Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic to improve the quality of the coaching it offers to users of its bike computers and multisport watches.
Launched in 1999 to enable coaches to work remotely with athletes, TrainingPeaks is considered one of the best cycling apps and pioneered data-driven training analysis, and has become the most popular online platform for structured endurance training. While you can coach yourself on TrainingPeaks, Garmin seems more interested in letting you buy training plans from human coaches or pay extra for more tailored coaching. This appears to affirm the value of human expertise, pushing back against the spread of AI coaching.
Garmin, the US-based sports-wearable giant that turned over a record $7.25 billion in 2025, says it won’t disclose how much it paid for the training planning apps, but, being a publicly traded company, the amount will be included in upcoming financial reports.
The purchase is the latest in a series of consolidations in the fitness app market. Activity-sharing app Strava has also moved into coaching by buying Runna and The Breakaway while Zwift bought Rouvy, another virtual-reality indoor cycling app, this year. Wahoo, Garmin’s main rival, also has form in this area, having swallowed up The Sufferfest and RGT Cycling.
Details on how the acquisition will affect TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, which is more focused on weight lifting, are scant. Garmin says the digital platforms’ 120 staff will become Garmin employees.
(Image credit: TrainingPeaks)
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Will Training Peaks become part of Garmin Connect?
Garmin hasn’t revealed whether it will integrate TrainingPeaks into its Connect companion app.
Through its Garmin Coach feature, it provides off-the-peg training plans and adaptive coaching.
Logistically, it would seem difficult to mesh these two apps together, in light of the sophistication of TrainingPeaks. So we’d expect them to remain separate, but we can’t be sure.
(Image credit: Future)
Will you still be able to use TrainingPeaks without a Garmin?
Garmin hasn’t said whether Training Peaks will continue to support connections with non-Garmin devices.
Currently users can sync planned and completed workouts between most watches and head units.
Again, it wouldn’t benefit Training Peaks’ popularity to close it off to users of Wahoo, Coros, Suunto and more, but we can only speculate at this stage.
(Image credit: TrainingPeaks Virtual)
What will happen to TrainingPeaks Virtual?
Questions also remain over the future of TrainingPeaks Virtual, Training Peaks’ own indoor cycling app that it integrated into its platform after buying Indie Velo. This works with most indoor trainers, so it’s unclear how this will live alongside Garmin’s own Tacx Training app, which is only compatible with Tacx trainers.
A message to TrainingPeaks members from managing director Lee Gerakos suggests continued cross-compatibility.
“As a valued customer, we wanted to proactively assure you that TrainingPeaks will continue to operate as a cross-platform ecosystem, enabling athletes and coaches to use the devices, platforms and services that best suit their needs,” he said.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
“More authentic coaching experiences”
Brad Trenkle, Garmin co-chief operating officer, said: “TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic share Garmin’s passion for empowering athletes and coaches around the world with world-class training tools, performance metrics and actionable insights. The addition of these highly successful platforms to the Garmin ecosystem will expand access to more authentic coaching experiences—connecting athletes with professional coaches who guide, motivate and inspire them to reach their goals.”
Andy Stephens, CEO of Peaksware Holdings, parent company of TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, said: “We’re thrilled to join forces with Garmin to advance our shared mission of empowering coaches and athletes with science-based training. For over a decade, we’ve worked together to democratise coaching and performance insights, helping millions of athletes reach their peak through data-driven, structured training.”
