The power curve — also known as the Maximal Mean Power (MMP) curve — is one of the most powerful tools for understanding your performance as a cyclist. It answers a simple question: what is the highest average power you can sustain for each effort duration?
What is the power curve
The chart shows, for each duration (from 5 seconds up to 1 hour or more), the highest average power you have ever produced in a recorded activity. It is your performance "fingerprint" — unique to each athlete.
The horizontal axis shows durations (5s, 30s, 1min, 5min, 10min, 20min, 1h). The vertical axis shows the corresponding watts.
The higher the curve, the stronger you are at every type of effort.
How to read the curve
The curve reveals your metabolic strengths:
| Region | Duration | Energy system | Typical profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuromuscular | 5 – 15s | ATP-PCr (explosive) | Sprinter |
| Anaerobic | 30s – 2min | Anaerobic glycolysis | Short climb attacker |
| VO₂ Max | 3 – 8min | High-intensity aerobic | Climber, short TT |
| Threshold | 20 – 60min | Aerobic / lactate threshold | Time trialist, rouleur |
A curve that is high at short durations and drops steeply indicates a sprinter. A curve that stays high across long durations indicates an endurance rider or climber.
Reference lines
VéloPeak shows two reference lines on the chart:
- FTP — your Functional Threshold Power. The point where the curve crosses this line (or drops below it) marks approximately the highest effort you can sustain for ~1 hour.
- VO₂ Max zone (120% of FTP) — above this threshold are the high-intensity efforts that most effectively develop VO₂ Max. The more time your curve spends above this line, the greater your top-end aerobic capacity.
How VéloPeak calculates the curve
VéloPeak uses a sliding window over the power stream of each activity:
- For each target duration (5s, 30s, 1min, etc.), it scans every second of the activity looking for the window with the highest average power.
- It stores the highest value found.
- After each new activity, it compares against your history and only updates if a new personal record was set.
The result is always the best across your entire history — not just from the last activity.
The curve is only as good as the activity history you have synced. The more activities with power data, the more accurate and complete the curve will be.
Personal Records (PRs)
A personal record at a given duration means that in that activity, you produced the highest average power of your career for that time window. VéloPeak highlights PR data points visually on the chart.
Improving your PRs in the 3–8 minute range is a direct signal of VO₂ Max gains. Improving your 20–60 minute PRs indicates progress at the lactate threshold.
How to use the curve to train smarter
- Identify weaknesses: if the curve dips significantly in a specific region, that is your opportunity.
- Track progress: a curve that rises over months confirms your training is working.
- Validate your FTP: if your 20-minute power is well above 105% of your current FTP, your FTP may be outdated.
- Choose targeted workouts: want to improve your 5-minute power? Do VO₂ Max intervals (Z5). Want to improve your 20-minute power? Work at threshold (Z4).
Tips
- Data quality matters: the curve only reflects what has been measured. Activities without power data do not contribute to the curve.
- The curve never drops — only rises: since it always stores the best historical value, it only changes upward when a new record is set.
- Time-based comparison: in a future update, VéloPeak will show curves for different periods (e.g. this year vs. last year) to visualise your progression directly.