Sprinters, rollers, climbers: the secrets of first graders

The peloton is populated by a gallery of legendary characters. There is the sprinter, with his powerful muscles and aristocratic air. At the other end of the spectrum are the climbers, small, wiry riders who defy the laws of gravity. Then, not far behind (but usually ahead), there is the rouleur, who excels at solo efforts.

Beyond their stereotypical behaviors and characteristic physiques, these figures correspond above all to typical power profiles. In other words, it is their ability to push an optimal number of watts for specific periods of time that fundamentally defines sprinters, climbers, and rouleurs.

Critical power (CP), or PB

Any cyclist who has ever pushed their limits knows that you can get tired in less than an hour. All you have to do is pedal harder. Twenty minutes, five minutes, 30 seconds: the higher the intensity, the faster you tire. And vice versa: the fewer watts you generate, the slower you hit the wall.

Here we focus on the concept of critical power (CP). To explain it simply, this refers to the best average maximum power output over a lifetime (the famous personal best, or PB) over several durations of effort, ranging from 1 hour to a few seconds.

Obviously, the maximum average power that can be maintained for 20 minutes (CP20) is lower than that which can be maintained for 5 minutes (CP5) or 30 seconds (CP30). And CP20 is always higher than CP60, often referred to as FTP.

For those who prefer visuals: the power curve provided by Strava, as well as by several training software programs (TrainingPeaks, Today's Plan, GoldenCheetah, etc.), is actually based on the concept of CP.

Example of a power curve and interpretation of CP values.

Understanding CP 

Each CP corresponds to a typical effort – and a cyclist profile.

To achieve "good" CP20 and CP60 values, you need to have good aerobic endurance. This is generally the preserve of road cyclists, who have to maintain a relatively high level of power over a long period of time.

CP5 is more relevant to powerful engines; it reflects maximum oxygen consumption, or VO2max. Climbers excel in this area, even though it is ultimately their low body weight that allows them to achieve an outstanding power-to-weight ratio.

CP1 is all about anaerobic capacity, which is essential for punchers who are able to leave their opponents behind in the final few hundred meters of a race. For sprinters, we will refine the experiment to measure CP between 1 and 10 seconds, even though at this stage it is often raw power that is involved.

Comparison between two different types of cyclists.

What does this change in training?

Linking physiological characteristics to typical exercises is a concept as old as the science of training itself. (However, this did not prevent Sufferfest from picking up on the idea and giving it a catchy name [4DP™], while taking care to declare the death of FTP.)

Why is this effective? Because by taking into account their PB (personal best) for CP of varying durations, everyone can work specifically on the different disciplines according to their profile.

For example: for workouts that correspond to anaerobic training, consisting of several 30-second efforts, the loads will be based on the results of the 1-minute CP. This will allow the cyclist to train according to their abilities for this particular type of effort.

At the other end of the spectrum, for training focused on tempo or threshold efforts, i.e., endurance, the loads will be based on CP20 or CP60, which are aerobic data.

A strong puncher will find that the difficulty of his short bursts of effort increases in line with his strength, while a rouleur will be able to maintain high averages for longer periods of time, in line with his profile.

The importance of measuring them

Knowing your CP allows you to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a cyclist, and then train each of your abilities according to these baseline figures.

That's why it's so important to evaluate them, as we do regularly at Vélo Cartel  they serve as both a starting point from which to work and a point of comparison to assess the progress made in training.