Know your cycling power output without a power meter. Power zones tell you your effort level: Recovery (under 150W) is easy spinning for warm-up and cooldown. Aerobic (150-250W) builds endurance and is sustainable for hours — most group rides sit here. Threshold (250-300W) is your lactate threshold where fatigue builds; you can sustain this for 45-90 minutes. Anaerobic (300-400W+) is for short efforts like sprints, hill attacks, and race finishes lasting 2-8 minutes. Recreational cyclists average 1.5-2.0 W/kg while professionals sustain 4-6 W/kg.
You are cycling on flat terrain at 20 mph as a 175 lb rider. Your estimated power output is 180 watts (1.03 W/kg) — in the Aerobic zone. This is sustainable for hours and perfect for building endurance. To reach the Threshold zone (250-300W), try interval training: 5 minutes at 250W followed by 5 minutes easy. Recreational cyclists average 1.5-2.0 W/kg, while professionals sustain 4-6 W/kg.