Is 3.3 watts per kilo good or bad?

[User48980]

I am just trying to gauge my cycling strength, I have a power meter and basically my ftp has come out at around 217 watts. I am 65.7 kilos, so its 3.3 watts per kilo.

I am 15 currently, but do you think I would have enough power to compete in cycling competitions?
Just getting prepared for my first cycling summer season.

Thanks.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Who cares?

 

[User48980]

Who cares?

me

 

[Fab Foodie]

me

Ok, it's not as good as 4 but it's better than 2.

 

[screenman]

I am just trying to gauge my cycling strength, I have a power meter and basically my ftp has come out at around 217 watts. I am 65.7 kilos, so its 3.3 watts per kilo.

I am 15 currently, but do you think I would have enough power to compete in cycling competitions?
Just getting prepared for my first cycling summer season.

Thanks.

The answer to that is, what type of competition?

 

[User48980]

The answer to that is, what type of competition?

Not really sure, general maybe? races, century, hill climb?

 

[Hacienda71]

Depends on what type of competitions you are thinking of entering. Watts per kg are less important on a flat TT than a hilly roadrace. If you are thinking of road racing or crits then your ability to recover from balls out efforts is also important. You are relatively light though so a bit of work on your ftp and you should do fine. The only way. to find out though is to give it a go. At 15 you have plenty of time to decide what you like to race.

 

[screenman]

Not really sure, general maybe? races, century, hill climb?

Time trials are a great place to start. As for centuries I do not know of any races at 15 that are that long, most are 40 minutes or were. Hill climbs, not many about but no reason no too.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I am just trying to gauge my cycling strength, I have a power meter and basically my ftp has come out at around 217 watts. I am 65.7 kilos, so its 3.3 watts per kilo.

I am 15 currently, but do you think I would have enough power to compete in cycling competitions?
Just getting prepared for my first cycling summer season.

Thanks.

The sensible answer is to join a local cycling club and find out. If you let is know where you're based and maybe domebody can recommend one.

Agree with @screenman go and run some local 10 mile TT's. That will tell you much more than numbers alone.

 

[User48980]

The sensible answer is to join a local cycling club and find out. If you let is know where you're based and maybe domebody can recommend one.

I am already in a cycling club, but I was just hoping for opinions on what sort of watts per kilo I would need for racing.

I am now in group 2 in our cycling club. We do about 30km/h.
I started cycling in November when I got my road bike, and was in group 3, about 24km/h

 

[Fab Foodie]

I am already in a cycling club, but I was just hoping for opinions on what sort of watts per kilo I would need for racing.

I am now in group 2 in our cycling club. We do about 30km/h.
I started cycling in November when I got my road bike, and was in group 3, about 24km/h

Does your club race or TT?

 

[nickyboy]

Have a look at the chart embedded in this blog which gives a fair idea of the watts/kg achieved by different levels of racers

If you've only been cycling a couple of months then your FTP of 214W is good and there's loads of room for improvement given you've only just started. I'm sure you'll do fine in races, particularly ones where there is some up and down

http://blog.bikeridr.com/2012/03/perspective-of-power/

 

[Tin Pot]

I am just trying to gauge my cycling strength, I have a power meter and basically my ftp has come out at around 217 watts. I am 65.7 kilos, so its 3.3 watts per kilo.

I am 15 currently, but do you think I would have enough power to compete in cycling competitions?
Just getting prepared for my first cycling summer season.

Thanks.

From what I've read it would generally indicate the ability of a cat 1 rider, performing well in local events.

Iirc, roughly speaking, 4W/Kg should be winning local and competitiave at regional, 5W/Kg is TdF level.

Short answer, yes

 

[HarryTheDog]

Your only 15 so hard to say. According to this website if you were a adult,you would be a moderate American cat 4 ( could be a equivalent of a uk cat 3)
https://cyclingtips.com/2009/07/just-how-good-are-these-guys/
So if you are 15 and have the equivalent FTP of a UK cat 3 adult I would say you are doing very well. I am assuminng your FTP tested is the equivalent of a full hour. ( so if you did a 20 minute test you adjusted the figures)

 

[S-Express]

I am just trying to gauge my cycling strength, I have a power meter and basically my ftp has come out at around 217 watts. I am 65.7 kilos, so its 3.3 watts per kilo.

I am 15 currently, but do you think I would have enough power to compete in cycling competitions?
Just getting prepared for my first cycling summer season.

w/kg is pretty much irrelevant as a measure of how you might fare in crits, or road races. The main considerations will be how you respond and recover in the face of repeated hard, high intensity efforts, whether you can stay in the mix until the end, how much energy you can conserve and how much you have left in the tank for the sprint.

Forget about whether your wattage is good enough and just go find out for real by pinning a number on and racing.

A race fit 15yo will easily be the equivalent of 3rd cat, possibly higher.