Power 101

Power Rankings and Rider Types Explained

Power Rankings in TrainerRoad give you a clear view of where your power stands compared to other TrainerRoad athletes. This feature also determines your power phenotype, helping you understand what type of rider you are based on your performance across different effort durations. How is Your Phenotype Determined? TrainerRoad measures your power over various durations, from short sprints to sustained efforts. Based on this data, you are categorized into one of six power phenotypes: - Sprinter – Excels in short, high-power efforts. - Puncheur – Strong in repeated, punchy surges over rolling terrain. - Rouleur – Powerful and consistent over flat and rolling terrain. - Time Trialist – Best at sustained, steady solo efforts. - Climber – Thrives on long, high-intensity climbs. - All-Rounder – Versatile across different types of efforts. Your power phenotype reflects your natural strengths and performance distribution across different types of efforts. Over time, as your training evolves, your phenotype may shift. How to Use Power Rankings and Your Phenotype Knowing your power phenotype helps you: - Optimize Your Training – Focus on your strengths while improving weaker areas. - Plan Race Strategies – Choose tactics that match your natural abilities. - Set Performance Goals – Compare yourself with other riders and track progress. You can view your Power Rankings and Phenotype directly in TrainerRoad. Head to your Career on the TrainerRoad website and select "Power Ranking" from the lefthand menu. Understanding Each Power Phenotype Sprinter Overview: You have exceptional finishing speed and generate your highest power in short, explosive efforts. You excel in races that come down to a final sprint, where your ability to accelerate past others in the last few seconds gives you an advantage. Your strength lies in anaerobic power and top-end speed. Relative Strengths: - Exceptional short-burst power - High top-end speed - Best suited for races that come down to a final sprint Excels at: - Flat or rolling races with sprint finishes - Short, punchy efforts - High speed positioning (criteriums, group rides) Pro Rider Examples: - Mark Cavendish - One of the greatest pure sprinters, excels in bunch finishes - Caleb Ewan - Compact, explosive sprinter with a low riding position - Fabio Jakobson - Powerful finishing speed, thrives in mass sprints - Charlotte Kool - A top sprinter with a strong finishing kick in bunch sprints - Lorena Wiebes - One of the fastest sprinters in the peloton, dominant in flat finishes Pro Races that Match Your Strengths: - Milan-San Remo - A long, flat race with a sprint finish - Tour de France sprint stages - Flat, high-speed finishes - Scheldeprijs - Known as a "sprinters" classic Puncheur Overview: You excel at strong, punchy efforts that make you competitive on short, steep climbs and rolling terrain, where you attack repeatedly and recover quickly. Your ability to surge over hills and power through rolling courses gives you an edge in races that feature short, sharp climbs. Relative Strengths - Strong 30-second to 5-minute power - Quick recovery from repeated surges - Best on short, steep climbs Excels at: - Hilly road races and rolling terrain - Attacking and responding to short surges - Breakaways and uphill finishes Pro Rider Examples: - Julian Alaphilippe - Aggressive, explosive on short climbs, thrives in classics - Lotte Kopecky - Excels in short, steep climbs and explosive attacks - Alejandro Valverde - Strong puncheur with uphill sprinting ability - Mathieu can der Poel - Great on rolling terrain, excels in attacking moves - Marianne Vos - A powerful puncheur who dominates across punchy, technical courses Pro Races that Match Your Strengths - Fleche Wallonne - Steep, short climbs with an uphill sprint finish - Liege-Bastogne-Liege - Rolling terrain that rewards explosive climbers - Strade Bianche - Punchy efforts on gravel climbs Rouleur Overview: You're a steady, powerful rider who performs well on flat and rolling terrain. Your ability to maintain high, consistent power over long efforts makes you a key player in breakaways, pacing, and setting the tempo in a race. You thrive in solo efforts, long pulls at the front, and courses that demand endurance and sustained speed. Whether controlling the peloton, bridging gaps, or driving a breakaway, your strength lies in keeping the momentum high and pushing the pace when others start to fade. Relative Strengths: - Sustained high power output - Strong on flat and rolling terrain - Durable in breakaways Excels at: - Holding a steady pace in group rides - Long solo breakaways - Setting tempo in a peloton Pro Rider Examples: - Wout van Aert - A powerhouse in breakaways and on rolling courses - Lucinda Brand - A relentless engine who thrives in tough conditions - Mads Pedersen - High power and versatility on rolling terrain - Marlen Reusser - Consistently one of the most durable riders in the peloton - Jasper Stuyven - Strong in classics, excels in solo efforts Pro Races that Match Your Strengths: - Paris-Roubaix - A long, punishing race over cobbles - Tour of Flanders - A mix of rolling terrain and power climbs - Breakaway-friendly stages in Grand Tours - Where strong engines can go the distance Time Trialist Overview: You are strongest in steady, solo efforts, where pacing and efficiency matter more than quick bursts. You can hold power for long durations, making you a strong time trialist or breakaway rider. You don’t rely on sprinting or repeated surges but instead on a smooth, controlled effort over long distances. Relative Strengths: - Consistent power over long durations - Best at steady-state efforts - Strong in solo racing situations Excels at: - Time trials - Solo breakaways - Long endurance rides at constant effort Pro Rider Examples: - Chloe Dygert - Consistently one of the best TT riders in the peloton - Filippo Gana - Dominates in flat TTS, raw power specialist - Stefan Kung - Consistently strong in time trials - Josh Tarling - A powerhouse time trialist with relentless high power - Ellen van Dijk - A multiple-time world champion in the time trial Pro Races that Match Your Strengths: - Time trials in Grand Tours - Where pacing is everything - World Championships (ITT) - The ultimate test against the clock - Flat courses - Where solo breakaways have good odds Climber Overview: You thrive when the road tilts upward, relying on your exceptional power-to-weight ratio to sustain efforts on long, grueling climbs. Your endurance and aerobic capacity shine on mountain routes, making you a formidable force when the terrain gets steep. Relative Strengths: - High power on long climbs - Strong aerobic endurance - Best on sustained high-intensity efforts Excels at: - Long climbs and mountain stages - Hilly group rides or races - Sustained intensity over extended durations Pro Rider Examples: - Egan Bernal - Strong climber, especially at high altitude - Sepp Kuss - Grand Tour climbing specialist - Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio - A strong climber with endurance for hilly and mountainous races - Annemiek van Vleuten - One of the best climbers ever, thrives in long, high-mountain races - Adam Yates - Thrives on long, sustained climbs Pro Races that Match your Strengths: - Tour de France mountain stages - Climbs like Alpe d'Huez - Giro d'Italia & Vuelta a Espana - Multi-day races with relentless climbing - Il Lombardia - A one-day race dominated by steep climbs All-Rounder Overview: You’re a versatile rider who can perform well across multiple types of terrain. You don’t have a single standout specialty but instead have a balanced mix of strengths that allow you to compete in different race situations. You may not be the best sprinter, climber, or time trialist, but your ability to handle a bit of everything makes you a strong competitor. Relative Strengths: - Adaptable to varied race conditions - Competent in climbing, sprinting, and endurance efforts - Consistent performance across multiple effort durations Excels at: - Stage races requiring multiple skills - Rolling terrain and mixed courses - Endurance-based rides with varied demands Pro Riders Examples: - Remco Evenepoel - Versatile across different terrains - Kasia Niewiadoma - Strong acress multiple disciplines, from climbing to rolling terrain - Tadej Pogacar - Balanced across all race types - Jonas Vingegaard - Excels in multipls disciplines - Demi Vollering - Versatile across climbing, time trials, and hilly races Pro Races that Match Your Strengths: - Stage races (Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, Giro d'Italia) - Where versatility is key - Strade Bianche - A mix of climbing, rolling terrain, and endurance - Hilly one-day races - Where different strengths come into play As your training progresses, your phenotype may shift. Keep training, refining your strengths, and improving your overall performance with TrainerRoad!

Understanding Power Zones

Power Zones are all defined as a percentage of your FTP. They allows us to scale workouts to each racer's individual fitness level, ensuring that everyone is working at their optimal intensity. TrainerRoad workouts target specific Power Zones that represent various aspects of your fitness. This article is an overview of each Power Zone and what that zone strives to achieve. power zones.png | | | | --- | --- | | Active Recovery | (<55%FTP) | | Endurance | (55% - 75% FTP) | | Tempo | (76% - 87% FTP) | | Sweet Spot | (88% - 94% FTP) | | Threshold | (95% - 105% FTP) | | VO2 Max | (106% - 120% FTP) | | Anaerobic Capacity | (>120% FTP) | Active Recovery (<55% FTP) Active recovery is a zone that you'll see in-between intervals as a chance to recover, catch your breath, and lower your heart rate before digging in again for the next interval. Endurance (55% - 75% FTP) Aerobic Endurance workouts are aimed at improving your aerobic-power-producing capabilities in a low-stress manner. By riding for increasingly longer periods of time, your endurance muscle fibers become more efficient at utilizing fat for fuel and sparing sugar stores for more intense efforts. Additionally, Endurance workouts can improve oxygen delivery & utilization, increase muscular resistance to fatigue, improve the integrity of connective tissue, and even help you improve your on-bike nutrition strategies. Tempo (76% - 87% FTP) Riding in the tempo range pushes you near the height of your aerobic endurance. While rather uncomfortable, working here isn't terribly stressful and it allows you to spend long durations at a constant and productive work level with little recovery. This is where many half-distance triathletes will live for 2+ hours during their bike leg. This is also where ample time is spent during long road races, especially ones with steady climbs. Sweet Spot (88% - 94% FTP) Sweet Spot intervals aim to further muscular endurance and enhance aerobic capabilities. Additional related benefits include improved sugar storage in the muscles, better utilization of fat for fuel, a higher capacity for more intense workouts later on and increased power output at moderate, predominantly aerobic intensities. Learn more in our blog post: What is Sweet Spot Training Threshold (95% - 105% FTP) By spending time very close to your FTP, riders can improve their sustainable power & muscle endurance by teaching their muscles to process high levels of lactate and acidic buildup without slowing down. Additionally, and equally as important, riders learn to tolerate the mental discomfort inherent in maintaining high levels of Functional Threshold Power. VO2 Max (106% - 120% FTP) VO2 Max efforts aim to increase your power during short, intense efforts and to expand your aerobic capacity, i.e. the ability to utilize more oxygen more effectively. They also do a good job of stressing your intermediate muscle fibers that process both fat and sugar and therefore utilize oxygen much like your slow-twitch, endurance fibers. When training time is very limited, deriving a high training benefit in minimal time is crucial - this is how you do it. Anaerobic Capacity (>120% FTP) By working at power outputs high enough to elicit very high levels of oxygen uptake, tremendous improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic power can be achieved, all in very little time. Short-duration, high-intensity repeats can be highly productive for all types of riders but are especially important for riders working on limited training time. In far less time than that required by long, slow distance approach to training, riders can develop similar aerobic capabilities - little time, high stress, comparable adaptation.

Power-Based Training Acronyms

There are far too many acronyms in the sport of cycling, so here is your cheat sheet for all the important ones FTP: Functional Threshold Power - This is theoretically the maximum steady-state power you could hold for about an hour - It is a way to quantify your current level of fitness- many of your other zones will scale fairly linearly relative to your FTP - All of your rides are based on a percentage of your FTP IF: Intensity Factor® - This is a way of quantifying how intense your ride was - The scale is based on this: An IF of 1.0 would be equivalent to performing at FTP for 1 hour. Aka, your body could not possibly work any harder. - A 0.8 IF would represent a ride that averaged 80% of your Functional Threshold Power TSS: Training Stress Score® - This is the amount of stress that a workout inflicts on your body - With a large TSS, there is a greater opportunity for growth but also a greater need for proper recovery - Calculated based on a combination of IF and duration NP: Normalized Power® - This metric is similar to average power, with one minor difference - This metric "weights" different power zones differently. It gives more weight to your harder intervals and more closely represents the physiological toll - The purpose of this is to attempt to estimate the power you could have produced had you been constant throughout the ride - This allows you to more honestly compare one ride to another since the rest intervals have less of an effect on the overall average

Power vs. Heart Rate

If Power vs. Heart Rate was a boxing match, Heart Rate wouldn't make it through the first round when it comes to interval training. Here's why Power is the ultimate metric for interval-based training. Weaknesses of Heart Rate - Heart rate varies based on many external factors - Fatigue - Sleep - Stress - Illness - Glycogen level - Hydration level - Temperature - Humidity - Motivation - Caffeine - As a result, your heart rate zones can change dramatically from day to day - It takes 90-120 seconds for your Heart Rate to respond to a given effort - Cardiac Drift: As you become more fatigued, your HR continues to get higher throughout a workout due to multiple fatiguing factors such as dehydration and muscular fatigue Strengths of Power - FTP is a solid and stationary number. Some days you may not be able to express high percentages of your FTP, but that does not change the value of your FTP - Assuming your equipment is properly calibrated and correctly zeroed, if you aren't living up to your power targets, you know with greater certainty whether fatigue is an issue and can rule out most external factors skewing your data measurement - As you get faster, you can quantify the extent of your improvements through recurrent FTP testing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdfun9tociQ Podcast Discussion [56:10] Podcast 134: Power vs. Heart Rate

Calories and Power

Power helps give us a very accurate estimation of Calorie burn, however, to understand the reasoning behind it will require a quick science refresher. Energy In cycling, energy is absorbed from the foods we eat and stored as chemical energy within our bodies. This energy is then "converted" in order to produce mechanical work, driving us forward on our bikes. Since our bodies are not 100% efficient, a significant amount of energy is also lost as heat in the conversion from chemical energy to mechanical work. Mechanical work is a measure of power (watts)/second. Therefore, our power meters are easily able to measure mechanical work; we simply need to work backward through the equation to find the Calories burned. This is the brief overview. Now let's talk numbers. Units of Energy - 1 Calorie=1000 calorie: This one is confusing so bear with me. 1 Calorie (capitalized) refers to dietary calories we find in the food we eat. Sometimes referred to a kcal, these contain 1000 calories (little"c"), which are a smaller unit of energy used by scientists to measure smaller energy systems. - 1 kJ=1000 joule: Joules are the SI unit of measuring energy (watts per second). In cycling, we typically use Calories to refer to food intake and kJ to define mechanical work completed during the workout - To get an idea of what a kJ represents, consider this example: 400w x 5s = 2,000 J = 2kJ’s - 1 cal=4.184 joules: This is the direct conversion from calories to joules (remember that they are both just energy) - 1 Cal=4.184 kJ: Since Calories and kJ are both 1000 times larger than their smaller counterparts, their ratio is the same So when I do 4.184 kJ of work, I burn 1 Calorie?? Welll... no. It's not quite that simple. This would be true if our bodies were 100% efficient at converting chemical energy into mechanical work, however that's not the case. Trained cyclists are anywhere from 19-24% efficient, therefore it takes more fuel (Calories) to produce the desired work output (kJ). So the unit analysis that takes efficiency into consideration looks like this: - Assuming 24% efficiency: 1 Calorie x 4.184 kJ x 25% efficiency = 1.004 kJ - Assuming 20% efficiency: 1 Calorie x 4.184 kJ x 20% efficiency = .8364 kJ Nearly all human bodies operate within these bounds, so for practical reasons, we assume a 1:1 Cal to kJ conversion. Unfortunately, the only way to get a more accurate estimation would be through extensive (and unnecessary) lab testing.