How to track indoor cycling workouts

(Image credit: Wattbike)

Indoor cycling used to be a bore, with not much more to look at than some numbers on a screen. But nowadays, the indoor cycling world is bigger and better than ever, with virtual bikes, games, the best smart trainers, and worlds to explore. You can track your training, ride with friends, and race against other indoor cyclists from around the world, all from the comfort of home.

There are a few big-name apps that lead the way in the indoor training space – Zwift and Peloton have the biggest user-bases in all of indoor cycling, and both platforms continue to evolve and expand at a rapid rate. However, those aren’t the only ways you can track your indoor cycling workouts. There are a number of other indoor cycling apps, devices, and platforms that you can use to monitor your progress and work towards your goals. Here are seven ways to track your indoor cycling workouts.

The way Zwift works is that you connect your bike or trainer to the game using Bluetooth Smart or ANT+, where you can also connect any of the best heart rate monitors, power meters, cadence sensors, and controllable trainers. You don’t need one of the best cycling computers or head units to track your progress – all the information is tracked and saved in the Zwift app, which you can then upload to connected platforms such as TrainingPeaks or Strava.

Once your device is connected to Zwift, you’ll be riding through the virtual world, where your time, distance, speed, cadence, power, and heart rate are tracked every second. On Zwift, you’ll have access to thousands of workouts, tons of training plans, and group rides and races. There’s no shortage of tough training sessions in Watopia, and all of your rides will be tracked within the game itself.

The high-energy, music-pumping, instructor-led classes of Peloton are like no other. On the Peloton Bike or Peloton Digital (Peloton’s training app), you can track your indoor cycling workouts and compete against yourself and the leaderboard. Peloton is more about you vs you, rather than virtual racing, sprint segments, and experience points. It is focused on helping you get the most out of yourself while pushing through a tough workout.

The biggest catch with Peloton is that it’s expensive – the Peloton Digital app costs $19.49 per month without the Peloton Bike, or $39 per month with the Peloton Bike. With the Bike, you’ll get access to your personal metrics such as cadence and calories burned, and see yourself on the class leaderboard. Starting at £1,750 / $2,245, the Peloton Bike is the most expensive entry on this list, but it really is all-inclusive with 10 different types of classes to choose from, and live and on-demand workouts led by professional instructors available 24/7.

Wahoo Systm is another training app that you can use for structured workouts, as well as strength training, yoga, and mental training sessions. The difference in Wahoo Systm is that your training plan will be tailored to your unique physiology, strengths, and weaknesses after you complete the 4DP test. This one-of-a-kind power test measures your complete power profile as a cyclist and helps create a training plan that is uniquely designed for you.

With every workout, Wahoo Systm provides a detailed explanation of the power, cadence, and heart rate targets that you want to hit, all of which you can analyse post-ride in the training calendar. For best results, complete the 4DP test as your first ride on the Wahoo Systm app which will then tell you which workouts you should focus on in order to improve your weakness and reach your cycling goals.

Called 'Spinning' on FitBit, your device will automatically track your heart rate, speed, time, and calories burned once you start your indoor ride. While it is more limited than other training apps, FitBit is user-friendly and has a line of wearables that fit easily around your wrist. At the push of a button, you can track your indoor cycling workouts, no matter where you are or what bike you’re on. FitBit is simple.

Built to make you a faster cyclist, TrainerRoad is one of the most efficient indoor cycling platforms available. Designed for cyclists and triathletes, the app features a no-nonsense approach to training which basically boils down to ERG mode workouts almost every day of the week. Available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, TrainerRoad offers a variety of training plans organised into Base, Build, and Speciality categories, and narrowed down further based on your goal event, e.g. Ironman triathlon or 40K Time Trial Nationals.

In addition to the structured workouts, the TrainerRoad app gives you access to a TSS (training stress score) chart that shows you how much stress you are under during training, and how much will help you reach your goal. In each workout, you’ll be able to track all of your indoor cycling metrics such as power, heart rate, and cadence, information which is saved in the app for post-ride analysis.

Zach is a freelance writer, the head of ZNehr Coaching, and an elite-level rider in road, track, and e-racing. He writes about everything cycling-related, from buyer's guides to product reviews and feature articles to power analyses. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science at Marian University-Indianapolis, Zach discovered a passion for writing that soon turned into a full-fledged career. In between articles, Zach spends his time working with endurance athletes of all abilities and ages at ZNehr Coaching. After entering the sport at age 17, Zach went on to have a wonderful road racing career that included winning the 2017 Collegiate National Time Trial Championships and a 9th place finish at the 2019 US Pro National Time Trial Championships. Nowadays, Zach spends most of his ride time indoors with NeXT eSport.