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FTP from a 20-minute test

The most widely used cycling protocol: 20 minutes at maximum sustainable effort, FTP = 95% of average power.

Protocol

After a full warm-up, ride 20 minutes at the hardest pace you can sustain from start to finish — an individual time trial, not a short burst effort. Record the average power from your power meter over those 20 minutes.

Formula

FTP = 0.95 × P20

The 0.95 factor is the empirical average reported by Allen & Coggan: trained athletes typically sustain about 5% less power over a full hour than over 20 minutes.

Why this factor

The concept of FTP (Functional Threshold Power) and the 7 power zones (Coggan Power Levels) used for training zones come directly from this work. The relationship between the 20-min test and the Critical Power model was later validated in a peer-reviewed study.

Data
20-min test

Enter your data

Average power × 0.95 — the most common protocol.

W
kg
Format: power/HR/age as whole numbers; times as m:ss (e.g., "3:45") or h:mm:ss.
Allen, H. & Coggan, A. R. — Training and Racing with a Power Meter (3ª ed.) (2019)Strength: strong
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7862708/

Other methods for this sport

8-min test
Average power × 0.90 — shorter, coaching baseline
Ramp test
Best 1 min (MAP) × 0.75 — also estimates VO2max
60-min time trial
FTP = one-hour power — direct measurement
CP / W′ model
2 maximal efforts → CP + anaerobic reserve