Rouvy FTP, Power Zones and Trainer Setup: A Practical Guide

Getting ready for a Muckers race is not about buying the fanciest turbo. It is about knowing your numbers, getting your trainer talking to ROUVY properly, and making the room you ride in a bit more liveable. This ROUVY setup guide covers FTP and power zones, race efforts in w/kg, trainer pairing and calibration, and the pain cave basics. All levels are welcome.

What is FTP on ROUVY?

Functional Threshold Power, or FTP, is the highest average power you can hold for about an hour, measured in watts. The classic estimate is 95% of your average power from a 20-minute all-out effort. ROUVY uses that number to set the targets of every workout, so a current FTP matters.

How to test your FTP on ROUVY

If you do not know yours, take a test in the app: open Workouts in the left-hand menu, then the FTP tab. In the Ramp Test the target rises by 20 watts every minute until you cannot hold it, and your FTP is 75% of the last full one-minute step you completed. Ramp Test Lite uses gentler 10-watt steps and is a good first test. The 20-minute tests have a 5- or 10-minute warm-up: you enter a target FTP, ROUVY adds 5%, and that becomes the power to hold. Unsure what to enter? Start at 200 watts.

When a Ramp Test finishes, you can update the new FTP in your profile straight away. New accounts start at 180 watts. As you ride, ROUVY can recalculate an estimate, and on the Zones page in the Riders Portal you can click Auto-estimate or type in a tested figure yourself.

How to set your power zones on ROUVY

ROUVY uses seven fixed power zones, based on Coggan's method, as a percentage of your FTP. Set them on the web: log in at rouvy.com, click your icon in the top-right corner, choose Zones, enter your FTP, then Save Changes. You can fine-tune the sliders or click Set Default Zones to restore the standard ranges.

The same page has heart-rate zones, which ROUVY can estimate from the date of birth on your profile if you do not know your maximum. Power is still the better guide for structured work. Check your zones every few weeks.

How ROUVY uses your FTP

Once your FTP is in, workout intervals are scaled as a percentage of it. An endurance block at 60% should feel steady. A 100% interval is right on the edge.

On a route, ROUVY sets resistance on a smart trainer from a model that takes in gradient, gravity, air resistance, your weight and a few other factors. Keep the weight in your profile honest: it affects how the route feels, and it is also the number behind w/kg. In the app, click your Profile icon in the top-left, open Profile, click the value you want to edit, and save.

What is w/kg, and why does it matter in races?

Watts tell you how hard you are pushing. Watts per kilogram (w/kg) put that effort in context for riders of different sizes. Divide power by body weight in kilograms. If your FTP is 255 watts and you weigh 75 kg, that is 3.4 w/kg. It matters most on climbs.

After a Muckers race, Race Telemetry is where we publish the results, including each rider's power in w/kg. Tuesday races often have a target, such as 2.3 w/kg: the aim is to finish as close as possible to that number, not to go as deep as you can. Thursday Championship races are raced properly, with a few fairness rules, including a mandatory heart-rate monitor.

You do not need a big w/kg to ride with us. Show up, and the numbers will make more sense after a few events.

How to pair your smart trainer with ROUVY

A smart trainer or smart bike should be connected as a Smart trainer. That lets ROUVY change the resistance to match the climbs and descents. It is also what puts your result on event leaderboards. If the trainer only sends power, ROUVY can read your data but cannot change the resistance, and your result will not appear there.

Open the app and click the Sensors icon in the top-right corner. Make sure Bluetooth or ANT+ is ready (at least one icon should be white, with a green dot underneath). On the Smart trainer / Smart bike / Power meter tile, click Add trainer, connect it as Smart trainer, optionally as Cadence, add a heart-rate sensor if you have one, then Save and close. Disconnect the trainer from other apps first: it can only talk to one app at a time. If the power looks off, calibrate it and update the firmware in the manufacturer's app.

Classic or turbo trainers cannot have their resistance changed by ROUVY. You will need a speed sensor or a power meter, plus the correct trainer type and wheel size. A cadence sensor alone is not enough.

How to calibrate your trainer for ROUVY

The ROUVY app does not have a calibration feature. Spindown or roll-down happens in the trainer's own app, such as Wahoo Fitness, Tacx Training, Elite myETraining or Saris Utility.

Wheel-on trainers need it more often, because tyre pressure and how tightly the wheel sits on the roller change the reading. Warm the trainer up first, then calibrate before every session, every time you mount the bike or pump the tyre, any time the numbers feel weird, or at least once a week. A 5–10 second lag to target power is normal on a wheel-on trainer. Direct-drive trainers often only need a weekly or monthly calibration.

Reality Level: keep it at 100% for racing

In Ride setup, next to Start Ride, you will find Reality Level. That is ROUVY's name for how closely the trainer simulates the real gradients. At 100%, the resistance matches the actual gradients of the route. Lower it and the climbs get easier; raise it and the ride gets harder. If you set it below 100%, that ride will not count towards ROUVY leaderboards, segments or challenges. For training that feels like the road, and for any ride or event you want to count, leave it at 100%.

ANT+ or Bluetooth? Connecting power and heart rate

Bluetooth is usually the simpler option, with a range of about 10 metres. On Windows, ROUVY needs built-in Bluetooth 4.0 or newer; USB Bluetooth dongles are not supported, so use an ANT+ USB dongle if your PC has no built-in Bluetooth. On a Mac, allow ROUVY to use Bluetooth in System Settings. Apple TV can only keep a few Bluetooth devices connected at once. ANT+ usually reaches no more than about 1.5 metres, and most computers need a USB 2.0 ANT+ dongle. If nothing appears on the sensors screen, disconnect the trainer from every other app, toggle Bluetooth, and try again.

If you have a power meter as well as a smart trainer, ROUVY uses the meter's measured power first, while the trainer can still control resistance. Measured power is more accurate than virtual power from a speed sensor. For Muckers events, connect the trainer as a Smart trainer, and add your power meter if that is the number you trust.

A heart-rate monitor is not required for every ROUVY ride, but it is mandatory for our Thursday Championship races. Without heart-rate data, you will not be included in the points. Pair a chest strap under Heart rate. An Apple Watch needs the HeartCast app, and ROUVY has to run on a different device than the iPhone, such as an iPad, Mac, PC or Apple TV.

For the virtual bike, see our up-to-date guide: Choosing the Perfect Rouvy Bike. Check the event instructions, equip a road setup unless a time-trial bike is allowed, and remember that legs still matter more than the frame.

Pain cave basics

You need to stay cool, drink, and be able to see the screen.

Fans and cooling. Indoors there is no wind. Heat builds fast, and when you overheat your power drops. Point a decent fan at your chest and face before you start. One strong fan is the minimum.

Towel. A towel on the bars or over the stem keeps sweat off the electrics and the bike.

Hydration. Fill your bottles before you clip in, and keep drink within reach.

Screen and device placement. Put the screen where you can see the road, the profile and your power without craning your neck. A tablet on a solid stand is fine at eye level; a bigger display is nicer on ROUVY's real-world video routes. Keep the device close enough for a stable sensor connection, with the clicker, keyboard or remote within reach.

Download the route ahead of a race if you can.

Quick checklist

• Weight in your ROUVY profile is accurate, and your FTP is current.
• Power zones are saved in the Riders Portal, from a test or Auto-estimate.
• Trainer is paired as a Smart trainer, and nothing else is hogging the connection.
• Trainer is warmed up and calibrated in the manufacturer's app.
• Reality Level is at 100%.
• Heart-rate sensor is connected (essential for Championship races).
• Road bike is equipped, unless the event allows a TT bike.
• Fan is on, bottles are filled, towel is on the bars, screen is readable.
• Route is downloaded, and you are in the event with a few minutes to spare.

Come and ride with us

The Muckers Worldwide club on ROUVY is full at 30 members, but that does not stop you racing. Anyone can ride. Pick an event on our Upcoming Races and How to Join page and hit Join event. That puts you in the race. Sending a friend request to Mucker1974 on ROUVY still helps us include you accurately in the reports.

Times are in UTC, and riders from anywhere are welcome. There are usually several start times for the same route. Tuesday's target-w/kg races are a friendly way in, and Thursdays are the Championship.

Set the trainer up, turn the fan on, and we will see you on the start line.

Thanks again, Kyle.

Sources

• ROUVY Support: FTP
• ROUVY Support: Setting Zones on Riders Portal
• ROUVY Support: Connecting smart trainers and smart bikes
• ROUVY Support: Connecting classic and turbo trainers
• ROUVY Support: How ROUVY controls resistance and calculates virtual power
• ROUVY Support: Calibration
• ROUVY Support: Unified Riding Mode (Reality Level)
• ROUVY Support: In-app Settings
• ROUVY Support: ANT+ connection
• ROUVY Support: Bluetooth connection
• ROUVY Support: Use your watch as a heart rate monitor
• ROUVY: Cycling Power-to-Weight Ratio
• ROUVY: Indoor Cycling Workouts Guide

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