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Cycling Power-to-Weight Ratio Calculator
Work out your W/kg from FTP and see where you rank.
Why W/kg, not watts
On a climb you are fighting gravity, and gravity scales with your mass. That is why two riders with the same raw power can ride away from each other uphill — the lighter one has a higher power-to-weight ratio. Dividing your sustainable power by your weight gives the number that actually predicts climbing speed and lets riders of different sizes compare fitness fairly.
Which power figure?
For a fair, repeatable benchmark, use your FTP — roughly the power you can hold for about an hour. You can also plug in a 5-minute or 20-minute best to see your short-effort W/kg, which matters for punchy climbs and attacks.
About the bands
The category ladder below is a simplified version of the FTP W/kg ranges popularised by coaches Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. It is a rough self-tracking guide, not an official racing classification — but watching the number climb over a season is genuinely motivating.
Questions
What is power-to-weight ratio in cycling?
It is your sustainable power divided by your body weight, in watts per kilogram (W/kg). Because gravity scales with weight, W/kg — not raw watts — is what predicts how fast you climb and is the standard way riders compare fitness.
Which power number should I enter?
Use your FTP (functional threshold power) — roughly the power you can hold for about an hour — for a fair, repeatable comparison. You can also enter a 5-minute or 20-minute best to see short-effort W/kg.
What do the categories mean?
The bands shown are a simplified version of widely used FTP W/kg ranges, from recreational rider up toward world-class. They are a rough guide for tracking your own progress, not an official racing classification.