Why Older Cyclists Are Rethinking FTP Testing

On 25 September 2026, Cycling Weekly published a piece by Michelle Arthurs-Brennan questioning the absolute necessity of functional threshold power testing. The article examined whether fixed testing should remain the central way to prescribe cycling workouts. Arthurs-Brennan noted that she had not completed an FTP test in about six years. Her last test took place in 2020, and she highlighted how individual goals should dictate our training methods. Instead of taking a demanding 20-minute test for non-racing goals, she now prefers perceived exertion. The publication examined how major indoor training platforms and coaches are adapting to a broader range of rider goals. This analysis challenges the assumption that every serious cyclist must regularly undergo exhaustive baseline testing.

What Does The Data Tell Us About FTP Testing?

The article describes FTP as the power a rider can sustain for 60 minutes. Training software and coaching plans routinely use percentages of this figure to dictate workout intensity. However, the data reveals a significant shift in how everyday athletes actually train. A Zwift representative reported that fewer than one in four active users recorded a recognised FTP test during the previous year.

Despite avoiding the formal test, cyclists are not abandoning structured training routines. According to Zwift data reported by Cycling Weekly, 67.7 percent of riders without a formal test still completed structured workouts. Furthermore, the platform calculates an estimated metric for 97.5 percent of those untested riders based on their activities from the preceding 90 days. Software algorithms are clearly filling the gap when athletes choose to skip exhaustive baseline testing.

The indoor cycling industry is also moving toward readiness scheduling rather than rigid power prescriptions. For instance, MyWhoosh introduced a Smart Workout Selector in a September update. Cycling Weekly reported that the tool uses inputs including sleep, recovery, muscle soreness and available time. This dynamic system adjusts the suggested session to the actual physical condition of the athlete on any given day.

How Did The Industry Arrive At These Numbers?

These insights come from a combination of platform data and targeted audience polling. Cycling Weekly conducted a survey revealing that 73 percent of respondents identified as fitness riders. Only 16 percent considered themselves competitive cyclists. While this survey represents their specific readership rather than a universal demographic, it highlights a strong preference for general fitness over formal racing.

The article also contextualized these evolving training habits with broader multi-sport data. Citing the Strava Year in Sport 2025 report, the publication noted that 54 percent of users recorded activities in two or more sports. Additionally, 34 percent of users logged more than three distinct sports. Multi-sport participation suggests that many athletes need a highly flexible training approach rather than strict cycling metrics alone.

When an athlete balances running, swimming and cycling, a single cycling power metric rarely tells the whole story. The accumulated fatigue from multiple disciplines alters how the body responds to a prescribed power target. This reality highlights why strict adherence to a single baseline test might fail a versatile athlete. The data reflects a growing recognition that strategic training breaks matter more than chronic testing.

Why Does This Matter For Athletes Over Thirty Five?

For ambitious endurance athletes over 35, the conversation around strict power targets often collides with physical reality. Strict training plans assume your body is equally primed for intense work every single day. Sports psychologist Josie Perry argues that absolute numbers can actually be counterproductive for highly driven perfectionists. Perry advises athletes to select a small handful of useful measures, such as resting heart rate, rather than obsessing over every possible metric.

Numbers can certainly help riders who tend to take it too easy, but perfectionists often ignore their own fatigue to hit a target. Hitting my forties brought a harsh reality check. The track workouts were not getting slower, but the days after them felt significantly heavier. Instead of forcing my old Tuesday and Thursday intensity schedule, I looked at the data on Masters athletes and muscle protein synthesis.

I pushed my second hard session to Friday, allowing an extra forty eight hours of low intensity recovery. My total weekly volume stayed exactly the same, but the quality of my intervals skyrocketed. I learned that clinging to a rigid power target is useless if systemic fatigue prevents you from executing the work safely. Learning to evaluate how you actually feel makes the sustainable training week much more consistent.

You must adjust your daily intensity when your body signals a need for rest. Ignoring those signals in favor of a predetermined wattage often leads to chronic overuse issues. A veteran athlete understands that consistency over months always beats a single heroic workout. Modifying the plan based on daily readiness is a sign of experience.

Should We Abandon Power Meters Entirely?

The shift away from frequent FTP testing does not mean power data is useless. Andy Turner, a coach at ATP Performance, warned Cycling Weekly that riders do not always pace well by feel alone. Turner stated that unstructured riding often causes easy sessions to drift into the tempo zone. Similarly, hard efforts can end up being too easy, excessively hard or repeatedly maximal without a reliable gauge.

Power zones still provide essential guardrails to keep your structured training on track. However, returning riders or those coming off an injury might benefit from a gradual reintroduction to metrics. Turner notes that he initially uses perceived exertion and heart rate for beginners and returning athletes. Only after establishing that foundational awareness does he ask them to treat wattage as an authoritative target.

Veterans should view power data as an outcome rather than a strict daily command. Perry recommends using perceived exertion to guide intended effort when actual power output is depressed on a given day. Forcing yourself to hit a specific wattage while fatigued makes it hard to change training without getting injured. You can still ride blind occasionally to practice targeting an effort and comparing perceived exertion against actual wattage later.

How Can Older Athletes Adapt Their Daily Routines?

Adapting your weekly routine requires shifting your focus from outcome metrics to readiness indicators. Checking a reliable wellness measure like resting heart rate provides a much better picture of your daily physiological state. When your resting metrics show poor recovery, you can adjust your session before you even clip into the pedals. This proactive approach prevents the deep, lingering fatigue that often derails an entire training block.

A flexible approach to training helps you maintain critical consistency over the long haul. A rigid attachment to your historical FTP can easily lead to frustration when age or life stress impacts your immediate performance. By blending perceived exertion with targeted power data, athletes can still build fitness while respecting their current recovery status. This balanced strategy helps older athletes balance endurance sport with real life without sacrificing their competitive drive.

Competitive goals still occasionally require a solid benchmark to measure true progress. If you are peaking for a specific race, a formal test can clearly validate your preparation and refine your pacing strategy. However, outside of those dedicated race blocks, your subjective feeling should carry equal weight to your power meter. The goal is to train effectively today so you can still train effectively tomorrow.

Riding strictly by a fixed power number ignores the daily realities of an aging body, making flexible effort metrics essential for sustainable athletic performance.

Sources

1. Ive not completed cyclings hardest fitness test in six years have cyclists broken up with ftp and how do we train without it