What is the MyWhoosh Power Passport?

Everything You Need to Know About the MyWhoosh Power Passport

Every MyWhoosh rider can benefit from the Power Passport, a unique and challenging workout designed for all cyclists. The MyWhoosh Power Passport is a crucial part of training, racing, and performance verification on MyWhoosh, and this is everything you need to know.

The Power Passport uses three different lengths of intervals to help establish your unique Power Profile, including your FTP. No other platform offers a unique test like MyWhoosh: in the Power Passport, you will complete three intervals designed to test your maximum power output.

In this article, we’ll explain the MyWhoosh Power Passport, how to perform it to the best of your ability, and why it is a crucial test for all riders.

The 3 Power Passport Intervals

Coach Kevin Poulton, UAE Team Emirates coach and indoor training expert, built the Power Passport to be comprised of three intervals:

 

Each interval tests one of your specific abilities:

In order to improve your fitness, you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and the Power Passport is the perfect place to start. The Power Passport will reveal your strengths and weaknesses, and how one interval affects another.

Your VO2max effort (3-minute test) is a direct reflection of your FTP (12-minute test) – Increase your VO2max, and you will increase your FTP. MyWhoosh has hundreds of workouts designed to target specific systems such as your VO2max, FTP, and more.

How do you begin to understand your strengths and weaknesses? Take a closer look at your pacing.

Why pacing is CRUCIAL during the Power Passport

The most important aspect of the MyWhoosh Power Passport Test is how you pace each interval. When testing your maximum power output over a certain duration, you need to be riding at your maximum effort for the entire interval.

For example, you do not want to pace your 3-minute effort at 300w and then finish the final minute at 400w.

Instead, your effort should already feel very hard in the first 30 seconds of the interval. It’s okay if your power starts to dip, but don’t let it dip too far. Push as hard as you can, and try to hold your power steady throughout the interval. Empty the tank in the final few pedal strokes, and the test will be complete.

During the Power Passport, you’ll have 20-minute periods between each interval, which allow you to recover from each effort completely. When it’s time for the 12-minute test, pace your effort the same way you did the 3-minute effort: very hard from the start and holding a steady effort until the finish.

Any increase or decrease in your average power should be small and gradual. Make sure you empty the tank in the final few minutes, trying to increase your average power all the way to the finish.

How the Power Passport is used for race verification

MyWhoosh and Coach Poulton have created an intelligent verification system that combines the Power Passport with race results to ensure fair racing for all. One of the standout features of MyWhoosh’s Sunday Race Club is the Dynamic Categorization of riders.

Using the Power Passport and riders’ power data, MyWhoosh levels the playing field across four categories to create a competitive and thrilling race atmosphere.

Dynamic Categorization wouldn’t be possible without the Power Passport, but that’s not all. The Power Passport is used for post-race verification by comparing riders’ race data with their Power Passport data. That’s why it is crucial to perform to the best of your ability during the Power Passport.

In fact, the MyWhoosh Power Passport is smart enough to know when you haven’t given it your best effort or if you’ve paced your efforts incorrectly. The Power Passport is designed to detect if you’ve produced your best effort and that the test reflects your true ability – if not, you’ll get a message on-screen at the end of the test and a friendly reminder to redo the test in the near future.

Takeaways

The MyWhoosh Power Passport test is the perfect tool for you to test your fitness, verify race results, and track your progress and FTP. Unlike any other platform or power test, the Power Passport tests your abilities with three different efforts and complete recovery in between.

Pacing each effort is simple: go out very hard, hold your effort steady, and do everything you can to maintain or increase your average power until the end. If you have enough energy left to sprint at the end, you haven’t gone out hard enough.

You can test your strengths and weaknesses using the Power Passport and re-test your FTP every 6-8 weeks. Remember that your VO2max is directly related to your FTP – increase the performance of VO2max with MyWhoosh’s structured VO2max workouts, and you’ll increase the FTP result in your Power Passport.

 About the Author

Zach is a freelance writer, professional cyclist, and the owner of ZNehr Coaching. He writes about everything related to bikes and endurance sports, from product reviews and advertorials to feature articles and pro data analytics. You can find Zach racing the Sunday Race Club on MyWhoosh every weekend.

Also read: Verification and MyWhoosh’s approach

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