How to use Trainerroad with Tacx Desktop App (TDA) or FulGaz and let Trainerroad control the smart-trainer via bluetooth?

Equipment
1

Or in other words: How to use Trainerroad for structured training and at the same time drive through realistic landscapes?

  1. Insert two (!) Ant+ USB-Sticks into your device.

  2. Open Trainerroad first. Click on “devices”. You should see two possible options for connecting your device to the smart-trainer - one via Bluetooth and one via Ant+. Let Trainerroad establish a connection via Bluetooth.

Depending on whether you are using TDA (3a.) oder FulGaz (3b.):

3a. Open TDA. Click on “connect devices”. TDA should display the option to connect via Ant+. Choose it. You do not need to do anything else.

3b. Open FulGaz. Click on “connect devices”. Wait for some time - it may well take a moment longer. FulGaz should only display one (!) possible connection to the smart-trainer via Ant+. Don’t connect to “Trainer Resistance Control”, but connect to “Power” and “Cadence”. This ensures that Trainerroad controls the trainer, but not FulGaz.

  1. Further Remarks: My impression is that Trainerroad on the one hand and TDA / FulGaz on the other hand block the Bluetooth connection and one Ant-Stick each. However, if a second Ant-Stick is used, the apps do not access this one additionally. This means that one app can use the Bluetooth connection and the other app can use the Ant+ connection. If you use Trainerroad with Swift or Rouvy, you don’t need a second Ant+ stick.

My setup:
Tacx Neo 2t Smart-Trainer
Lenovo ThinkBook 16p
Microsoft Win 11
Trainerroad desktop app with TDA and Fulgaz desktop app

2

I have previously used TR with TDA this way and it worked well. I can’t remember if i had two Ant+ sticks in the PC at the time or not, but I’ll have another try now you have mentioned the need.

3

It could be that TDA and/or Fulgaz block the ant+ stick even if it doesnt use it - but Trainerroad and Zwift do not do this. I routinely use TR and Zwift together on a PC with just the one ant+ stick with the other program using bluetooth.