WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The rider who wants to know where they stand
You have an FTP and a body weight and want an honest assessment of how that stacks up against meaningful benchmarks.
The sportive rider setting a training target
You want to know what W/kg you need to complete or be competitive in a specific type of event.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Watts per kilogram is the honest number in cycling. It strips away the misleading comparisons that raw watts invite — the 95 kg rider boasting 300 watts is 3.15 W/kg, while the 62 kg rider at 260 watts is 4.19 W/kg and riding away on every climb. The lighter rider is categorically stronger in cycling terms. Until you express power relative to body weight, the number is meaningless.
Anthony uses W/kg as the primary benchmark when discussing performance on the podcast, and the coaches he interviews — Friel, Barrett, Wakefield — all frame amateur development in W/kg terms. The recreational rider who trains 5–6 hours a week and has been riding a couple of years will typically sit at 2.5–3.0 W/kg. The committed club racer training 8–12 hours sits at 3.0–4.0. The sharp end of amateur racing — Cat 1–2, the front of the sportive — is 4.0–4.5. And above 4.5 W/kg you are properly strong for an amateur.
The two levers to improve W/kg are FTP (raise the numerator) and body composition (manage the denominator). The mistake is chasing the denominator by under-eating, which suppresses the training that raises the numerator. Build power first, let body composition follow from fuelled training and sensible nutrition, and the W/kg takes care of itself.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
W/kg is the only meaningful performance benchmark for cyclists. His training system categorises riders from recreational through professional using W/kg as the structuring principle, and the benchmarks have remained consistent across decades of coaching data.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling - Stephen BarrettHead coach, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale (UCI WorldTour)
At the WorldTour level, GC contenders sustain 6.0–6.5 W/kg on major climbs. The gap between a strong amateur at 4.5 W/kg and a professional at 6.0 W/kg looks small on paper but represents years of full-time training and genetic ceiling. For amateurs, targeting one W/kg category above current level is the productive goal.
Hear it: World Tour Cycling Coach on What FTP Misses | Roadman Cycling
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Calculate your current W/kg
Divide your most recent FTP (in watts) by your body weight (in kilograms). A 240 W FTP at 78 kg is 3.08 W/kg. Record this alongside the date, your FTP, and your weight. This is your baseline.
Set a realistic target for your next training block
Aim to move up 0.2–0.3 W/kg per 12-week block. That means either a 15–20 W FTP gain at the same weight, or a smaller FTP gain plus sensible body composition improvement. Do not target more than 0.5 W/kg improvement in a single block — that pace is unsustainable.
Track W/kg over months, not weeks
Retest FTP every 6–8 weeks after a deload. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning on the same day. Plot W/kg across four or more blocks — the trend line is your real progress signal, not any single data point.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEChasing W/kg by losing weight instead of building power.
FIXUnder-fuelled training suppresses the hard sessions that raise FTP. Build power first through structured training and proper nutrition. Let body composition improve as a consequence, not a target.
MISTAKEComparing W/kg with riders 20 years younger.
FIXPower typically peaks in the late 20s and declines roughly 1% per year after 35. A 50-year-old at 3.5 W/kg is performing at a level equivalent to 4.0+ W/kg at 30. Age-adjusted comparison is the honest benchmark.
MISTAKEFixating on a W/kg number without training context.
FIXA 4.0 W/kg from a fresh test after a recovery week is not the same as 4.0 W/kg during a hard training block. Test conditions matter. The comparison is only meaningful when the testing protocol is consistent.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What W/kg do I need for a sportive?
Is 3 W/kg good for cycling?
Is 4 W/kg good for an amateur cyclist?
What is a good W/kg for a female cyclist?
Does W/kg only matter for climbing?
How much can I improve my W/kg in a year?
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