I think 500 is a bit high, especially for an average. Much of the time they’re in a peloton, which will drop the average a lot. Peak can go way higher but it’s

I think 500 is a bit high, especially for an average. Much of the time they’re in a peloton, which will drop the average a lot. Peak can go way higher but it’s for far shorter bursts. “During a normal stage of the Tour de France, pro riders can pump out around 230-250 watts on average, which equates to burning about 900 calories per hour. But on some of the harder stages they can average over 300 watts, or 1,100 calories per hour. Tadej Pogačar has a Functional Threshold Power – an estimate of the power he can sustain for around one hour – of around 415 watts. But for explosive one-hour attacks on big climbs, some Tour riders have been known to exceed an average of 500 watts. And in the final stages of a sprint finish, sprinters can hit maximal efforts of over 1,500 watts.” https://www.alpecincycling.com/en/pro-peloton/from-body-fat-to-power-output-anatomy-of-a-tour-de-france-rider/ https://www.alpecincycling.com/en/pro-peloton/from-body-fat-...