WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The rider running their first formal test
You want a precise, repeatable protocol rather than a vague all-out effort.
The rider whose 20-minute tests keep blowing up
You go out too hard, die at minute twelve, and the number never reflects your real fitness.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
The 20-minute test is the most widely used FTP protocol for a reason: it's long enough to genuinely tax your threshold but short enough that most riders can mentally commit to it. The catch — and Anthony has watched this play out with club riders again and again — is that the test is almost always lost in the first five minutes. The adrenaline kicks in, the legs feel fresh, and people go out 20 watts above what they can hold. By minute twelve they're hanging on, the power's collapsing, and the average ends up lower than if they'd paced it honestly from the start.
The fix is to treat it like a controlled effort, not a heroic one. The opening five-minute hard effort before the test exists specifically to take the top-end sharpness off your legs so you don't sandbag the real 20 minutes by going anaerobic early. Then in the test itself, you start at a power you are genuinely confident you can sustain, settle in, and if anything is left in the tank you push in the final five minutes. A test that finishes strong almost always beats one that finishes clinging on.
And the prep matters as much as the protocol. Joe Friel's whole framing of testing is that the number only means something if you arrive rested and repeat the conditions. Test on a Friday after a big week and you'll read 5–10% low. Test rested, on the same trainer or the same climb, with the same warm-up, and you've got a number you can actually compare block to block. That comparison — the trend — is the entire point. One test in isolation tells you very little.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
A valid FTP test depends as much on preparation and consistency as on the effort itself. Arriving rested, using an identical warm-up and environment each time, and pacing the effort evenly are what make the result comparable across a season. The 20-minute protocol with a 5% reduction is a reliable field estimate when executed honestly.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling - Stephen BarrettHead coach, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale (UCI WorldTour)
At World Tour level, testing is treated with the same rigour as a key session — fuelled, prepared for, and paced deliberately. Amateurs gain the most from a 20-minute test when they stop racing the clock and start pacing it as a controlled, even effort that builds rather than fades.
Hear it: World Tour Cycling Coach on What FTP Misses | Roadman Cycling
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Run the full warm-up — don't skip it
15–20 minutes building from easy zone 2, then a single hard 5-minute effort near threshold, then 5 minutes easy spinning. This primes your body to produce power from minute one of the test rather than spending the first third warming into it.
Pace the 20 minutes in three parts
First 5 minutes: hold back deliberately at a power you know you can sustain — it should feel almost too easy. Middle 10 minutes: settle into your hardest sustainable effort. Final 5 minutes: empty the tank. Check your power at the 5-minute mark and correct early.
Calculate FTP and set your zones
Take your average power for the 20 minutes and multiply by 0.95. A 280 W average is an FTP of 266 W. Enter that into the FTP Zone Calculator to set every training zone in watts.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEStarting the 20 minutes at maximum because the legs feel fresh.
FIXOpen at a power you're certain you can hold for the full duration, then build. A fast start guarantees a fade and a lower average than honest pacing.
MISTAKETesting on accumulated fatigue and treating the low number as your real FTP.
FIXTake 2–3 genuinely easy days before testing. A fatigued test reads 5–10% low and sets your zones too soft for the next block.
MISTAKEChanging the course, trainer, or warm-up between tests.
FIXKeep every variable identical. The value of testing is the trend across tests — different conditions produce different numbers that aren't comparable.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do I multiply the 20-minute power by 95%?
Should I do a 5-minute effort before the 20-minute test?
Can I do the 20-minute test outdoors?
How is the 20-minute test different from a ramp test?
Should I fuel before a 20-minute FTP test?
How often should I repeat the 20-minute test?
RELATED EPISODES
HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS
RELATED TOPICS