3 Key Metrics Every Cyclist Should Track for Smarter Training

Cyclists power through a challenging race, epitomizing determination and the pursuit of personal goals.

At DUCHY Coaching, our online cycling coaching focuses on the details that make the biggest difference. A good cycling coach doesn’t just hand you workouts — they teach you how to train smarter, recover better, and track progress in a way that leads to lasting improvement. Whether you’re looking for structured training from a professional coach or guidance to reach the next level on your own, understanding the right performance metrics is essential.

Here are three of the most important metrics every serious cyclist should track:

Here are three of the most important metrics every serious cyclist should track:

1. Cardiac Drift (CD) at Endurance

Cardiac Drift occurs when your heart rate gradually rises throughout a Zone 2 ride, even though power stays the same (or even decreases). In other words, you’re progressively working harder to produce the same power as fatigue sets in.

A consistent CD of greater than 8% in steady Zone 2 rides is considered significant and indicates underdeveloped endurance.

Why does CD happen?

• As type I muscle fibres tire, you begin recruiting type II fibres, which are less efficient and require more oxygen. Your heart rate rises to meet that demand.

• Fatigued muscles also extract less oxygen per litre of blood, meaning your heart must pump more blood to deliver the same oxygen.

  
  

Coaching Tip: Track this metric during your endurance phase. When power-to-heart rate (Pw:HR) decoupling consistently falls below 5%, it’s a strong indicator of well-developed endurance.

2. Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) Between Intervals

Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) measures how quickly your heart rate returns to normal after an effort. From mitochondrial function to lactate clearance to stroke volume, a faster HRR is one of the clearest signs your cardiovascular system is adapting well to training.

A well-known Seiler (2007) study (4x8min intervals | 2min recovery) showed that:

• Elite cyclists’ HR dropped ~30 bpm within 2 minutes

• Untrained riders dropped less than 15 bpm

How to track HRR:

1. Select an interval

2. Note HR at the end of the effort (peak)

3. Note HR 60s into recovery

4. Calculate the drop

5. Track trends over time

A faster, deeper HR drop signals improving aerobic fitness — something a cycling coach will want to see in your training data in order to ensure you're adapting to a given training stimulus.

3. Fractional Utilisation (FU) for FTP

Fractional Utilisation (FU) represents the percentage of your VO₂max power that you can sustain at your functional threshold (FTP).

• If FU is below 75–80%, you likely still have room to raise your FTP through structured training at or below threshold.

• Once FU reaches 80–85%, you’re approaching the physiological limit of how much of your aerobic power can be used at threshold. At this stage, continuing threshold work yields diminishing returns, and it’s time to shift toward VO₂max-focused training to avoid a plateau.

This is where personal cycling coaching becomes invaluable — helping you know not just how hard to train, but also when to change focus.

Final Thoughts

These three metrics — Cardiac Drift, Heart Rate Recovery, and Fractional Utilisation — are key indicators that top cyclists and the best cycling coaches watch closely. If you want to train smarter, not just harder, tracking these will give you deeper insight into your endurance, recovery, and potential for performance gains.

For over a decade, DUCHY Coaching has been helping pros, busy CEOs, founders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and many others maximise every minute in the saddle with rigorously personalised cycling coaching. Our award-winning coaches have helped hundreds of cyclists peak for their biggest goals.

We offer a free 20-minute performance consultation where we’ll dig into your training, your goals, and show you the adjustments that will make the biggest difference.

Email CONSULT to will@duchycoaching.com to get started.