Credit where it’s due, Nate and the team have built something special. The very best of luck for the future to all at TR.
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On a similar note, it’s so, so good seeing Nate back. He called himself the colour guy on the podcast and I really think that he’s that for all of TR in general. A lot of energy flows in/on from his positive vibes.
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Likewise here. TR is amazing and Nate does a great job running it! Also +1 for the podcast. Where else can you get all of this info for free? And AD free, and they don’t even try to sell you on using TR either.
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I agree.
This forum is such a toxic hive sometimes.
So many armchair physiologists who seemingly have the expertise of a 10x Olympic coach but for some reason spend their time posting, and nit-picking, about TrainerRoad instead of training or riding or coaching…
(Not to mention people with $15,000 worth of bike + gear + clothing who then act like the sky is falling when they may need to pay an extra $5/month for training software)
Ultimately the software is good and if you follow the plans and nail the intervals you get faster and stronger outside.
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We 
N8!
(Bumper sticker design)
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I also think we’re the beneficiaries of TR being privately held. No pesky SEC rules about disclosing stuff to worry about. And Nate doesn’t have to worry about investors getting cranky over short-term ROI. He’s in it to make TR a great product/company, and doesn’t have to answer to anyone. I’m 100% in favor.
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I just love @Nate_Pearson !!
Even if I almost stop cycling, I would still be a “traineroader” because I like what he does with Trainerroad and is really funny on the Podcast 
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I agree with the basic premise of your post. I do.
But trust me – privately held business owners actually have to answer to a huge number of folks too. I suspect @Nate_Pearson has just as many sleepless nights (ignoring his medically real sleep issues) as any other business owner/founder. In a way, he answers to the demands of thousands of TR users, every time he opens this forum. He answers to many many employees, every morning that he opens his email. He answers to his competitors each and every day.
Uneasy is the head that wears a crown
.
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Please keep to the topic at hand (Nate & TR).
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I feel personally attacked 
I don’t find the forum as toxic as you do, although perhaps I’m just avoiding the more contentious topics
Same here. Still haven’t met any of them in person but I feel like if anything bad happens to any of them (or when it has), it’s like it’s happened to a close friend or family member…
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What is dog-fooding? Is that like crash-test dummying oneself? TIL.
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Basically it’s using your own product.
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Gotcha. Yeah, that’s a great piece of the puzzle too… an authentic version of the old “Hair Club for Men” throwaway line.
@Nate_Pearson ‘s (and other TR folks’) transparency on their struggles, triumphs, and everything else in between is super refreshing too. It’s the opposite of toxic-masculinity or whatever you want to call it. Let’s us all feel better about the messy flows of our own lives as it relates to training and achieving goals.
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Dog fooding is an expression in the software industry (perhaps beyond) that developers are forced to use their own products and APIs. For example, a company like Apple would use its cloud service products to sync notes and messages across devices. Usually that is desirable, because some pain points and design flaws only become apparent when you are actually trying to use the products. And that’s why products that haven’t been dog fooded are often of lower quality.
If you pay close attention, then @Jonathan is often mentioning that e. g. he’s trying to do most workouts outdoors (i. e. testing outdoor workouts) or that he prepped for nationals with the polarized plans. Also, the TR team has been switching between disciplines very often (e. g. @Nate_Pearson made an effort to improve his mountain biking skills), and while I don’t remember them saying that this is to dog food their product and gain experience, to me it is clear that this is what it is. (Nobody said that testing your own product can’t be fun!)
So true and this baffles me. While this doesn’t apply to everyone and cycling is an expensive sport, to a lot of people this is small potatoes — especially since proper training will have a far, far bigger impact on your performance than a pair of carbon wheels that is 150 g lighter and saves you 4 W at 50 km/h.
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Entitlement.
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One of the things I most appreciate here is that this communication isn’t the vanity project/personality cult that Musk’s is. Nate lets others speak, listens to them, and makes clear that TR is the work of lots of people, many with expertise that he doesn’t have. A CEO that isn’t only confident but confident in his team is really admirable. Bravo.
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Second reminder, if people want to talk about Elon, Tesla or others besides TR & Nate (topic of this thread), please take that elsewhere.
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Sorry… had already posted when I saw this message. Feel free to move anything if that’ll work better. I’ll stay on topic from now on. 