Everything Cyclists Get Wrong About Normalized Power

Normalized power is a very popular and recognized tool in our sport.

It actually is both an algorithm and a metric at the same time.

And it's both simple yet complicated while being expansive in its use across different software platforms, wearable devices, and large sets of data.

To better understand all of this, let me give you a brief history of normalized power and we'll get into the really good stuff after that.

How best to use and not use this ubiquitous but powerful data tool.

Let's dive into the background first.

So a quick history of normalized power is Dr. Andy Coggan developed the normalized power algorithm in the early 2000s, and it was then popularized in his book that he wrote along with Hunter Allen.

Normalized power was built as a better way to estimate the cost of a longer, non-steady effort in cycling compared to average power alone.

And that's how you should think about it or define it in your head.

It's an estimated cost of an effort for longer periods of time.

For example, if your FTP is around 300 watts and you do a hard crit, let's just say 340 watts normalized and 275 watts average, that 340 watts normalized tells us how it hit your body more accurately.

It's not that you could have pedaled steady at that power, but it's like how your body receives it or feels it.

And contrary to what some popular belief is out there, normalized power is not just taking the zeros out of it.