What is FTP and how to test it

FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is roughly the highest power you can hold for about an hour. It is the single most useful number in cycling training, because almost everything else is set from it.

Why FTP matters

Your training zones, your TSS calculation and your progress tracking are all anchored to FTP. Set it wrong and every workout is scaled wrong — too easy and you stall, too hard and you burn out. Retest every four to six weeks during a build.

The 20-minute test

• Warm up thoroughly (15–20 minutes with a few short efforts).
• Ride an all-out, evenly paced 20-minute effort.
• Take your average power for those 20 minutes and multiply by 0.95. That is your FTP estimate.

The ramp test

Shorter and less painful: power steps up every minute until you cannot hold the target. Software estimates FTP from your best one-minute power (about 75% of it). Great for frequent retesting; the 20-minute test is closer to your true one-hour power.

Turn it into training

Once FTP is set, every ride can be scored as TSS and rolled into your Fitness and Form. TrainCurve does that automatically and reminds you when it is time to retest. Start free.