When you get into triathlon, you’ve pretty much got no choice but to get into the world of cycling too. After all, the bike is the longest part of any triathlon – regardless of which distance you race. And once you start rolling into the realms of cycling training, you’ll start hearing people talking about ‘FTP’ this and ‘threshold’ that. But what does FTP in cycling actually mean – and why should you even care?
Come along for the ride as we take a deep dive into what FTP in cycling means, how to find yours and why FTP is a useful metric for triathletes.
What is FTP?
FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power. Power in cycling is measured in watts and describes the amount of force you are pushing through your pedals. The more force you put through the pedals, the faster you’ll ride – but you’ll also be expending more energy.
FTP in cycling is used to quantify the maximum amount of power – the highest watts – you can theoretically hold for one hour of riding. Your FTP typically aligns with your second lactate threshold – the point at which your body is using carbohydrate as the predominant fuel source and lactate is starting to significantly accumulate in the blood. You can read more about lactate threshold in our deep dive explainer. But essentially what this means is that riding at your FTP power for an hour is going to be physically and mentally tough. You’ll be at your limit. We’ll dig deeper into what FTP means for your training, but as an overview – your FTP gives you guidance on the intensity you can work at, depending on how long you will be riding.
How do I find out what my FTP is?
While you could in theory jump on the turbo trainer (or ride outdoors, if your bike is fitted with a power metre) and ride as hard as you possibly can for 60 minutes to find your FTP. There are other, ever so slightly less gruelling, methods of measuring your FTP.

20 minute FTP test
The most common form of FTP test is the classic 20 minute power test. After a good warm up (trust us, you don’t want to go in cold!) you need to ride as hard as you can at a sustained power for 20 minutes. It’s tough – but at least it’s over relatively quickly. You then take the average power you held for 20 minutes and multiply that number by 0.95 to get your 60-minute FTP. Platforms such as Zwift and ROUVY have dedicated FTP tests in their workout libraries, which take care of all the maths for you.
Ramp test
If the idea of having to grit your teeth and bear it for 20 minutes doesn’t sound appealing. The other option is a ramp test. As you might guess from the name, a ramp test involves starting at an easy power output and ‘ramping’ up in set power increments every minute until you reach failure. Once you’ve hit the wall, the highest power you were able to hold for 1 full minute is multiplied by 0.75 to calculate your estimated 60-minute FTP. Again, you can complete specific ramp test workouts on indoor cycling platforms which will tell you what power to target and take care of the calculation.
1 hour hill climb

For those who really can’t stand the turbo trainer, you can also take your FTP test out into the real world – as long as your bike has a power metre. Finding a route where you can hold a consistent power for a full 60 minutes without being interrupted by traffic or junctions is difficult. But if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with some epic climbs, finding a hill that will take you around an hour to ascend is a great way to get your FTP. The added motivation of riding towards the top of the climb can make it easier to keep pushing compared to doing it on the flat or on the turbo trainer.
OK, but what does FTP actually mean?
That’s what FTP in cycling is and how to measure yours. But what does it actually mean for your training? Primarily FTP is a way to measure, quantify and benchmark your cycling fitness. As you get stronger and your aerobic fitness improves, you’ll be able to hold a higher power before you hit your second lactate threshold. Your FTP will be higher, which means you’ll be able to ride faster for longer.
But beyond giving you a line in the sand to see where your cycling fitness is at, and a way to track your progress. Your FTP is also a useful metric to make sure you’re riding at the correct intensity during your bike workouts and training rides. You can set yourself a target power to hold using a percentage of your FTP, depending on the desired training effect of a workout or the duration of a ride.
For example, if the aim of the workout is to complete longer intervals in Zone 3 to improve your endurance pace – you would want to be working at between 75-90% (depending on fitness) of your FTP. And if you’ve got a 3 hour ‘easy Zone 2’ ride on your plan, you’d want to be limiting yourself to around 60-75% of your FTP to ensure you get the aerobic adaptation benefits of riding easy, and can reach the end of the ride without getting exhausted. Knowing your FTP and using it to guide the intensity of your training sessions means you can get really precise with the energy systems you’re working, and get the most quality out of every training hour. No more ‘junk miles’!
Why should triathletes care about FTP in cycling?
Obviously having a measure of your cycling fitness and being able to really dial in your training using your FTP data is going to be beneficial for triathletes. Particularly when you’re balancing training for three different sports – making sure you’re getting the optimal training effect out of each session is vital to make the most of your training hours.
But beyond that, FTP is also useful for triathletes because you can use it to pace yourself to perfection during the bike section of a triathlon. If you’ve got a few races under your belt, you’ll probably be familiar with the sight of athletes who’ve come tearing past you on the bike. Only to be found taking a painful long walk out on the run course. Pacing can be your secret weapon to remain strong all the way to the closing stages of a triathlon – whether you’re looking to top the podium, or just top your previous best time.

However, pacing takes two things: data, and discipline. You can use your FTP to set yourself a power target for the race at a % of your FTP that you’re confident will hit the sweet spot of working hard enough you don’t feel like you left too much out there. But not so hard that you blow up spectacularly on the run. Use that power target alongside heart rate and you’ll be able to manage your effort and blast through the field towards the end of the race. Just stay disciplined and ‘race your race’ – resist the temptation to get caught up in a game of cat and mouse with other competitors, and trust your pacing plan.
What percentage of my cycling FTP should I race at in a triathlon?
The precise percentage of your cycling FTP you can hold in a triathlon will depend on a number of factors. Primarily, the triathlon distance you’re racing – you’ll be able to go a lot harder on the bike in a sprint triathlon where you’re likely to complete the bike in 1 hour or less, and you’ve ‘only’ got to run a 5km afterwards. Compared to a full Ironman distance race where you can expect to be on the bike for 5-7hrs and you’ll still have a full marathon to run before you cross the finish line.
Distance | Estimated % range of FTP to target |
---|---|
Sprint | 90-100% |
Olympic | 85-95% |
Middle/Half Ironman | 75-80% |
Long/Full Ironman | 65-75% |
The other consideration when it comes to deciding how to pace the bike in a triathlon is your fitness level, and your strengths and weaknesses across the three triathlon disciplines. If cycling is your strongest discipline, you might want to go a little harder on the bike to bank some time before the run. But if you’re a good runner, it can often be beneficial to hold back a little on the bike so you can really unleash your running super powers once you exit T2. Incorporating some brick sessions (running straight after cycling) in your training at your target race pace is a great way to find out how much power you can push on the bike without compromising your run.
Keep in mind that if you’re racing a higher intensity over the longer distances (middle distance and longer) you’ll also need to increase your hourly carbohydrate intake. The higher the intensity, the more your body relies on carbohydrates for fuel instead of fats. That higher carb intake will need to be carefully practiced in training so you know what your stomach can tolerate.
Further reading
Interested in learning more about the science and the terminology behind triathlon training? Check out some of our other explainer articles: