No problem @JoPage 
This article may help understand how TR Custom Plans are built: How TrainerRoad Builds Adaptive Training Plans for You
And yes, the backbone of our custom plans is built through the logic of the macrocycle. Macrocycles need to include different phases that address base fitness and then drive towards more specific fitness. By following a logical pattern, each phase ultimately leads to a particular set of adaptations upon which peak fitness is balanced. These progressive phases are Base , Build , and Specialty phases.
But, the key thing here is that our custom plans are built with your training history, your goals, and training approach.
To say that “all this data is really based on a majority that is an average to strong white male cyclist” is incorrect. Not only because we’ve never stated this but because we’re taking your training history to create a custom plan. What I did state was that we don’t use any sort of age/gender related blocks or templates in place to skew the training in any way. This would also be true to data such as proportions of zones that the system is chucking out for menopausal women.
This is a great segue to also point out that if an athlete is new and has no training data, then we’ll most likely prescribe a low-volume plan to start with, like a human coach would. As the athlete starts completing workouts, the system gathers data specific to them + the post-workout surveys and makes adjustments based on them. We also recommend checking your plan volume at the start of each new training phase to make sure you are on track with the best possible plan volume.
To conclude, I guess the point I am trying to make is that TR has a core training philosophy, and within it, the system uses your training data to create a plan, and then, as you complete workouts, it uses that data (your data) to make adjustments. The system is continuously being trained by your data to fine-tune adjustments specifically to you.
I also saw that on this thread you mentioned:
I also hate the fact that it is always assumed that only those at the pointy end who have years and years of structured training under their belt are allowed to think outside the box with their training and zone set up. It drives me crazy actually, that is it assumed that, if you haven’t trained with power or with structure then you are nowhere near your genetic potential and you have to ‘continue your schooling’ the standard route.
I can see this as a strong sentiment for you. But I wanted to clarify just in case that this is NOT how TrainerRoad operates. We understand that the are many different training philosophies and we have ours, and within ours, we have tools for athletes to adjust their training as they see fit. We always remark on the fact that at an individual level, you know your body best, so if another training philosophy works for you, then that’s great!