Free FTP ramp test in your browser

What FTP is, and why you test it

FTP (functional threshold power) is roughly the highest power you can hold for about an hour. Every workout in Tour du Pain is written as a share of it: Sweet Spot 2×20 asks for 90% of FTP, VO2max 5×3 for 118%. With the wrong FTP, the workouts are too easy or too hard, so a test pays off in every ERG workout you ride after it.

The protocol, step by step

This is the test exactly as the game rides it.

1. Warm-up: 5 minutes at 40% of your current FTP, at about 90 rpm.
2. Steps: 1-minute steps, starting at 40% of FTP and going up 6% of FTP each step.
3. The end: the test stops on its own when you can't hold a step.

With an FTP of 250 W that's a 100 W warm-up, then 100 W, 115 W, 130 W and so on, 15 W more every minute. The ladder has 24 steps on paper, up to 178% of FTP (445 W at 250 W), but nobody rides them all: the detail panel gives a typical length of about 18 minutes, and the reminder on Home calls it "Ramp test (20 min)".

ERG holds each step for you, so you only pedal. The steps stay fixed during the test: the minus and plus buttons that nudge other workouts don't move them, and the panel says "Ramp steps stay fixed".

When the test ends

You don't have to stop it yourself. The test ends when one of two things happens:

• your cadence stays below 40 rpm for 3 seconds, or
• your 3-second average power stays under 80% of the step's target for 5 seconds.

Both rules wait while you've stopped or the trainer connection drops, so a Bluetooth hiccup doesn't end your test. You'll see "Ramp test done" on screen, and the ride report opens.

How your FTP is worked out

The game takes the best 60 seconds of power from the whole test and multiplies it by 0.75. If your best minute was 325 W, your estimated FTP is 244 W. Because it's your best minute and not your last one, it doesn't matter how you finish: soft-pedalling after you crack doesn't lower the result.

The 75% factor is the same one TrainerRoad uses for its ramp test (TrainerRoad's ramp test FAQ). It's an average across many riders, so treat the number as a good estimate, not a lab value.

The result card: Use as FTP

At the top of the ride report the ramp test gets its own card. It shows your estimated FTP, how it was worked out ("75% of your best minute (325 W)"), and your current FTP with the difference, such as "Your current FTP is 262 W (−18 W)".

Press Use as FTP and it's done: "Your FTP is now 244 W. Workout targets use it from your next ride." You don't have to take it. If the test went badly, keep your old number and test again another day.

The ride itself is a normal ride: it saves to your history, earns baguettes for every 5 km, and exports as a .fit file for Strava, Garmin Connect or intervals.icu.

The FTP reminder

New riders start with an estimate or the default FTP. After your second saved ride, Home shows a small card: "Your FTP is an estimate" (or "Your FTP is still the default"), with two buttons, "Ramp test (20 min)" and "Later". Later asks again after 5 more rides, three times at most, then leaves you alone. You can also start the test any time from Settings, under Power, or from the Workouts screen; search for "Ramp".

How to ride it well

• Ride it fresh. The game says so itself: the test ends when you can't hold a step, so tired legs give a low number. Don't test the day after a hard workout.
• Same setup every time. Same trainer, same fan, same time of day if you can. Then two tests a few weeks apart compare fairly.
• Keep the cadence up. Sit at 85 to 95 rpm. Grinding at 60 rpm in ERG gets heavy fast, and below 40 rpm for 3 seconds the test ends.
• Don't pace it. There's nothing to save for. Ride every step as it comes, and the last minute or two will be all-out by themselves.
• Cool down after. The report opens when the test ends; spin easy for a few minutes before you get off.

Ramp test or 20-minute test?

The other common field test is the 20-minute test: warm up, ride 20 minutes as hard as you can hold, and take 95% of the average. Hunter Allen describes it in his guide to the FTP test.

TrainerRoad says its ramp test gives more accurate results than a poorly paced 8- or 20-minute test (source). The ramp leans on your best minute, though, so a rider with a strong top end probably scores a bit high and a steady diesel a bit low; the 75% is an average, not your personal ratio. If the workouts after a test feel clearly wrong, adjust your FTP by a few percent in Settings.

For a 20-minute check anyway, Threshold 20 in the workout library is one 20-minute effort close to FTP; its description says that if you can't finish it, your FTP is set too high.

What you need

A smart trainer with ERG over Bluetooth in Chrome or Edge on a computer or a Chromebook, or Chrome, Edge or Opera on an Android tablet. The test also works with a power meter on a basic trainer: you match each step's target with your gears, and the same end rules apply. To check your trainer first, see which smart trainers work. To see how a workout looks before you connect anything, try the demo.

Questions

Is the ramp test free?

Yes. The test and the result card are part of the game. Tour du Pain is free through 2027, everything included. It runs on donations.

How long does the ramp test take?

About 20 minutes. The game gives a typical length of about 18 minutes: 5 minutes of warm-up, then the steps until you can't hold one.

How is FTP calculated from the ramp test?

The game takes your best 60 seconds of power in the test and multiplies it by 0.75. A best minute of 325 W gives an FTP of 244 W.

Why did my ramp test end early?

It ends when your cadence stays below 40 rpm for 3 seconds, or your 3-second power stays under 80% of the target for 5 seconds. A dropping cadence near the end is the usual reason.

Do I have to use the result?

No. The card shows the new number next to your current FTP. Press Use as FTP to take it, or close the report and keep the old one.

Can I do the ramp test without ERG?

Yes, with a power meter. The step targets show on screen and you match them with your gears; the test ends by the same rules.