Using Data Analytics for More Effective Workouts: How WKO5 Helps Transform Cycling Fitness

Why Traditional Training Approaches Fall Short

Many pre-built cycling training plans and platforms like Zwift and TrainerRoad rely on intervals structured around percentages of FTP (Functional Threshold Power). While this method works to some extent, it becomes less effective for cycling interval training, particularly in anaerobic zones (zones above threshold).

For instance, one cyclist might max out at 120% of FTP for a 1-minute effort, while another could achieve 140% for the same duration. Building intervals based on FTP percentages fails to account for these individual differences, leading to suboptimal cycling fitness optimization.

The ProCyclingCoaching Approach

At ProCyclingCoaching, we take a personalized approach to cycling coaching and performance analysis by analyzing an athlete's limits at specific power durations. Instead of relying solely on FTP, we assess an athlete's maximum effort for a target duration—such as a 1-minute all-out effort—to determine their peak power. From there, we design intervals just below this peak, typically around 90–95% of their maximum power for that duration.

For example:

Goal: Improve 1-minute peak power for cycling.
Test: Perform a 1-minute max effort to establish your limit.
Intervals: Create a structured cycling interval workout with 5x1-minute intervals at 90–95% of that max power.

This approach, using percentages of max power duration rather than FTP, ensures training is tailored to each cyclist’s physiology and cycling performance goals.

Power Duration Curve: A Data-Driven Roadmap

To make this process seamless, our cycling performance coaches utilize WKO5, a powerful data analytics tool that generates a Power Duration Curve (PDC). The PDC is one of the most valuable tools in modern cycling performance analytics. It provides a visual representation of an athlete's peak power output at varying durations, ranging from short sprints (a few seconds) to endurance efforts lasting hours. The curve is generated by aggregating the athlete's best performances over multiple durations and plotting them on a graph.

Power Duration Curve graph from WKO5. The yellow line is the MMP (Mean Max Power) curve, which reflects your actual best performances for specific durations, showing what you’ve already achieved, while the PD (Power Duration) curve predicts your theoretical power capabilities, even for untested durations. Large gaps between the two indicate untapped potential or areas where you haven’t performed explicit efforts, highlighting opportunities for cycling fitness improvements.

Regular Testing for Optimal Progress

To improve specific power durations, it’s essential to test them regularly—ideally, once a month. This can be done by performing full efforts on a steady, consistent segment. These tests allow us to track progress and adjust cycling training plans as you develop.

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

Through WKO5, our coaches also analyze your cycling power profile to identify strengths and weaknesses across different power durations. This allows us to see where you excel and where improvement is needed, relative to other durations. Additionally, WKO5 categorizes your power output into fitness levels, providing valuable insights to prioritize specific durations for targeted training and optimal cycling performance gains.

The cycling power profile analysis in WKO5 works by comparing your power output across various durations (e.g., 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and so on) to your overall performance and established benchmarks. By analyzing the shape of your Power Duration Curve and comparing it to typical profiles for your fitness level, the software highlights:

Durations where your performance is above average (cycling strengths).
Durations where your performance is below average (cycling weaknesses).

Power Profile with Strengths and Weaknesses in WKO5. This graph shows us the athlete's biggest strengths lie around 1min-1min30s and the biggest limiter/weakness is sprint (the shorter the power duration, the greater the weakness) and the same applies for long-term power.

The Role of Fatigue Resistance

Training doesn’t happen in isolation—races and long rides introduce fatigue that impacts performance. Cycling Fatigue Resistance, or "Durability," measures how much power an athlete loses after a specified amount of energy expenditure (measured in kilojoules, or KJ).

For example:

1,000 KJ ≈ 1.5 hours of riding at moderate intensity.
WKO5 generates power duration curves for different energy levels (e.g., 1,000 KJ, 1,500 KJ, 5,000 KJ), showing how power declines with fatigue.

Fatique Resistence Graph after 1,500kj. The red line represents the standard Power Duration Curve, and the green line represents Power Duration Curve after 1,500 KJ, meaning your peak powers after you have ridden 1,500 KJ. We can clearly see the athlete is not very good at fatigue resistance, as the green line is way below the red line. This athlete loses about 30% for 1 minute after riding 1,500 KJ.

This second graph shows us a different athlete. We can see this athlete doesn’t lose much power for most power durations after 1,500 KJ as opposed to the previous athlete. This is often more important than just looking purely at your peak powers when fresh.

To improve cycling fatigue resistance for a target duration—such as a 1-minute sprint at the end of a race—we incorporate fatigue into the training process. After a long ride or high-energy expenditure, the athlete performs a 1-minute max effort, followed by intervals at 90–95% of their fatigued max power.

The ProCyclingCoaching Edge

By combining cycling data analytics with real-world cycling experience, ProCyclingCoaching delivers a uniquely tailored approach to training. Tools like WKO5 enable us to customize workouts based on precise metrics, ensuring every session maximizes your potential. While the methods discussed here focus on power durations and fatigue resistance, they’re just the beginning. Our data-driven cycling coaching strategies together with real life experience as a pro-cyclists set us apart, helping athletes achieve their goals with precision and efficiency.

Whether you're aiming to crush a criterium race, conquer a gravel race, or improve your endurance for long rides, leveraging cycling performance analytics can transform your training—and your results.

If you’d like to see your data in action, we offer one-off consultations where we can review your training and analyze your performance data together. Alternatively, you can hire one of our coaches here, who will thoroughly evaluate your data as part of the onboarding process at the start of your coaching program.