Is Zwift sucking up my TR data and why?

I have Zwift installed on my phone that I use TR on but I don’t have a paid Zwift account I just figure I’ll use those free 25 kilometres up one day…

Anyway I noticed on the first screen for Zwift a little arrow on the top Right hand side so I pushed it. It appeared to be a list of my TR rides as log files and fit files. Not sure I’ve given permission for Zwift to do this or have I given Zwift permission to do this just by installing Zwift in my phone?

Seems a bit sneaky to me either way. Can anyone give me the science behind why this is happening? I imagine it’s a commercial reason. Ta :+1:

Did you connect your Zwift account to one of your other accounts like Strava, Garmin, or TrainingPeaks? If so then I guess that’s where it’s getting your TR and other rides from. If you go to your Zwift Profile on a browser window and then look at “Connections” you should be able to see this.

As to why it’s doing it, I guess partly it’s “because they can” - you’ve given them permission to integrate with that data source, and so they’re pulling it in. Off the top of my head there are a few uses for that data. One is marketing and research - understanding their user base better and what they do outside of Zwift so that they can target new features, products or services at them. E.g. if they see a lot of Zwift users doing structured training on TR or TP but just using Zwift for meetups and races, that might justify an investment in improving their training plans to try and lure those users to spend more time in Zwift. Another might be for racing purposes - seeing all of a user’s training data is going to give you a more accurate picture of their FTP and maybe also their weight, which should enable them to spot people who are racing in the wrong category. That’s if they actually care about fair racing in Zwift, which is a whole different can of worms!

2 Likes

Are you sure that they are your trainer road rides? I only see my zwift fit files there. And I’m pretty sure that the log files are zwift specific…

The log files are created every time you load the zwift app.

It seems coincidental that the fit files all line up with times you have also loaded up the app. I’m thinking that a zwift .fit file is created even if you “just watch”.

Edit: I just tried and it does.

2 Likes

Well There you go - it appears I’m just a stalker :grin:…Now I feel like I’ve created click bait :pensive:

1 Like

The thread does raise an interesting notion. TR and other organisations may prefer to hide their subscriber numbers, but when ride data is being shared across platforms, they can probably be guaged anyway!

You’re giving them too much credit. Zwift isn’t even in a position to ‘take in’ FIT files from anywhere other than from itself.

The inverse is true for the setup I use. All my Zwift rides (and every other ride I do) gets pushed into the TrainerRoad cloud via the Strava link I’ve setup. I like the TR Career tracking feature. It’s a one-click-glance at how things are trending.

RE: @Penski’s subscriber number disclosure. Strava pretty much have a full view of this across almost every platform used. It’s insane to think what kind of data Strava has… and could use to gather ‘intelligence’ on other companies.

1 Like

…and Garmin Connect.

1 Like

Oh… Garmin Connect. It’s a good model for them to see ALL the things… except when it goes down.

Side note on this: Garmin Connect had gone out of their way to block/error out on FIT files generated from Wahoo head units. As an owner of both… this made me sad in the pants. Someone figured out what field they were checking for and found a workaround. Something to dive into on a rainy day.

1 Like