The Best Pro Cyclists’ FTPs Are Even Higher Than You Thought

When Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney won atop Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France Femmes this summer, we thought it was one of the best climbing performances in cycling history. Since then, more information has come out, not only confirming Niewiadoma-Phinney’s performance, but putting it on the pedestal as the greatest climb in the history of women’s cycling.

We estimated Niewiadoma-Phinney’s output at 5.3w/kg for the duration of Mont Ventoux. But in a social media post, Niewiadoma-Phinney’s husband, Taylor, said that the actual output was closer to 5.6w/kg. This is due to the fact that Niewiadoma-Phinney rode into a headwind in the final third of the climb, and that her raw power output is relatively low, making her power-to-weight ratio even higher.

Niewiadoma-Phinney is one of a small group of riders in the women’s pro peloton who can probably hold 6w/kg for 10-20 minutes. These types of numbers were unfathomable a few years ago, but just like the men’s side of the sport, we have seen professional cycling progressing at a rapid rate. Niewiadoma-Phinney’s performance on Mont Ventoux was one of those moments where we had to rewrite the power curve for women’s cycling. If you could hold 5w/kg for an hour in 2025, you could fight for the podium at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. But in 2026, 5w/kg won’t even put you in the top five.

In this article, we’ll lay out the best women’s riders’ FTPs, and explain why it is their strength or weakness. Let’s start with none other than the Tour de France Femmes and world championship winner.

Demi Vollering | Estimated FTP: 305w

The last time that Demi Vollering posted power data publicly was in 2022, but her file from the 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes is still on Strava. The Dutchwoman pushed 362w (6.3w/kg) for 4min 34sec on La Redoute, and went on to take the win in a small group sprint. Since then, Vollering’s power data has disappeared, but we can make some educated guesses as to how much she’s improved.

Vollering finished second on Mont Ventoux, 1:16 behind Niewiadoma-Phinney in the queen stage of the TDFF. But she had attacked on the bottom slopes of the climb, pushing the pace and inadvertently setting up a perfect counterattack for Niewiadoma-Phinney. Vollering and Marlen Reusser were nearly two minutes behind Niewiadoma-Phinney with a few kilometers to go, but then Vollering put in a massive attack to close the gap by more than 30 seconds. That kind of acceleration is only possible when you’ve been riding well under threshold, suggesting that Vollering had plenty left in the tank while Niewiadoma-Phinney rode away solo.

Despite only pushing an estimated 5.1w/kg for the majority of Mont Ventoux, Vollering finished with such a burst that her actual FTP must be significantly higher. Based on our calculations, Vollering has an FTP of just over 300w, putting her at 5.3w/kg at an estimated weight of 57kg. That means that Vollering has a fantastic balance between raw power and w/kg. It’s why she can drop most riders on a climb, but she can also drop them on a shallow descent. She can solo to victory on the flats, and win a small group sprint with her raw power output. For her biggest rival at this year’s Tour de France Femmes, it is a completely different story.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney | Estimated FTP: 275w

At an estimated 49kg, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is about 8kg lighter than Vollering, and more than 20kg lighter than Marlen Reusser. That creates a massive raw power discrepancy between the rivals, with few scenarios in Niewiadoma-Phinney’s favor. One of the only times that Niewiadoma-Phinney has the upper hand is on steep climbs. We saw this at the TDFF, when Niewiadoma-Phinney broke away on Mont Ventoux, and was able to follow Vollering’s attacks on a number of short and punchy climbs.

But as soon as they reach the descent or flat section of road, Niewiadoma-Phinney is immediately disadvantaged. We saw this clearly on stages 8 and 9 of this year’s Tour de France Femmes. Niewiadoma-Phinney was only a few seconds behind Vollering at the crest of a key climb, but then she would lose 20-30 seconds on the descent. These were shallow, non-technical descents of 3-5%, meaning that raw power and high speed would dominate.

But on the long and steep climb to Mont Ventoux, Niewiadoma-Phinney’s power-to-weight ratio reigned supreme. The Pole broke away on the steepest section of the climb, building an insurmountable lead before the shallower and windier section of the course. At 49kg, she was giving away 50-100w compared to Vollering and Reusser, but that didn’t matter on a 9% gradient.

Niewiadoma-Phinney likely has the highest FTP in terms of watts per kilogram in women’s cycling. She reportedly did 5.6w/kg for 55 minutes on Mont Ventoux, which means her fresh numbers could be even higher.

Niewiadoma-Phinney – Mont Ventoux (UPDATED)

• Time: 55:20
• Estimated Average Power: ~5.6w/kg
• VAM: 1,464 Vm/h

Steep Section to Chalet Reynard: 32:09 at 5.7w/kg (1,540 Vm/h)

Marlen Reusser | Estimated FTP: 370w

In stark contrast to Niewiadoma-Phinney’s power-to-weight ratio is Marlen Reusser, one of the tallest and most powerful women in professional cycling. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, the Swiss rider weighs an estimated 70kg, meaning that she has more raw power than perhaps any other woman in the world. In fact, her estimated FTP of 370w is world class, regardless of gender.

Reusser was in the shape of her life at this year’s Tour de France Femmes, and she was riding into a podium spot before a final stage collapse in Nice. But before that, Reusser was following Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney on every piece of terrain. Short climbs, long climbs, technical descents, flats, and final sprints…Reusser was there every step of the way. She even won the 21-kilometer time trial in Dijon, putting 18 seconds into Vollering and over a minute into Niewiadoma-Phinney.

Reusser’s raw power output means she is just as fast on the flat as anyone in women’s cycling. But it also means that she will struggle on the steepest climbs. This is why Reusser struggled so much on Mont Ventoux, despite putting out many more watts than Niewiadoma-Phinney. The Pole was probably pushing 270-280w while Reusser was pushing 350-360w. But the w/kg was massive: ~5.6w/kg for Niewiadoma-Phinney and only ~5w/kg for Reusser.

That doesn’t mean Reusser’s chances of winning the Tour de France Femmes are dead in the water. Not every edition will feature a steep 40- to 60-minute climb. Just take a look at the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, for example.

The longest climb in the 2022 TDFF was Grand Ballon at 13.9km with an average gradient of 6.6%. That is the type of gradient where Reusser could possibly hang with Niewiadoma-Phinney, or stay close enough to limit her losses. On a 45+ minute climb like Mont Ventoux or the Col de la Madeleine, there is not much Reusser can do if the winner is pushing more than 5.5w/kg for an hour.

Paula Blasi and Sarah Gigante | Estimated FTP: unknown

Two of the biggest unknowns in women’s cycling are Paula Blasi and Sarah Gigante, young riders who have the potential to be the best climbers in the sport. Blasi is only 23 and in her third year as a professional, while Gigante has missed the entire 2026 season due to injury. The Australian was sitting 2nd in GC at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes before a last-ditch raid pushed her down to 6th, but the 25-year-old certainly has what it takes.

We know even less about Blasi who won this year’s Vuelta a España Femenina almost out of nowhere, and then finished 5th at the Tour de France Femmes amongst loads of team drama. We don’t know where Blasi will be heading next, but it’s clear that she is one of the strongest riders in the world, and improving at a rapid pace.