Cycling Power Profile
Your power profile is like a fingerprint of your cycling ability, a unique curve showing your best performances across different durations. It reveals whether you’re built more for explosive sprints, sustained climbs, or all-round performance.
Understanding your power profile helps you:
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Target training to improve specific capacities
Select race strategies that play to your advantage
1. What the Durations Mean
Each point on the profile corresponds to a Peak Power Output (PPO) over a specific time frame, each linked to different physiological systems:
Duration | What It Represents | Example Use in Racing |
|---|---|---|
5 seconds | Peak sprint power & explosive neuromuscular strength | Winning a bunch sprint, attacking out of a corner |
1 minute | Anaerobic capacity for short, intense surges | Punching up a short climb, bridging a gap |
5 minutes | Estimated VO₂max power | Breaking away, attacking on a long climb |
20 minutes | Long-duration threshold power | Sustained climbing, solo breakaway effort |
1 hour | Endurance capacity close to CP | Time trial pacing, steady climbing in stage races |