The more I read about training for racing, the more evident it becomes that power-to-weight ratio is a fundamental measure of ability.
Hunter Allen and Andrew Coogan’s book Training and Racing with a Power Meter has the following table that compares power-to-weight ratios for cyclist of different ability levels. My results from the past three rides with my PowerTap fall roughly on the line highlighted in red in this chart.
| Men | ||||
| 5 s | 1 min | 5 min | 20 min | |
| World Champion/World Record Holder | 23.5 | 11.5 | 7.6 | 6.62 |
| 23.16 | 11.35 | 7.46 | 6.5 | |
| 22.82 | 11.2 | 7.33 | 6.38 | |
| 22.48 | 11.05 | 7.19 | 6.26 | |
| World Class | 22.14 | 10.9 | 7.06 | 6.14 |
| 21.8 | 10.75 | 6.92 | 6.02 | |
| 21.46 | 10.6 | 6.79 | 5.91 | |
| 21.12 | 10.45 | 6.65 | 5.79 | |
| UCI Div. I/II Pro | 20.78 | 10.3 | 6.52 | 5.67 |
| 20.44 | 10.15 | 6.38 | 5.55 | |
| 20.1 | 10 | 6.25 | 5.43 | |
| 19.76 | 9.85 | 6.11 | 5.31 | |
| UCI Div. III pro | 19.42 | 9.7 | 5.97 | 5.19 |
| 19.08 | 9.55 | 5.84 | 5.07 | |
| 18.74 | 9.4 | 5.7 | 4.95 | |
| 18.4 | 9.25 | 5.57 | 4.84 | |
| Cat. 1 | 18.06 | 9.1 | 5.43 | 4.72 |
| 17.72 | 8.95 | 5.3 | 4.6 | |
| 17.38 | 8.8 | 5.16 | 4.48 | |
| 17.04 | 8.65 | 5.03 | 4.36 | |
| Cat. 2 | 16.7 | 8.5 | 4.89 | 4.24 |
| 16.36 | 8.35 | 4.75 | 4.12 | |
| 16.02 | 8.2 | 4.62 | 4 | |
| 15.68 | 8.05 | 4.48 | 3.88 | |
| Cat. 3 | 15.34 | 7.9 | 4.35 | 3.76 |
| 15 | 7.75 | 4.21 | 3.64 | |
| 14.66 | 7.6 | 4.08 | 3.53 | |
| 14.32 | 7.45 | 3.94 | 3.41 | |
| Cat. 4 | 13.98 | 7.3 | 3.81 | 3.29 |
| 13.64 | 7.15 | 3.67 | 3.17 | |
| 13.3 | 7 | 3.53 | 3.05 | |
| 12.96 | 6.85 | 3.4 | 2.93 | |
| Cat. 5 | 12.62 | 6.7 | 3.26 | 2.81 |
| 12.28 | 6.55 | 3.13 | 2.69 | |
| 11.94 | 6.4 | 2.99 | 2.57 | |
| 11.6 | 6.25 | 2.86 | 2.46 | |
| Untrained | 11.26 | 6.1 | 2.72 | 2.34 |
| 10.92 | 5.95 | 2.59 | 2.22 | |
| 10.58 | 5.8 | 2.45 | 2.1 | |
| 10.24 | 5.65 | 2.32 | 1.98 | |
| 9.9 | 5.5 | 2.18 | 1.86 | |
| Note: Values are displayed in watts/kg. The weight should be the weight of the body only. Bicycle, kit, water bottles, etc… are all excluded | ||||
Since it’s currently the off season, my goal isn’t really to increase these numbers by a whole lot, and I haven’t gone out on the road to specifically test my max output in any of these time zones. Instead I am focusing on strength training, reinforcing good technical habits, increasing aerobic threshold, and just having fun.
It will be interesting to compare my results now with my results on this same chart in 4 months time. It would be great to start out the beginning of the season with power output levels of a high Category 5 racer, or even low Cat 4.
