1,000 Watt Club, What it Takes For 3, 4, 5w/kg, World Cup Cycling, TDF Data | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 591

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast
1

This week’s episode looks into two athlete athlete questions asking how many cyclists can actually do more than 1,000w, what it takes to get to 3, 4, and 5w/kg, as well as having some fun with asking which country would win the World Cup if it was a cycling competition, and a breakdown of this year’s Tour de France course and some fun comparisons to help us understand how insanely elite these cyclists are.

Hope you enjoy!

// TOPICS COVERED

(00:00:00) Welcome!

(00:01:20) Listener Question: Can Everyone Hit 1000 Watts?

(00:04:05) How Rare Is a 1000-Watt Sprint?

(00:08:37) How Age and Weight Affect Sprint Power

(00:13:04) How to Train for a Bigger Sprint

(00:16:39) Listener Question: Is 5 W/kg Possible?

(00:21:35) What Training Volume It Takes to Reach 3, 4, and 5 W/kg

(00:28:01) How Rare Is 4 or 5 W/kg for Women?

(00:31:35) If the World Cup Was a Cycling Competition

(00:36:02) Which Countries Produce the Strongest Cyclists?

(00:42:14) 2026 Tour de France Route Overview

(00:46:32) The Hardest Stages of the 2026 Tour de France

(00:50:20) Who Is Favored to Win the Tour?

(00:52:31) How Tour Pros Compare to Average Cyclists

(00:56:09) How Long Famous Tour Climbs Would Take You

(00:59:04) Putting the Tour’s Distance, Climbing, and Calories in Context

3

Hi Jonathan.

The episode didn’t fully upload. See timestamp

IMG_1542
IMG_15421319×853 237 KB

4

Something that stuck out to me about the 1000 watts thing is that a lot of people may not even be trying to do this, not that they can’t. For instance, I’ve never had a TR plan that wanted me to sprint at max power. So, if you don’t race or don’t have a power meter outside, there’s really no chance to even measure it. I out-sprinted people with power meters that were registering near 1000 watts, but I have no idea if I hit that myself. I know I got close, but there’s no way to know for sure.

5

Actually think the list of time stamps is wrong above. I just listened to the episode walking and he covered all those topics in 35mins.

6

Ah! That makes sense.

7

I think we are going too deep on the data analysis. I’ve never fast forwarded so much as I’ve done in the last few episodes. Some analysis is fine, but this is a bit much.

8

Agree. I do understand not every episode appeals to everyone. This episode and the one about which continent has the fastest cyclists I didn’t even bother to start as the topic was just meh

9

RIP to the data/db analysts at TR.

10

Probably true or shows how weak, or new to cycling a majority of TR users are.

I guess most don’t sprint outside :person_shrugging:

11

I cant hit 1000w for 5s, but i sure can crush some long steep hills.

Its not all being weak or beginner, its also phenotype

12

@Jonathan we’re going to need a followup next week: how many riders set their 2026 10sec power PR since this pod was released

13

And a new thread on how to fix pedals/trainers that have broken :winking_face_with_tongue:

15

That’s an odd take without much to really back it up. I’ve been cycling 2.5 years and with trainer road for 2 years. I’ve only ever tried all out sprinting on 2 rides. It’s never been any sort of goal. I was able to hit 1103 watts for 5 sec and 909 watts for 15 sec. This was the day after a 4.5 hr mtb ride and with no intent to try some sprints. I’m 70.5kg. I’m sure with some actual practice, tips on technique, and fresh legs, I’d have zero issue hitting 1200+ watts.

16

Do you not race at all?

Not having a well filled out power curve seems wild to me :sweat_smile:.

17

I think a lot of people lack power meters on their bikes. Outside of my smart trainer I just got my first power meter on my new gravel bike. Ive certainly hit it in Zwift and know I’ve done it on my mountain bike.

My current power curve for this year doesn’t have it despite hitting it physically during races and it not being recorded.

18

I do 5+ hr races, and I’ve never been in a position where I’m sprinting at the finish. Not that I’d be hitting power PR’s for sprints at that point if I was.

19

I suspect there are a large number of people who race (or participate in races), especially for gravel races, who rarely, if ever, sprint.

20

I think this is true too, but I’m surprised to hear so many have never been on a group ride or ride with friends that has little competitive sprints. That’s always my favorite part of riding with others.

21

Most of my group rides are pretty casually so little sprinting. But when I race even when I’m mid pack it’s fun sprinting at the finish.