What Is a Power-Duration Curve?
A power-duration curve (also called a power curve or power profile) plots your best-ever power output at every duration from 1 second out to 60 minutes or longer. The horizontal axis is time. The vertical axis is watts (or watts per kilogram).
The curve always slopes downward from left to right. You can produce far more power for 5 seconds than for 5 minutes, and far more for 5 minutes than for an hour. That decline is not linear — it is a hyperbolic curve shaped by the interaction of your neuromuscular, anaerobic, and aerobic energy systems.
The shape of that decline tells the story. Two riders with identical FTP values can have dramatically different curves — one might be a devastating sprinter who fades at threshold, while the other is a relentless time trialist who cannot contest a finish.
Key takeaway
Your power curve is a map of your physiology. It shows your peak output at every duration and reveals where your strengths and weaknesses lie relative to each other.
The Five Key Durations
While a power curve contains data at hundreds of durations, five anchor points capture the essential picture. Each corresponds to a different energy system and a different type of racing demand.
5 Seconds — Neuromuscular Power
This is pure explosive force: muscle fiber recruitment, creatine phosphate stores, and neural drive. It determines your ability to launch a sprint, jump out of a corner, or close a gap in a few pedal strokes. Neuromuscular power is highly genetic and improves only modestly with training.
1 Minute — Anaerobic Capacity
One-minute power reflects the total work your anaerobic system can deliver above threshold. It determines performance on short steep climbs, bridge efforts, and sustained attacks. This is trainable through high-intensity intervals and repeated sprint work.
5 Minutes — VO2max Power
Five-minute power maps closely to your maximal aerobic power (MAP) and VO2max. It drives performance on medium-length climbs, hard race surges, and breakaway efforts. VO2max responds well to structured interval training, particularly 3–5 minute efforts at 106–120% of FTP.
20 Minutes — Threshold Power
Twenty-minute power, multiplied by 0.95, gives the standard estimate of FTP. This duration reflects your lactate threshold — the boundary between sustainable and unsustainable effort. It is the single most trainable duration on the curve for most cyclists.
60 Minutes — Endurance Power
Sixty-minute power represents true sustained aerobic output. It is the gold standard for time trial performance and long climb pacing. Improving here requires high training volume, consistent base work, and disciplined W/kg management.
Rider Types: What Your Curve Shape Reveals
The overall shape of your power curve — not just the absolute numbers — identifies your rider type. Dr. Andrew Coggan defined four classic profiles based on where a rider's curve sits relative to population benchmarks.
Sprinter
The curve is steep on the left side, with exceptional 5-second and 1-minute power that drops off sharply toward longer durations. These riders dominate flat finishes and criterium racing but struggle on sustained climbs. Their anaerobic capacity far exceeds their aerobic engine.
Pursuiter / All-Rounder
A balanced curve with no single dominant duration. These riders perform competitively across the board without standing out at any extreme. Strong from 1 minute through 20 minutes, they are versatile tacticians who can respond to attacks and still contest finishes.
Time Trialist / Diesel
The curve is relatively flat on the right side, with 20-minute and 60-minute power that sits much higher relative to benchmarks than the short-duration end. These riders excel in time trials, long breakaways, and sustained climbing efforts. They lack a finishing kick but rarely crack.
Climber
High relative power (W/kg) in the 5-minute to 20-minute range, combined with a light body weight. The curve peaks in the middle durations. Climbers often overlap with time trialists in curve shape, but their advantage comes from exceptional power-to-weight at VO2max and threshold intensities.
Key takeaway
Your rider type is determined by the shape of your curve, not just the peak numbers. A sprinter and a time trialist may have the same FTP, but their curves look completely different at 5 seconds and 60 minutes.
See your rider type instantly
Paincave analyzes your peak power at every key duration, maps it to Coggan categories, and identifies your rider type automatically — no manual data entry required.
Build Your Power ProfileCoggan Power Profile Categories
Dr. Andrew Coggan developed a classification system that ranks cyclists into seven categories at each key duration, based on watts per kilogram. These categories let you see exactly where you stand at each part of the curve — not just overall.
The table below shows W/kg benchmarks for male cyclists at each key duration. Female benchmarks are approximately 10–15% lower at equivalent category levels.
| Category | 5s | 1 min | 5 min | FTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Class | 23.5+ | 11.0+ | 7.60+ | 6.40+ |
| Exceptional | 20.0 – 23.5 | 9.29 – 11.0 | 6.43 – 7.60 | 5.54 – 6.40 |
| Very Good | 17.4 – 20.0 | 7.84 – 9.29 | 5.36 – 6.43 | 4.69 – 5.54 |
| Good | 14.8 – 17.4 | 6.40 – 7.84 | 4.29 – 5.36 | 3.83 – 4.69 |
| Moderate | 12.2 – 14.8 | 4.95 – 6.40 | 3.22 – 4.29 | 2.97 – 3.83 |
| Fair | 9.58 – 12.2 | 3.50 – 4.95 | 2.14 – 3.22 | 2.10 – 2.97 |
| Untrained | < 9.58 | < 3.50 | < 2.14 | < 2.10 |
How to read this table: Look up your best W/kg at each duration independently. You might be "Good" at 5 seconds but "Very Good" at 5 minutes. That mismatch is exactly the information you need — it tells you where your strengths and limiters are.
Using Your Curve to Find Weaknesses
The most valuable insight from a power curve is not where you are strong — it is where you are weak relative to your own profile. If you are "Very Good" at 5 minutes but only "Moderate" at 1 minute, your anaerobic capacity is your limiter.
This matters for training because the biggest performance gains come from addressing your weakest link, not reinforcing your strongest one. A time trialist who adds 50 watts to their 5-second sprint gains race-winning versatility. The same time trialist adding 10 watts to an already-strong FTP gains a marginal improvement.
Common Weakness Patterns
- Weak left side (5s, 1 min) — Limited sprint and attack ability. Address with neuromuscular and anaerobic interval work: standing starts, 30-second all-out efforts, and 1-minute repeats.
- Weak middle (5 min) — Low VO2max relative to threshold. Address with 3–5 minute intervals at 106–120% of FTP, classic VO2max training.
- Weak right side (20 min, 60 min) — Threshold and endurance are limiters. Address with sweet spot work (88–94% FTP), threshold intervals, and increasing weekly volume.
- Flat across the board — All durations sit at the same Coggan category. You are an all-rounder. Target whichever duration matters most for your goals and events.
Key takeaway
Look for mismatches between durations. Your weakest Coggan category relative to your strongest is where targeted training will produce the largest gains. Train your weakness, race your strength.
Comparing Your Curve Over Time
Benchmarking against Coggan categories is useful for context, but the most meaningful comparison is always against yourself. Your power curve from six months ago is the truest measure of whether your training is working.
Plot your current curve against a previous period and look for changes at specific durations. Did your 5-minute power improve after a block of VO2max intervals? Did your FTP rise after consistent sweet spot work? These before-and-after comparisons validate your training approach and reveal where you are stalling.
Be cautious about comparing your curve to other riders. Body weight, age, training age, genetics, and even altitude and temperature affect absolute numbers. Your own progression is the signal. Other people's numbers are noise.
How Paincave Builds Your Power Profile
Paincave automatically constructs your power-duration curve from every ride you sync through Strava. It analyzes the power stream of each activity, extracts your peak values at every key duration, and maintains a rolling best-effort database.
Your Rider Profile uses the last six weeks of data to identify your current rider type — sprinter, pursuiter, time trialist, or all-rounder — based on where your peaks fall across Coggan categories. This recalculates automatically as new rides come in.
The Power Curve view lets you filter by time range: last 6 weeks, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, or all-time. An all-time ghost line stays visible so you can always see how your current form compares to your lifetime bests. A radar chart visualizes your balance across all key durations at a glance.
No manual data entry. No spreadsheets. Every ride you do automatically updates your profile and refines the picture of where you stand and what to work on next.