🚴 For road cyclists

Your personal
Road Bike Training Coach
— powered by AI

WattRun automatically analyzes every training session. FTP, Fitness, Fatigue, Form, Power Curve — all in one place. Free.

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FTP Fitness · Fatigue · Form Power Curve Training Load · Weighted Power W/kg Strava import AI training plan
What WattRun does

Everything you need for
road bike training

AI coaching after every upload, data-driven training, free.

🧠

AI coach after every upload

Your coach analyzes every session automatically — pacing warnings, PR detection, overreach alerts, weekly previews.

📊

Fitness · Fatigue · Form in real time

Training-status view like TrainingPeaks — but free. See at a glance whether you're fresh or fatigued.

⚡

AI training plan in seconds

Personalized road bike training plan based on your FTP, fitness level and goal event.

🏆

Power Curve & PRs

Your best efforts over 5s, 1min, 5min and 20min — automatically detected and tracked over time.

🔗

Strava auto-import

Connect Strava once — every activity is imported and analyzed automatically. No manual uploads.

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FTP tracking & progression

Track your FTP progression over time. The plan adjusts automatically as your FTP grows or drops.

How it works

3 steps to your training coach

No long onboarding. Sign up, connect Strava — done.

  1. 1

    Create your account

    Sign up free — enter your FTP and fitness level.

  2. 2

    Connect Strava

    Or upload FIT files from Garmin / Wahoo directly.

  3. 3

    AI analyzes automatically

    After every session you get instant coach feedback.

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All metrics

Road Bike Training — all metrics explained

The most important power, load and training metrics — explained simply.

FTP — what it is

Functional Threshold Power: the key number behind every training zone. How to find and use it.

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FTP test

The 20-minute test (and why it lies) — how to test your FTP properly and read the result.

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Watts per kilo

Your power-to-weight ratio — the metric that decides every climb, and where you stand.

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Training load

How hard was today's ride, really? Turn duration and intensity into a single number.

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Fitness, Fatigue & Form

The three numbers that tell you when you're fit, tired, or rested and ready to race.

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Strava Fitness Score

What Strava's Fitness number means — and why WattRun's value is more accurate.

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Zone 2 training

The aerobic base zone where ~80% of training happens. Why slow riding makes you fast.

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Polarized 80/20

Lots easy, little hard, almost no tempo — the method behind most top training plans.

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Ötztaler training plan

238 km, 5,500 m — the complete 16-week build for the classic Gran Fondo.

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Periodization

How road bike training is structured — the 4 phases

Training isn't a constant grind. Form comes from cycling through build and recovery across the year.

  1. 1

    Base phase (Oct–Dec)

    Lots of Zone 2 volume, strength work and technique — the aerobic foundation everything else builds on.

  2. 2

    Build phase (Jan–Mar)

    Sweet Spot and threshold work come in, volume rises. This is where your FTP grows the most.

  3. 3

    Race phase (Apr–Aug)

    Event-specific intensity (VO₂max, race simulation), then a taper before your big day. See a full event plan →

  4. 4

    Transition (Sep)

    Active recovery, clear your head, let some form drop on purpose before the next cycle.

Example

A sample training week by time budget

What a typical build week can look like — depending on how much time you have.

Day6 h/week8 h/week10 h/week
MonRestRestRest
Tue1 h Z2 + sprints1 h Sweet Spot1.5 h Sweet Spot
WedRest1 h Z21.5 h Z2
Thu1 h VO₂max intervals1 h VO₂max1.5 h threshold
FriRestRest1 h Z2 easy
Sat2 h Z2 endurance3 h Z2 endurance4 h Z2 endurance
Sun1 h easy1 h easy1.5 h easy
Total~6 h~8 h~11 h

Rule of thumb: ~80% of the time easy (Zone 2), ~20% hard (Sweet Spot, threshold, VO₂max). Every 3–4 weeks, take a recovery week with reduced volume.

Free tools

Free road cycling calculators

Quick, no sign-up — work out the numbers behind your training.

FTP Calculator

Estimate your FTP from a 20-minute or ramp test and get your training zones.

Open tool →

Watts/kg Calculator

Work out your power-to-weight ratio and see your category.

Open tool →

TSS Calculator

Turn a ride's duration and intensity into a single training-load number.

Open tool →

CTL Simulator

Project how your Fitness builds over the weeks toward your goal event.

Open tool →

Ötzi Pacing Calculator

Plan your watts and finish time for the Ötztaler Radmarathon climbs.

Open tool →
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about road bike training

Everything about training zones, FTP, Fitness/Fatigue/Form and AI-powered cycling.

What is FTP in cycling?

FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the maximum power in watts a cyclist can theoretically sustain for 60 minutes. FTP is the basis for all training zones and load calculations.

Typical values: beginner 150–180 W, recreational 180–250 W, advanced 250–320 W, competitive 320 W+.

What do Fitness, Fatigue and Form mean?

Fitness measures your training capacity over 42 days — as it rises, you get fitter.

Fatigue measures the load of the past 7 days.

Form = Fitness minus Fatigue = how rested you are now. Positive Form on race day means: rested and ready.

What is Zone 2 training in cycling?

Zone 2 is the aerobic base zone at 56–75 % FTP. 80 % of training should happen here — you can still hold a conversation easily.

Zone 2 builds mitochondria, improves fat metabolism and is the foundation for all performance gains.

How is the load of a session measured?

Training load combines duration and intensity into a single number. An easy 1-hour ride ≈ 50 points, a hard 3-hour race ≈ 250 points.

For recreational cyclists: 300–500 load points per week is a solid training volume.

Is WattRun an alternative to TrainingPeaks?

Yes — WattRun offers the most important TrainingPeaks features for free: Fitness/Fatigue/Form tracking, Power Curve, FTP tracking, Strava import and training plans.

Plus, WattRun has an AI coach (powered by Claude AI) that gives automatic feedback after every upload — TrainingPeaks doesn't.

How many hours per week do I need for road bike training?

Even 5–6 structured hours a week produce clear progress. Advanced riders often train 8–12 hours. What matters is not raw volume but the mix of easy base riding and a few targeted hard sessions.

What is the 80/20 rule in cycling training?

Spend about 80% of your training time easy in Zone 2 and only ~20% hard (Sweet Spot, threshold, VO₂max). This polarized split is proven to deliver more progress than constantly riding at medium intensity.

Do I need a power meter for road bike training?

No, but it helps. A power meter lets you control intensity precisely via FTP zones. Without one, heart rate and perceived effort (RPE) work well too — more than enough for beginners.

How many days a week should I ride?

Three to five rides a week is a solid range. Three well-placed sessions (one long easy, two with intervals) beat six unstructured rides. Keep at least one rest day per week.

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From knowing to doing

You know the how. WattRun tells you what to do today — and why.

No setup marathon: tell us in 15 seconds how you feel and get a reasoned session that fits your week. For cycling and running.

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