A score from 0 to 50

Your JOIN Level sits on a scale from 0 to 50. A beginner - someone new to cycling or returning after a long break will typically start around 0 to 5. At the other end, Level 50 represents world-class peak fitness, like a Tour de France GC contender in top shape. In short: the higher your Level, the better your endurance, strength, and ability to handle training load.

How it’s calculated

To determine your JOIN Level, we consider several factors. First, we take into account your training history before JOIN or during your previous training program. Secondly, we estimate your FTP based on gender, age, and the number of training activities you have completed recently, or we use the FTP value or HR threshold level that you entered when setting up your account. The more training data we have and the more up-to-date your profile is, the more accurately we can calculate your level.

The role of FTP, weight, and fitness

FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is one of the best indicators of cycling performance. You can establish your FTP with a test. If you’re not sure about your FTP, don’t worry - after you’ve trained with JOIN for a while, the app can make a solid estimate based on your training data.

But cycling performance isn’t only about your FTP. It’s also about how long you can ride and how well you tolerate training across weeks. That’s why JOIN Level also reflects your broader fitness and endurance, not just your FTP.

Smart tracking: progress without constant testing

As you train, your fitness improves, but repeating an FTP test every week would be exhausting…physically and mentally. JOIN solves that by calculating your progress from your workouts and updating your Level automatically. The more recent and complete your data is, the more accurate JOIN’s calculations will be. A power meter provides the highest accuracy, but heart rate data can also be used. For best results, try to keep your weight and FTP up to date.

Why March is when many riders level up the most

At JOIN, we consistently see that riders who train regularly make some of their biggest JOIN Level gains in March. Depending on the Level you start with, you can gain up to 3.6 points during the month.

Here’s what JOIN users typically gain on average in March, based on their starting Level:

• If you start at Level 0–10, you can increase by about +3.1 points

• If you start at Level 10–20, you can increase by about +3.6 points

• If you start at Level 20–30, you can increase by about +3.0 points

• If you start at Level 30–40, you can increase by about +2.2 points

• If you start at Level 40–50, you can increase by about +0.8 points

That’s exactly why we’re inviting you to join the JOIN x Škoda Level Up Challenge this March. Level up your JOIN Level and you’ll have a chance to win 3 VIP tickets (winner + 2 guests) to the Team Visma | Lease a Bike VIP Loungeat the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, 19 April 2026.

Simply join the “Level Up with JOIN x Škoda” group in JOIN, train through March, and finish the month with a higher JOIN Level. If your Level is higher at the end of March, you’re automatically entered into the prize draw.

What you can expect in your first 3 months

A common question is: “If I train with JOIN for three months, how much will I improve?” Thanks to aggregated data from JOIN users, we can give you a useful benchmark, assuming you complete at least 13 training sessions across those three months (about one per week for 13 weeks).

The data shows a clear pattern: more training time generally leads to more progress. With 3–5 hours per week, the average improvement is around 8% in JOIN Level over the first three months. With 7+ hours per week, the average improvement rises to about 24%.

To translate that into something more tangible, we can also look at FTP. On average, cyclists training 5–7 hours per week see an FTP increase of about 12 watts in the first three months. That might not sound dramatic, but it can make a real difference. For example, an 80 kg rider climbing Alpe d’Huez at 250 watts might take roughly 1 hour and 12 minutes and a 12-watt improvement can translate into a potential time gain of around 7 minutes.

Understanding Level changes (and why they’re normal)

Sometimes your JOIN Level may dip slightly, especially if you take rest days, reduce training load, or taper for an event. That’s normal, and it doesn’t mean you’re getting worse. In many cases, less fatigue can lead to better performance.

If your Level stops increasing, it usually means you’ve reached the highest score possible based on your current fitness and available training time. To raise it further, you typically need to increase the hours you can train. And if that’s not possible, JOIN will still build the most effective plan for your situation.

How JOIN Level compares to other fitness metrics

Many platforms offer valuable training insights, but they often rely on multiple separate metrics that can be hard to interpret. JOIN Level is different: it condenses key training signals into one easy-to-understand score. It gives you clarity on where you stand and how you’re progressing.