Calculate your watts-per-kilogram (W/kg) from your FTP and body weight, and see where that places you among rider categories.
Power-to-weight ratio (watts per kilogram, or W/kg) is the standard way cyclists compare climbing and sustained-effort ability, since it normalizes raw power output against body weight. It's typically calculated using Functional Threshold Power (FTP), the highest power you can sustain for about an hour.
Power-to-Weight Ratio = FTP (watts) ÷ Body Weight (kg)
Enter your FTP (or best sustained power estimate) in watts and your body weight, choosing pounds or kilograms. The calculator converts to kg if needed and estimates which general rider category your ratio falls into.
A rider with a 250-watt FTP at 70 kg has a power-to-weight ratio of about 3.57 W/kg — solidly in the "Good/Cat 3" recreational-to-competitive amateur range on most published rider classification charts.
Categories are general guidelines used by the cycling community and vary by source, gender, and discipline — use them as a rough benchmark, not an official rating.
It divides your sustained power output in watts by your body weight in kilograms, giving watts per kilogram (W/kg).
On climbs especially, a rider has to move their own body weight uphill, so a lighter rider producing the same watts as a heavier one will climb faster.
Recreational riders might sustain 2-3 W/kg, while elite professional cyclists can sustain well over 5-6 W/kg for extended climbs.