What Is Cycling Power?

With the advent of power meters, we now have a direct and objective way to measure a power zone for cycling and track progress in our training. But just what is cycling power, and how can you improve yours?

Cycling power is measured in Watts (W) and is the product of force and velocity.

W = Force x Velocity

Force (measured in Newtons) is a measure of how much pressure you are putting on the pedals. Velocity is a measure of how quickly you are turning over the pedals (also known as cadence).

If you ride at a low cadence of 50 rpms and 200 W, you are generating greater force at a lower velocity than if you are cycling at 100 rpms and 200 W. Note however that the power is the exact same.

What this means is that you can generate the same number of Watts at a wide range of forces or velocities. However, in order to increase your power for cycling, you want to train your ability to increase both force and velocity.

Unfortunately, this is not as simple as it sounds! There is a complex interplay between muscle metabolism, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, and biomechanics that determines your ability to improve cycling power.

What Determines Cycling Power?

So, we know how power is calculated, but how does the human body actually generate power? What separates a Tadej Pogačar or Filippo Ganna from a recreational cyclist?

If you’ve ever logged into Strava and viewed power files of professional cyclists racing WorldTour events, the power seems absurd! Tour de France contenders have an FTP in excess of 6 W/kg. Some of the best time-trialists in the world can average over 450 Watts for sustained periods.

Just how can these riders generate so much power? And more importantly, how can you improve your cycling power? We’re going to boil it all down!

Disclaimer: We are going to stick to discussing the aerobic side of things. Any effort lasting longer than approximately two minutes is mostly aerobic, and the aerobic system is most important for cycling performance. You can read more about anaerobic cycling here.

There are three major components that determine one’s ability to generate power: VO2max, lactate threshold, and cycling economy.

See Also: What is FTP Meaning in Cycling

Cycling VO2max

VO2max is a measure of the body’s upper limit to uptake oxygen to be used for energy. This is the “ceiling” of one’s aerobic capability. The higher your VO2max, the greater your potential to generate cycling power.

For context, some of the best pro cyclists in the world reportedly have a VO2max between 80-90 ml/kg/min when they are in peak form… an average healthy adult male might range between 30-40 ml/kg/min!

While there is a large genetic component to VO2max, it can be trained and improved with a great training program!

In a one-off 10 minute time trial, it would likely be the cyclists with the highest VO2max who would win. However, VO2max is only one piece of the puzzle.

Lactate Threshold

Lactate Threshold (LT) is the crosspoint between how much lactate you produce and how much lactate you clear. When you cross above LT, your rate of lactate production exceeds clearance and lactate appears in the blood. Along with lactate comes acidic hydrogen ions, which causes the burning sensation in your legs.

On the road, FTP is the real-world application of LT. If you’ve trained with power, you know that once you cross above your FTP, things start to really hurt and it’s only a matter of time before you’ve got to slow down!

In a sport like cycling, a good FTP is crucial for almost any event. Even for short, explosive events like a criterium, FTP is a large determinant of success.

Ultimately, FTP is going to be limited by your VO2max and your FTP cannot exceed the upper limit of your aerobic capacity. However, you can train your FTP to become a greater percentage of your VO2max to become a more resilient rider.

Read about Common FTP Workouts Questions: Click Here

Cycling Economy

It’s not just about how big your engine is, but how effectively you can use all that oxygen to turn it into Watts. Cycling economy is a measure of how much oxygen you actually consume to produce a given power output.

This is similar to miles-per-gallon on a car. A more economical car can take the same amount of fuel farther!

The goal of cycling economy is to take your VO2max as far as possible by learning to pedal in a manner that does not expend more energy than necessary. This is a major factor that separates the best riders in the world from amateurs.

If you watch cycling on TV, you will notice that most riders have silky smooth pedal strokes. Their core is engaged, their upper body is calm, and all their energy is focused on putting power into the pedals. A rider who improves their economy might have the same VO2max as before, but can become much faster.

For example, a rider might be producing 300 W at 100% of his VO2max one year (in other words he is completely maxed out at this power). The next year, he improves his economy, and now he is only at 95% of his VO2max while riding at 300 W– meaning he still has something in the tank and can hold 300 Watts for longer!

As you ride more, your cycling economy will naturally improve as you get more “reps” in your legs. However, it is important to incorporate neuromuscular training into your program to learn how to improve your pedal stroke.

View our training programs

How to Increase Cycling Watts for Cycling

All three of these components are important to increase cycling power and so you should take time to train each of them.

A rider might have a high VO2max, but does not have a very high FTP and is not economical. Thus, she might be good at a one-off effort, but for sustained periods of time during a long race, she struggles.

Similarly, a rider might have a very good FTP and economy, but not much of a top-end for short efforts. If he spends some time working on his VO2max, he can raise his ceiling and then push his FTP even higher after the fact.

How To Generate More Power While Cycling

“Now, that’s really interesting and all, but how can I increase my cycling power?,” you might be asking. Well I’m glad you asked!

Below we’ll outline some of the basic tenets of any training program. For more in-depth details, you can follow the links to other articles we’ve written on the EVOQ.BIKE blog.

Manage Your Base Fitness

Base fitness is the most important part of any cycling training program. Without an established aerobic base, you will never reach your full potential. There is a reason why professional cyclists train over 1,000 hours per year on the bike!

See Also: Should You Use TrainingPeaks Fitness Score?

Base fitness is the foundation of your cycling training and everything else builds on top of it. The bigger your base fitness, the higher your top-end will be. There is a very close correlation between time spent training in Zone 2, FTP, and VO2max.

Many newer riders ascribe to the “no pain, no gain” myth of training… I think we were all there at some point! However, while high intensity training is important, it’s just as important to spend time training within Zone 2.

Zone 2 training will allow you to build a massive aerobic engine with very little fatigue. Ultimately, this aerobic base will increase your cycling power across the board, improve your endurance and your recovery.

We won’t dive too much into this here, but take a look at our other blogs on how and why you should train with base miles.

Related Post: Overcoming a Cycling Plateau

Follow The 75% Rule

Along similar lines, the 75% rule is a great general guide to make sure you are spending enough time training the all important Zone 2. The 75% rule states that at least 75% of your training should take place below 75% of your FTP.

Zone 2 is around about 60-75% of FTP, so make sure you are banking most of your training time within this zone. I’ve often seen riders who spend less than half their time training in Zone 2 and go too hard, too often.

The problem with this approach is that it will leave you stale and at risk of overtraining. If you do too much high intensity training, you won’t be getting any extra performance boost, but will be fatiguing yourself more than necessary.

In general, two high intensity sessions per week is optimal. If you find that you are not following the 75% rule, consider replacing some of your interval sessions with Zone 2 training. This will give your body time to adapt to the hard sessions and leave you fresher when it counts.

Additionally, on your endurance rides, ensure that you are not riding above Zone 2 for extended periods of time or coasting too much on downhills. Keep it steady. This can take some discipline, but it will pay off!

Work On Pedal Efficiency

While base miles will help build your aerobic engine. We need to take time to learn how to improve pedal efficiency and take our fitness as far as possible.

There are many ways to do this, whether it be gym work or on-bike drills. Our blog on neuromuscular training for cycling goes in-depth on this subject.

However, one of the simplest ways to improve your pedal stroke is to actually watch bike racing on TV! Pay close attention to how pro-riders cruise up the climbs, drive the breakaway on the flats, or sprint for time-bonuses. Then, when you go out and ride, do as the pros do.

Pay close attention to your pedaling. Are you engaging your core and keeping your pelvis stable, or are you rocking from side to side? What about your cadence? This is something you can work on every single day, whether it be an interval day or a long endurance ride, and it will pay big dividends.

How To Analyze Cycling Power

One of the best tools to take your training to the next level is a power meter. You can objectively track your progress over time and identify your strengths and weaknesses. There are lots of great tools that you can use to analyze cycling power, but it can get a little overwhelming. We’ve created a YouTube video that goes over how to analyze power on your bike. Check it out!

If you want an expert opinion on your power data, we offer a power file analysis for $39. One of our expert coaches will analyze your data and provide you with feedback and recommendations on how to improve your training.

Conclusion

So those are the basics on how to generate cycling power and how to increase power for cycling. However, there are TONS of nuances to cycling training. Fortunately, we have tons of resources available to you via the blog, YouTube and our podcast.

If you are interested in taking your training to the next level, view our training programs. Our online cycling coaches each have over a decade of experience racing and training and have won some of the biggest races in the country. Learn more about us.

How To Generate Power Cycling