- A ramp test is short and sets the pace for you. A 20-minute test takes longer and needs good pacing.
- Ramp: your FTP is 75% of your best minute. 20-minute: it is 95% of your average.
- Test fresh, with the same setup each time, and repeat every 6 to 8 weeks.
Before you test
A test is only useful if you can repeat it, so keep the conditions the same.
- Be fresh. Take an easy day before.
- Use the same trainer, bike and fan, at a similar time of day.
- If your trainer or power meter has a calibration step, do it first.
- Warm up properly and have water within reach.
Tests are hard on the heart and lungs. If you have heart or circulation problems, high blood pressure or any other health concern, check with a doctor before you test. Stop straight away, and get medical advice, if you get chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting.
The ramp test
The target starts low and rises every minute. You ride until you cannot hold the target any more, then end the ride. There is no pacing to get wrong, because the test paces you.
Your FTP is 75% of the best one-minute average power. If your best minute was 320 W, your FTP is 240 W.
The 20-minute test
After the warm-up, which includes three one-minute efforts at about 105% of your FTP, you ride one steady effort of 20 minutes, as hard as you can hold evenly. Your FTP is 95% of the average. An average of 263 W gives an FTP of 250 W.
The test needs a trainer that can leave ERG mode, so you can set the resistance yourself for the effort. If your trainer cannot do that, use the ramp test.
Pacing matters most. The classic mistake is starting too hard and fading. Start at a level you believe you can hold, and keep a little for the last five minutes.
Which one to pick
| Ramp test | 20-minute test | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | A warm-up, then the ramp | About 50 minutes with warm-up and cool-down |
| Pacing | The targets climb for you | You pace the 20 minutes |
| Result | 75% of your best minute | 95% of your 20-minute average |
| Good for | Your first FTP, and testing often | When you want a long, steady effort and your trainer can leave ERG |
If you are new, start with the ramp test. It is quick, and you can repeat it as often as you like.
Open the Library and choose the Tests focus for the Ramp Test and the 20-Minute Test. You can ride the Ramp Test before you have entered an FTP. When you finish, Hammy suggests an FTP from your recorded power. Your FTP only changes if you accept it.
After the test
Look at the number and ask whether it fits. If your last few rides felt about right, a big jump is a good sign. If a test went badly because you slept little or started too hard, do not accept the result. Test again in a few days.
Hammy does not suggest a number when the power it needs is missing. For the ramp test that is one full minute with power recorded for at least 95% of it. For the 20-minute test it is at least 95% of the 20-minute effort. It also holds back a number if the trainer did not release its resistance for the effort. Hammy tells you why. Then retest every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if threshold intervals start to feel easy.
Show sources (4)Hide sources
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- Inglis EC, Iannetta D, Passfield L, et al. (2020). Maximal Lactate Steady State Versus the 20-Minute Functional Threshold Power Test in Well-Trained Individuals: “Watts” the Big Deal? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(4), 541–547. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2019-0214
- Karsten B, Petrigna L, Klose A, et al. (2021). Relationship Between the Critical Power Test and a 20-min Functional Threshold Power Test in Cycling. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 613151. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.613151
- Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. (2015). Updating ACSM’s Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47(11), 2473–2479. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000664
