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CalculatorCycling power zone calculator
Type your FTP — or the average from a 20-minute, 8-minute or ramp test — and get all seven Coggan power zones in watts, plus your watts per kilo. Sweet spot and threshold are where most of the useful hard work happens.
| Zone | % of FTP | Watts |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery | 0–55% | 0–138 W |
| Endurance | 56–75% | 140–188 W |
| Tempo | 76–87% | 190–218 W |
| Sweet spot | 88–94% | 220–235 W |
| Threshold | 95–105% | 238–263 W |
| VO₂max | 106–120% | 265–300 W |
| Anaerobic | 121–150% | 303–375 W |
Getting to an FTP
Functional Threshold Power is roughly the highest power you can hold for about an hour, and every zone is set off it. You do not have to ride flat out for an hour to find it: take 95% of a hard 20-minute test, 90% of an 8-minute test, or 75% of your best minute in a ramp test. The 20-minute test is the most widely used. The ramp test is easiest to pace but flatters riders with a strong short kick, so treat its number with a little caution.
The seven zones
Recovery is easy enough to be slightly boring. Endurance is all-day pace and most of your riding. Tempo is working but sustainable for an hour or more. Sweet spot, at 88–94% of FTP, gives most of the benefit of threshold for much less fatigue — the workhorse of a time-crunched rider. Threshold is about what you could hold for an hour. VO₂max is three to five minutes at a time. Anaerobic is thirty seconds to two minutes, and rarely what an endurance rider needs.
Altitude and FTP
An FTP tested at the coast is worth less at altitude — roughly 6% less per 1 000 m above 500 m, less for a rider who lives up there. An FTP tested in Johannesburg is already a Johannesburg FTP: correcting it again is a mistake many tools make. For a mass-start ride like the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Cycle Tour time predictor shows what the number is worth on the day.
Common questions
What is a good FTP?
It depends on weight, which is why watts per kilo matters more. Around 2.5 W/kg is a solid recreational rider, 3.5 W/kg a strong club rider, and 4+ W/kg competitive amateur.
What is sweet spot training?
Riding at 88–94% of FTP: most of the threshold benefit for much less fatigue, so you can do more of it. The workhorse zone for riders short on time.
How often should I test FTP?
Every six to eight weeks in a training block, or after a big change in fitness. Test in the same conditions each time.
Can I train with heart rate instead of power?
Yes. Heart rate lags short efforts but works well for steady riding. Heart rate zones.
Put this calculator on your club’s website
Free for running clubs, coaches, race organisers and bloggers. Copy the code below into any page that accepts HTML — WordPress, Wix and Squarespace all do — and your members get the same live cycling power zone calculator, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
Keep the credit line under it, please: that is the only thing we ask in return.
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