Strava’s New ‘Power Skills’ Feature Gives Cyclists Even More Insight Into Their Workouts
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Strava’s newest feature, Power Skills , is a great addition for data-minded cyclists. Built on technology from The Breakaway (which Strava acquired earlier this year ), the tool turns power meter data into actionable training recommendations. Here’s everything you need to know about using the feature to improve your riding.
How Power Skills Work in Strava
Power Skills uses your power meter data to identify your strengths and areas for improvement in different types of training. It’s like a fitness report that analyzes your cycling performance in different disciplines. You’ll see twelve specific power intervals to work on, each compared to thresholds adjusted for age, gender, weight, etc. Each skill is made up of different combinations of these power intervals.
Power Skills breaks down cycling performance into three main categories, each focusing on a different aspect of fitness. Here’s how Strava describes them:
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Sprint : Short bursts of extremely high power. Reflects your ability to generate explosive power. Power intervals: 15 seconds, 30 seconds and 1 minute.
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Attack : A balanced effort that combines sprint power with hill endurance. Useful for short climbs or race breaks. Power intervals: 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes.
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Climbing : Long, continuous effort on hills, flats, or training that requires a steady pace and endurance. Workout intervals: 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes.
Before we go any further, I want to clarify that you’ll need a Strava subscription and real data from your bike or indoor bike to use Strava’s Power Skills feature. If you’re interested in this major cycling upgrade (which Strava traditionally recommends ), Garmin has some tried-and-true options here .
What makes this special?
For cyclists, power meters measure the actual power in watts they produce when pedaling; this is similar to a direct measurement of engine power. The tool analyzes a cyclist’s personal bests across these 12 intervals and highlights strengths and weaknesses, as well as allowing them to compare recent performances with their lifetime bests.
What’s especially useful is that it ranks your performance against a standard that takes into account your age and weight, showing how it compares to “ability” (your potential) across eight levels. This means that a 50-year-old cyclist isn’t being compared to a 20-year-old pro, which is important for Strava’s famously competitive social media ecosystem.
Understanding Your Power Skills Profile
Power Skills compares your recent performance to your lifetime best to help you understand whether your training is moving you in the right direction across different intervals. Here’s what else you need to know to get the most out of it.
Visual breakdown
Your Power Skills profile displays 12 key power intervals at a glance, from 5-second sprints to 60-minute workouts. Each interval is color-coded to reflect your relative strength in that area.
Skill Ratings
As I described above, this system ranks your performance in eight tiers based on age and weight. This means you are compared to realistic benchmarks for your demographic, not just elite riders. These rankings help you understand where you fit in the general cycling population.
Strengths and areas of growth
The main goal of Power Skills is to identify your strengths and areas that require the most development. This is critical for targeted training. Instead of the banal “ride more” you will receive specific recommendations for the development of energy systems.
Limitations to keep in mind
The problem is that this feature only works for cyclists, not runners. So as a runner, I hope Strava finds a way to make this feature work even without a power meter on the bike. It looks like Garmin has already figured it out .
There are other limitations to consider: It requires consistent power meter data to be meaningful. It’s also designed for historical analysis only, and doesn’t prescribe specific workouts. It’s probably best used as one tool in a broader approach to training, rather than as a sole guide. Still, Power Skills is a great way to use data to train smarter, not just harder.