I’ve been using TrainerRoad for quite a while now, maybe two years. One of my well-researched and trustworthy racing buddies put me onto it.I want real results, and I don’t need the online gaming feel of other popular platforms. TrainerRoad has well enough programs for anyone of any ability, and the real time adaptive training is absolutely awesome; it takes into account so many parameters to make my training as efficient and productive as possible, almost like I’ve got an actual coach right there writing my daily program and monitoring where I’m up to on all efforts. The fact I can customise my workouts to know everything I need and nothing I don’t is a huge win. The online platform has support in many forms if you have a simple or complex problem, the Ask A Cycling Coach podcast is always fun and full of information…You might get the idea: TrainerRoad is an essential tool if you want to be a better athlete. If you care less about powerup tokens and talking online trash with the peloton and more about being the better you, please check out TR!

Get yourself a bike, power meter and/or trainer that has a known resistance curve so the app can calculate your power while riding and be prepared to ride consistently, week in, week out. The app will do the rest and you will get faster, a lot faster. There are a tonne of training plans that will build you up nice and gradually. You regularly do power tests, which are now no longer than 20 mins in length, so the app knows just where to set each session. Coach Chad will talk you through each workout with text in the screen so you know what to expect and can understand what and why your body is feeling the way it is at any point in time. You can string training plans together over a whole season in this inbuilt calendar then easily move workouts around to your preferred training days of the week. It’s not going to do the riding for you, but the app makes everything else so easy that’s all you need to focus on.

I’ve been using Trainer Road for well over a decade. The team there keep improving the software and over the time from small to older children it’s been great to be able to grab a couple of hours a week to get on a trainer and train in a way that uses the time efficiently. You can build a workout schedule to suit all kinds of requirements for mtb, road, gravel, etc and I find it scales the effort well so the efforts are not so hard that I will give up but hard enough to be useful. I don’t ever bother doing product reviews, so the fact that you are reading this is quite the testimony!

TrainerRoad is a straight forward indoor training program for elite to amateur athletes. The program has improved over the years which gives you confidence that what was a small company in the beginning, has its heart in the right place, whilst you received the benefit of becoming a better rider. My favourite feature is the training planner/calendar which I can nerd out and plan my whole race season weeks even months before, that feature alone is by far the most powerful part of TR. Even though I still believe in hands on “real person” coaching, this is great if you have time or budget restraints. FYI; Their podcast is awesome!