Advanced Tips: Power, FTP and Endurance

You've been riding for a few years, you know your rides by heart, but you feel like you're plateauing? It's probably time to structure your training with real data. For experienced cyclists, power-based training has revolutionized the way to progress. Gone are the rides by feel where you never know whether you're doing too much or not enough: with a power meter and knowledge of your FTP, you can precisely target the effort that will make you progress. In this chapter, we dive into FTP, power zones, the crucial importance of zone 2, structured intervals, optimal cadence and year-round planning. Buckle up, we're getting into the thick of it.

FTP: your cornerstone

FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the maximum power, in watts, that you can sustain for about an hour. It's the reference value from which all your training zones are calculated. The higher your FTP relative to your weight (we talk about watts per kilo, or W/kg), the better you perform, especially on climbs.

How do you test it? The most common test is the 20-minute test. Here's the protocol:

1. Warm up seriously for 15-20 minutes, with a few short accelerations to wake up the legs.
2. Make a sustained maximal effort of 20 minutes on a steady course (constant climb or indoor trainer, with no descent or red light). Go at it as if it were a time trial: you should finish spent but without having blown up halfway through.
3. Note your average power over those 20 minutes.
4. Multiply that average by 0.95. The result is your estimated FTP.

For example, if you hold an average of 250 watts over 20 minutes, your FTP is about 237 watts. Redo this test every 6 to 8 weeks to track your progress and readjust your zones. A rising FTP is concrete proof that your training is working.

There are other protocols: the "ramp" test (a progressive ramp to exhaustion, popular on the indoor trainer), or the longer 60-minute test (the most accurate but brutal). The 20-minute test remains the best compromise between accuracy and accessibility for most cyclists. Whatever your choice, the important thing is to always use the same protocol so you can compare your results over time. Note too that your FTP can vary depending on freshness, heat and even the time of your season: it's not a fixed number, but an evolving reference.

The seven power zones

Once you know your FTP, you can define your training zones. The classic model has seven, each corresponding to a percentage of your FTP and serving a specific training purpose. It's the most important tool in this whole chapter: keep this table handy.

Zone 2: the base everyone neglects

If you take away just one thing from this chapter, take this: zone 2 is the foundation of all lasting progress. Many amateur cyclists ride constantly too hard, in a grey zone between endurance and tempo, which tires them out without developing their aerobic base.

Riding in zone 2 (56-75% of FTP) is a comfortable effort where you could hold a conversation. At this intensity, your body learns to burn fat as fuel, develops your capillary network, increases the number and efficiency of your mitochondria, and strengthens your heart. In concrete terms, you become a machine for producing energy over the long haul. The pros spend the majority of their training volume in zone 2.

The trap? Zone 2 demands patience and discipline. It's slow, sometimes boring, and the ego pushes you to speed up. But long, regular rides in zone 2 (1h30 to 4h depending on your level) build an aerobic engine that will serve you in all the other zones. It's the most rewarding investment in your training.

Intervals: VO2max, threshold and sweet spot

Once your aerobic base is solid, structured intervals take you up a level. Here are the three most useful types:

• Sweet spot (zone 3-4, 88-94% FTP): the most efficient training for developing your FTP with moderate fatigue. Example: 3 x 12 minutes at 90% of FTP, with 5 minutes of recovery between blocks. It's the best benefit-to-fatigue ratio.
• Threshold (zone 4, 95-105% FTP): to directly push back your FTP. Example: 2 x 20 minutes at 100% of FTP. It's mentally and physically demanding, but formidably effective.
• VO2max (zone 5, 106-120% FTP): to raise your maximal aerobic capacity, your "ceiling." Example: 5 x 4 minutes at 110-115% of FTP, with 4 minutes of recovery. These intervals hurt, but they raise your whole system.

The golden rule: do intense intervals only 2 to 3 times a week at most, and always alternating with easy days. It's during rest that your body adapts and gets stronger, not during the effort.

Recovery and overload: the hidden side of progress

Here's a truth that many ambitious cyclists learn the hard way: you don't progress during training, but during recovery. Training creates a stress (an "overload") that slightly damages your fibres and empties your reserves; it's during rest, sleep and nutrition that your body rebuilds stronger. That's the principle of supercompensation. If you string together hard sessions without giving this process time, you accumulate fatigue and end up regressing, or even falling into overtraining.

How do you avoid that? Watch for a few signals: an abnormally high resting heart rate in the morning, poor-quality sleep, unusual irritability, heavy legs that don't recover, and above all a drop in performance despite diligent training. These are red flags.

• Plan recovery weeks: every 3-4 weeks, reduce volume and intensity to absorb the accumulated fatigue. That's often where the gains take shape.
• Sleep: sleep is the best recovery tool there is, and it's free.
• Eat enough: under-fuelling your training sabotages your adaptations.
• Be honest about your fatigue: a rest day taken in time is worth more than a forced week later on.

Optimal cadence

Cadence is the number of pedal revolutions per minute (RPM). There's no universal magic cadence, but a few principles guide the choice:

• A higher cadence (90-100 RPM) draws more on your cardiovascular system and less on your muscles, which delays muscle fatigue on long efforts.
• A lower cadence (70-80 RPM) draws more on the muscles and develops strength, but tires the legs faster.
• On climbs, many cyclists naturally drop to around 70-85 RPM. The important thing is to keep a smooth pedal stroke without jerks.

Work on your ability to pedal efficiently across a range of cadences. Strength exercises at low cadence (big gear on a climb) and speed work at high cadence (small gear, pedalling fast and smooth) make your pedal stroke more versatile.

Understanding your metrics: TSS, IF and training load

When you train with power, your software bombards you with acronyms. Here are the most useful to understand:

• NP (Normalized Power): a "normalized" power that accounts for the intensity variations of a ride. More representative of the real cost of the effort than the simple average, especially on hilly routes.
• IF (Intensity Factor): the ratio of your NP to your FTP. An IF of 0.85 means you rode on average at 85% of your threshold. It quantifies how hard a ride was relative to your fitness.
• TSS (Training Stress Score): a score that combines duration and intensity to estimate the load of a session. Exactly one hour at your FTP equals 100 TSS. A long easy ride and a short, very intense session can yield a similar TSS.

By tracking your TSS over time, you can manage your training load: your long-term fitness, your short-term fatigue, and the balance between the two (often called "freshness" or current form). The goal is to increase your load gradually, without sudden jumps that lead to injury or overtraining. A cautious rule: don't increase your weekly load by more than 5 to 10% at a time. These metrics turn vague sensations into concrete decisions.

Planning your season: periodization

To progress without burning out, structure your year into phases. This is what's called periodization:

• Base (fall-winter): high volume in zone 2, building the aerobic engine. Little intensity.
• Build (spring): you gradually add threshold and sweet spot intervals. Intensity rises, volume stays high.
• Peak / tapering (before your goals): maximal intensity (VO2max), volume that decreases to arrive fresh and performing on the day.
• Recovery / transition (after the season): active rest, other activities, you let body and mind regenerate before starting a new cycle.

This cyclical structure lets you arrive in form at the right moment and avoid overtraining. To manage your data, your zones and your plans, good software is essential: check out our guide to cycling apps and GPS. And don't forget that performance also goes through the plate: all the training in the world is useless without good nutrition and hydration.