Does anyone here use Trainer Road AI Cycling?

[TomP]

I came across the Trainer Road Cycling online "coach". Do any of you use it? Looks like decent way to plan outdoor rides for training. Thanks.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by TomP

I came across the Trainer Road Cycling online "coach". Do any of you use it? Looks like decent way to plan outdoor rides for training. Thanks.

I used it this past winter season.

They have the plan builder, with some “AI” features. And they have normal fixed-duration plans. I used the first. Plug in your race dates, vacation, etc and let it do its thing. It adjusts workout intensity if you fail or succeed at workouts.

Seems to work reasonably well. The one catch - the high volume plans are insanely hard. Pick low or medium, and adjust each blocks workout lengths during the plan build wizard.

[neusmell]

I did it this winter too — it worked really well in terms of adjusting the plan for when I had to travel or for the rare days I got outside and rode however I wanted to just keep the fun alive. I have no clue how it would do with making outdoor recommendations (since the outdoor plans can vary a little bit from the indoor rides) though since that’s when I intentionally ignored it.

[Turkle]

I have really been liking TrainerRoad, but your question seems to be about how it can help you with outdoor training rides. I only use it indoors and totally ignore it when I'm riding outdoors, whether solo or in a group. So I guess this isn't a helpful comment!

[Jdm]

I love the Trainer Road app, online forum, podcast, and customer service. I’ve been training for 3 months and am making strong progress. It’s well worth the investment for me. I typically train 4 days a week. 1 is indoor on a trainer and 3 are outdoors with power meters.

[hernium]

Been using it for over 5 months now, and from the obvious benefit of having the plan automatically account for and adjust to my needs when I move scheduled workouts around, it sure is a lot cheaper than a human coach!

I use it outdoors too, especially as it warms up outside, but from what I can tell it was primarily designed around an indoor trainer.

[Will_Elder]

I have been using it for about 10 months and have found it very useful.

I use it indoors, when I ride outdoors I ignore it.

The way the plans automatically adjust and how it recalculates your FTP every 28 days are fantastic.

I have been getting faster.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by Turkle

I have really been liking TrainerRoad, but your question seems to be about how it can help you with outdoor training rides. I only use it indoors and totally ignore it when I'm riding outdoors, whether solo or in a group. So I guess this isn't a helpful comment!

You can do the workouts outside. Assuming you have a computer that can accept workouts from TR (gatmin and wahoo can).

[TomP]

Thanks all. I was thinking of one indoor workout and the rest outdoors. It sure seems like all of you are happy with it. I was also intrigued by it being able to adapt, and you have answered my questions. Thanks again.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by TomP

Thanks all. I was thinking of one indoor workout and the rest outdoors. It sure seems like all of you are happy with it. I was also intrigued by it being able to adapt, and you have answered my questions. Thanks again.

Just one more comment... how much of your summer riding is group rides? That's the one place I've found TR (really any online platform) to be lacking... they're not great at incorporating group rides.

I found I was looking at a plan, then ignoring 75% of it to go ride outside for fun. On the flip side, if your focused on training, and don't care about mid-week group rides, then TR (or whatever else) works fine. This is only a summer problem - once day light starts to disappear, the local rides phase out, and I move back indoors.

When I worked with a human coach, it was easy enough to build the group rides into the plan - she was local, so knew which group rides were available and could match them. "This week, do the Tuesday B ride. Next week, do the Thur A ride. Week 3, no group rides because you're tapering."

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by TomP

Thanks all. I was thinking of one indoor workout and the rest outdoors. It sure seems like all of you are happy with it. I was also intrigued by it being able to adapt, and you have answered my questions. Thanks again.

One thing I like about it is that it also analyzes my outdoor workouts for me (even though they are unstructured). So if I have a heavy week of riding outdoors, it will adapt my scheduled indoor rides to be easier or just recovery spins, or even will demand that I take a full rest day.

Again, I don't always take its suggestions 100%, but it's nice to have the options/advice when wondering what to do that day.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by Turkle

One thing I like about it is that it also analyzes my outdoor workouts for me (even though they are unstructured). So if I have a heavy week of riding outdoors, it will adapt my scheduled indoor rides to be easier or just recovery spins, or even will demand that I take a full rest day.

Sort of... it includes unstructured rides in overall load/fatigue calculations, but it does not use them to contribute to the progression levels (which are what dictates which structured workouts to do on a given day).

Say for example, your Tempo "fitness" is at PL 4. If the next week calls for an hard tempo workout, the system will pick from workouts with a level in the high-4s or low-5s. And when you complete that workout, your PL will go up. If instead, you skip the structured workout and do your own massive tempo ride, the TSS/NP/etc will reflect correctly, but TR will not update the PL level.

Note: this applies to unstructured rides (indoor or outdoor). You can complete structured rides indoor or outdoor (to get them to appear on your bike computer, flip them to outdoor in the app, then sync).

[TomP]

All good points. Most of my outdoor rides are not with a group.

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Sort of... it includes unstructured rides in overall load/fatigue calculations, but it does not use them to contribute to the progression levels (which are what dictates which structured workouts to do on a given day).

Say for example, your Tempo "fitness" is at PL 4. If the next week calls for an hard tempo workout, the system will pick from workouts with a level in the high-4s or low-5s. And when you complete that workout, your PL will go up. If instead, you skip the structured workout and do your own massive tempo ride, the TSS/NP/etc will reflect correctly, but TR will not update the PL level.

Note: this applies to unstructured rides (indoor or outdoor). You can complete structured rides indoor or outdoor (to get them to appear on your bike computer, flip them to outdoor in the app, then sync).

This is all correct, but because my outdoor rides are unstructured, I wouldn't expect them to have the same benefit as a structured interval ride anyway. To me, it's not at all a contradiction - two different styles of riding with different benefits and measurements.

[Alan]

I have used TR for the past several years mainly to get in shape by Memorial Day. I like the low volume masters plans. You can do indoor training during the week and then ride outside on weekend. I don't have a power meter on my bike so I just do my own thing on the weekends but I am not really training for events specifically.

Following TR is probably not practical on group rides but TR will calc your numbers from power and HR to calc TSS etc.

If you want to maximize performance I think you need to be on a trainer or on your own outside w a power meter and actually do the specific workouts.

Everyone uses TR differently depending on your goals. Mine are simply to get in shape as much as possible by Memorial Day as I do an event every year.

Alan