But cycling has, and always will be, about one basic premise: the more power you produce to propel the combined weight of you and your bicycle forward, the faster you will go. Power-to-weight ratio is a term regularly heard in cycling – especially by cyclists who find themselves struggling when climbing. Power-to-weight ratio is the maximum power output that can be produced in relation to body weight. It is calculated by dividing your weight by your average power output. On mountainous terrain P/W is the determining factor. Average Power from 20 minute test: Weight in Kg Power (Watts) Power Zone Low end zone High end zone; 1 .. Nutrition is a very important tool when you’re working on improving your power-to-weight ratio (PWR). (A 150-pound rider with a threshold of 200 would have a power-to-weight ratio of 2.9.) Comparing Power To Weight Ratio. Increasing your power output can be really hard, especially for experienced cyclists. This is why cyclists sometimes get obsessed with buying lighter cycling equipment. Increasing your power output can […] By Jiri Kaloc March 31, 2020 at 11:37 am 5 min reading. Cycling Power to Weight Ratio Calculator. Lose weight: A reduction in weight (KG) will bring your power to weight ratio up. On rolling terrain P/W is important, but the larger rider still has the advantage. If I were to keep my power the same and loose 5kg I would increase that ratio to 5.6. A lighter cyclist who can put out raw high wattage numbers is going to go a lot faster. In conclusion, while your power-to-weight ratio is important, and you want to have the highest w/kg ratio possible, it does NOT guarantee success. Power to weight ratios vary enormously from amateur cyclists to the pros. Average club cyclists generally have 5-minute power to weight ratios of 4 W/kg or more, and have a ratio of approximately 3.5 W/kg at their Functional Threshold Power . This means even though you weigh less, your power could also be reduced due to the loss in muscle mass. Weight plays an important role for all athletes to some degree, but in cycling specifically, watts per kilogram (W/Kg) or strength-to-weight ratio, has been found to be one of the single best predictors of performance. I’m a pretty big rider at 92kg, and my FTP is around 315W, giving me a power-to-weight ratio of about 3.4W/kg. Power to weight ratio is very important in cycling, as it is in running. Nutrition is a very important tool when you’re working on improving your power-to-weight ratio (PWR). There are so many factors involved in cycling success (and we haven’t even discussed aerodynamics! Using cycling as an example, Andrew Hamilton explains the performance relationship between outright power and power-to-weight ratio, and how to get better when the terrain point upwards… One of my oldest friends is an avid petrolhead who builds and races cars for a living. A power to weight ratio of 4 to 4.5 is equivalent to a competitive Category 2 racer. Power meters have steadily been growing in popularity among cyclists. With that in mind, power to weight ratio is simply a way of quantifying how much power you can put out in relation to how heavy you are. The highest power to weight ratio measured in competition was produced by the former Italian cycling-sport pro Marco Pantani who conquered the legendary ascent of L’Alpe d’Huez in 1997 with 7.2 watts/kg in 37:35 minutes. Maintaining your health while making sure you have the best power-to-weight ratio possible is not easy. This means you can generate 4.05 watts for every kilogram of body weight. My current power to weight ratio at threshold is approximately 5.2. Simply put: the higher a cyclist’s W/Kg is, the more likely they are to excel. Power to weight ratio is calculated quite simply – you take the amount of power you output in watts and divide it by the amount you weigh in kilos. 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