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The CP analytic is a method to evaluate your cycling performances using mean maximal powers (MMPs) between 5-seconds and 60-minutes.

Introduction

For all animal or human work done by skeletal muscles above a certain power level there is an almost universal relation between the produced mechanical power and the duration to exhaustion. This relation is indicated as the Power-Time or P(t) relation. Since its introduction by Monod and Sherrer the Critical Power model has been applied to the analysis of cycling performances.

The Monod Sherrer model (1965) has a very simple mathematical formulation:


The CP is the maximum rate of work that can be sustained for a very long time without theoretical fatigue, and the total amount of work that can be produced until fatigue at any level above CP is indicated as W’.

Formula

The Monod and Sherrer equination is valid for longer sustainable times but leads to less valid data for short sustainable times t (< 5-minutes). Therefore iQO2 uses an appropriate correction function to describe the full MMP curve:


Performance parameters

Based on the MMP data and the fitted curve; we can obtain some relevant cycling performance parameters:

  1. CP (Critical Power)
    Limit effort that can be sustained for a very long time without theoretical fatigue.
  2. Weff
    Effective work capacity that can be delivered above CP.
  3. AWC (Anaerobic capacity)
    The maximum value of Weff.
  4. MAP
    Maximal aerobic power value for ROI-1.
  5. Pmax (Maximal sprinting power)
    The maximal sprinting power at t=0.
  6. Tau
    Time constant of declining sprinting power.
  7. SCP (Supercritical Power) - by M. Puchowicz
    Highest power above CP where Weff = ANC.
  8. Tscp
    The cut-off time that identifies the full availability of Weff.

Learn more about the different performance parameters.

Charts:

Learn more how to analyze the CP charts:

 

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