1. You’re riding your usual routes faster (in similar conditions)

One of the simplest indicators of progress is still this: your regular loop is getting quicker. But there’s an important caveat – conditions matter a lot, especially temperature.

Because you know the route well, many variables stay similar from ride to ride: same climbs, same junctions, same corners. That makes it easier to compare over time. But things like wind, temperature, clothing, tyre choice and road surface can have a big impact on speed.

Cold air is denser, which increases aerodynamic drag. In winter you’re also often wearing bulkier clothing, riding on heavier or grippier tyres, maybe on wet or rough roads, and you tend to ride a bit more cautiously. All of that can make your average speed go down, even while your fitness is actually improving.

That’s why it’s better to compare rides done in similar conditions. Look at your “standard” 40–60 km loop or regular commute on days with roughly the same weather: similar temperature, not extreme wind, similar traffic. If, across several weeks or months, your average speed on those comparable rides is creeping up without every ride feeling like a race, that’s a strong sign of progress. It usually means you can produce more power at the same perceived effort and you’re riding more efficiently - smoother pedaling, better lines through corners, less unnecessary braking.

Practical tip: don’t compare a fast summer ride directly to a cold, windy winter one. Instead, compare season to season(this winter vs last winter, this spring vs last spring).

2. You feel less fatigued by the same rides

Another sign of improvement is what happens after the ride.

Think about sessions you’ve been doing for a while: a certain length of endurance ride, a typical club ride, or a familiar set of intervals. If those used to leave you absolutely cooked, and now you can finish them, eat, shower and get on with your day, your body has adapted.

This change comes from a stronger aerobic system and better muscular endurance. You’re doing the same external work, but with less internal “stress” on your body. Recovery becomes quicker, and you can handle more quality training in a week without constantly feeling on the edge.

It doesn’t mean you’ll never be tired, good training will still create fatigue but if a ride that used to destroy you now feels like “solid but manageable,” that’s real progress, even if your headline numbers haven’t changed much yet.

3. Your heart rate is lower at the same effort or power

Heart rate can vary day to day, but over time it tells an important story when you compare it to your power or your perceived effort.

A classic positive sign of improving fitness is this: you ride at the same speed or power, but your heart rate is lower or the effort feels easier. That usually means your cardiovascular system is more efficient. Your heart pumps more blood per beat, your muscles use oxygen better, and you rely more on steady aerobic energy instead of burning through your reserves too quickly.

You see this most clearly in steady efforts: a long gentle climb, a 20–30 minute flat stretch, or a controlled endurance ride. If a few months ago 180 watts meant 150 bpm and now it’s more like 142–145 bpm under similar conditions, that’s a meaningful change. Or if you aim for the same heart rate, but the power is a bit higher than before, that’s also progress.

However, a lower heart rate is not always good news. When you’re overreaching or drifting toward overtraining, your heart rate response can become suppressed: HR stays oddly low, but your legs feel heavy, power is down, and every effort feels harder than it should. In that case, low heart rate plus worse performance and high RPE is a warning sign, not a fitness gain.

The key is to compare like with like - similar temperature, fatigue level, and fueling and to look at heart rate together with power and how you feel. You don’t need huge differences; small but consistent changes over several weeks, combined with good sensations and normal recovery, are exactly what you’d expect from productive training.

4. You can hold more power in similar intervals

Intervals are one of the best tools not just for building fitness, but for measuring it.

Most training plans repeat similar structures: things like 3 × 10 minutes just below threshold, 5 × 3 minutes hard, or longer sweet-spot blocks. When you’ve been training for a while, you can compare how you handle these sessions now versus a few months ago.

You’re likely improving if you notice that you can:

• Hold a bit more power for each interval

• Complete the entire session without extending the recoveries

• Finish the last interval tired but still in control, instead of completely falling apart

For example, maybe earlier in the season, you could just about manage 3 × 8 minutes at what you thought was your threshold, and the last one was a struggle. Now you can do 3 × 10 or 3 × 12 minutes at a slightly higher power and still hit all the targets. That’s a direct reflection of better threshold power, better lactate tolerance, and improved mental pacing.

You don’t need to “test” every week. Simply noticing that familiar workouts are becoming more manageable at higher power is one of the clearest signs that your performance is on the rise.

5. Your JOIN eFTP and Level are going up

Alongside how you feel on the bike and what your ride files show, JOIN gives you two very useful summary numbers: eFTP and your JOIN level. Together, they give a structured view of whether your training is moving in the right direction.

eFTP (estimated Functional Threshold Power) is JOIN’s best estimate of the highest power you can sustain for a longer period, based on your recent rides and workouts. Instead of relying on a single all-out test, JOIN analyzes your training files daily to track improvements in your fitness levels. When your eFTP rises over time, it usually reflects what you’re already starting to feel: you can ride climbs a bit faster, sit on the front of the group for longer, or hold a strong pace into a headwind without blowing up as quickly.

Your JOIN level rises as your fitness improves through consistent training. When you complete workouts successfully, recover well, and stay consistent, JOIN recognises these positive adaptations and gradually increases your level. This means the system knows you can handle slightly harder or more demanding workouts, which is exactly how progressive overload should work.

The important thing with both numbers is the trend over time, not what they say on any single day. A small dip after a holiday, illness, or busy period is normal. What you want to see, across several months, is that your eFTP is generally higher than it used to be, and your JOIN level has stepped up compared to where you started. When that trend matches what you notice on the road you have very solid evidence that your cycling performance is genuinely improving.

Conclusion

Cycling progress is rarely about one magic number or one perfect test. It’s the combination of signals that tells the real story: familiar routes getting faster (in comparable conditions), rides that leave you pleasantly tired instead of destroyed, a heart rate that’s coming down at the same power, intervals you can now finish stronger, and JOIN metrics like eFTP and level that trend upward over time.

Seen together, these signs show that your body is adapting: your aerobic engine is bigger, your muscles are more resilient, and you’re handling training load more comfortably. You might not notice it from one week to the next, but over months the pattern becomes hard to ignore.

So rather than obsessing over every single ride or chasing constant FTP tests, zoom out. Look at how you feel, how you ride, and how your data is shifting over longer blocks of training. If several of these markers are moving in the right direction, you’re not imagining it - your cycling performance really is improving. Keep stacking those consistent sessions, and let the trends, not just today’s numbers be your guide.