could do 330W for 20 minutes, maybe more over the summer, probably less now.

You don’t weigh 66kg though.

5w/kg is bordering on world class. 10 seconds on Google shows Eddie’s identity. He’s good, I’d suggest maybe calibrating the power meter 😉

Edit: too slow – all due, you must be utterly atrocious at going around corners!

According to trainerroad my FTP is 307 and I weigh 57kg, however as I’m a prime example of a mid-field warrior I’m either a rubbish bike handler or trainerroad is wrong. I’m hoping it’s the latter!

To be fair, while numbers are great for training I don’t think they mean as much as aggression and desire when it comes to an xc or cx race

Njee20, ha ha I might get a lower result if I caliberated it!
I’ve done that figure on two separate machines , wonder if I can post my graph, I don’t have a biological passport though.
I looked on google and didn’t find too much.

Flippin eck , this is like a how much does my bike weigh thread!

You’ve lapped me often enough at the cross lol, but that’s as far as it goes. Your identity isn’t much of a secret here in S.Wales.

I have just completed the 20′ TP test on a Watt Bike with a TP reading of 222W. Clearly this gives plenty of room for improvement but would be really interested in others folks experiences and readings.

If this is your first test, you’ll soon see quite an improvement simply by getting better at doing the test.

Your email may give it away?

Good table Wilburt

Last summer I was hovering around 4w/kg that was good enough to start troubling the local strava koms and generally in the top 20 of the gorricks. After illness and putting some weight on I’m around 3.5 ish. FTP test on Tuesday. Likely to be unhappy 🙁

Your email may give it away

That’s what I did! Absolutely agree that getting better at the test is worth a good few watts! Probably more than you’ll manage to train!

4.4 Watts/kg (67 kg) estimated from racing not a trainer. Threshold power is not what really matters though, as I have posted before. Power profile is what really counts and it should double from 20 min to 1 min to 5 seconds. Mine doesn’t so I am confined to be E123 pack fodder, a happy domestique, or a very unlikely veteran podium finisher (one day!).

I’d be better off competing in 100 mile time trials to be honest.

301 Watts (measured via 20 minute FTP on a PowerTap). I weigh 72 kgs normally (bit overweight from Christmas at the mo….)

Mine is less than last week………more than next week. Bloody golfers elbow.

4.4 Watts/kg (67 kg) estimated from racing not a trainer. Threshold power is not what really matters though, as I have posted before. Power profile is what really counts and it should double from 20 min to 1 min to 5 seconds. Mine doesn’t so I am confined to be E123 pack fodder, a happy domestique, or a very unlikely veteran podium finisher (one day!).

So you’re saying a top notch power profile would be like this:

20mins – 300W
1min – 600W
5s – 1200W

??

OP: I haven’t done a test since Christmas but I’ll probably do one next week – woohoooo!!!!

Your also 5w/kg and ready for a GC challenge, well done but probably not typical of the average stw’er.

OP- 2.8w/kg is pretty good.

For perspective 3w/kg is an hour up ADH

No chance!
180w average for a 60kg rider is not going to get you up AdH in an hour!

A heavier rider at the same w/kg is going to be even slower.

No chance!
180w average for a 60kg rider is not going to get you up AdH in an hour!

Yeah, looks like you need a bit more – Bloke here has plotted it out:

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/lalpe-dhuez-one-for-mortals.html

3.8 W Kg-1 is required for the Alpe in an hour.

Are people remembering the x0.95 for 20minute tests? It makes 5w/kg pretty hard.

As an old git I prefer a longer test – can manage 3w/kg over 15hrs.

Are people remembering the x0.95 for 20minute tests? It makes 5w/kg pretty hard.

Interestingly the Watt Bike test doesn’t mention this. Bit of a daft oversight, but it implies that your 20 minute power is your threshold power.

Yeah, looks like you need a bit more – Bloke here has plotted it out:

I was going by that chart but from memory, which is obviously as good as my wattage!

That seems odd from Wattbike. I used the 95% rule – I got 317W average for 20 minutes.

It’s a while since I looked, but it’s because they suggest you do a 3 minute test IIRC and it suggest zones from that. It’s not based on a ‘conventional’ FTP, but there’s nothing about the 95% thing.

From the Wattbike Website:

20 minute threshold test
What is it: This is a test for experienced cyclists only. It is usually conducted at 75-80% of maximum minute power (Z5 heart rate and power training zone) and measures improvement in sustaining a high percentage of maximal aerobic power. The 20 minute test can be used to estimate functional threshold power (FTP)

When to use it: The 20 minute threshold test is a progress test which can be used by experienced cyclists to check progress throughout a specific training plan or at the beginning of a programme to estimate FTP.

Doesn’t explicitly say 95% anywhere.

Wattbike seem to have their own way of doing things. I think the 20 min field test thing for FTP comes from the Hunter Allen book. They are all just different ways of coming up with estimates, all will probably all give slightly different results.

(Here…
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/functional-threshold-power-the-most-important-power-metric
… for the 95% of 20 min thing.)

Threshold power is just a small part of the picture too, especially for mtb. Things like a power profile across a range of durations is important, especially short hard efforts. And repeatability/recovery is a key factor too.

Sure but given much of whats written in the thread will he double dutch to people new to power testing keeping it simple has value.

Being in that situation myself not long ago, I like the 20 minute test and he 95% formula transfers it into real world challenges like ADH quite nicely. I suppose its all only subjective testing but quite motivational intresting to hear what results others are getting.

Contributors so far are likely the top end of the range, the most common rides on zwift for example are quoted as being 2/2.5 w/kg which is a bit more realistic for most people.

The key is to pick one protocol and stick to it to measure your own progress. Comparing to others is interesting but not much use.

Other things like skills, kit and aero will make a difference to real world performance.

You don’t weigh 66kg though.

That’s why I’m crap 🙂 The original question didn’t ask for weight!