Zwift Integration (Xert got there 2nd)

I was plannig coming back to TR but with Xert 30 days free trial and this zwift integration (I have zwift payed for next year) Im going to try xert and see how I like it with Zwift. The blue bars are nice in hard workouts adding just a good playlist but for endurance its quite boring and watching Netflix becames the entertainement option but that way the focus is neither on the wo or on the Netflix show.

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The latest Marginal Gains podcast is an interview with Mark Cote, VP of product for Zwift. They asked him point blank if integration with TR is coming, he basically said that decision is in TR’s hands and they have access to the API. Sounded like at a minimum it’s not imminent, though who knows at this point.

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Thats too bad, sounds like its not coming anytime soon.

Its sad, read a lot of comments on zwiftinsiders post regarding Xert saying they quit TR and will try Xert instead.

Xert is a lesser platform then TR but people really want the integration with zwift, me included.

I hope TR is not afraid of losing customers to zwift, the integration would more likely bring more customers.

There were tons of comments from people who didnt know about Xert but have been missing structured training which zwift lacks.

If people performed during zwift races and someone looks at their strava or zwift activities till notice that dude or girl was doing TR intervals, yeah it would bring more customers to TR

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If TR had the opportunity to be the first to integrate and chose not to, it missed a big opportunity imo.

If TR had the opportunity to integrate before Xert did and chose not, it missed an opportunity imo.

With every other integration that happens the opportunity that TR misses gets smaller, but the potential damage - of existing TR customer jumping ship to an integrated platform - gets larger.

The silence from TR on when (and I would now say if) it is going to integrate is not very respectful to customers imo.

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And as TR seemingly drags it’s feet (or puts this lower on the list), we have a notable announcement

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I just listened to this podcast and was going to mention this as well as it sounds like it is in TR hands to make this happen. I love TR and the workouts but prefer to do them on Zwift.

I have done the Bluetooth/Ant + overlap with both Zwift and TR but will often have dropouts. Currently I create the TR workout in Training Peaks which will then upload to Zwift which is time consuming. Hoping this integration gets moved up on the priority list for TR.

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I can’t help wondering if TR / Zwift are talking about more than just linking up through the API…

Given the TP / Indie Velo move, let’s see whether Zwift / MyWhoosh feel the need to do anything in response, or not.

Thats a bit of a left field one.

Don’t think this will change much for either. IV has always said he is looking to partner with other platforms to licence the underlying stuff, and let those companies then essentially make it look pretty. I suspect TP will continue with this, but they have the cashflow to allow IV to develop at least for the medium term until it can become self sufficient.

One interesting thing in the DC article is IV pulling your weight from TP. Wonder how many athletes have their scales auto updating into TP or being more active on updating weight their than they would be in Zwift etc.

We’re building TR → Zwift integration right now! :smiley:

We wanted to get the big improvements to how we generate plans first, which we recently launched :smile: .

We thought it made sense to make sure you get a better plan before we make it so you can do those workouts in more places.

But we agree that it would be another great endpoint for you to do TrainerRoad workouts on now (Where you can do them on Garmin and Wahoo’s ATM).

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IMG_5379

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Very cool. Is there a time frame for this? I was going to try other options but can wait if its in the reasonable near future :slight_smile:

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Great news, thank you! :partying_face:

That’s because FTP and Xert’s TP whilst similar are actually different so it makes sense to have 2 separate values. I do think it’s great though that Xert do this. :+1:

Stop talking sense! :grinning:

Stoked to hear this is in progress.

I’ll mention that with a Kickr Core and relatively recent Tickr it’s super easy to run Zwift from an iPad and a TR workout concurrently from a phone. TR controls resistance, Zwift provides visual stimulus, both know my HR. This has been totally foolproof for me.

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And at the risk of bursting part of the happy bubble here, this solution may introduce a new problem for those that are already double-dipping by running TR & Z in tandem.

  • Presuming the rider records data with both apps, but makes sure to keep the TR workout on the TR calendar at least, they benefit by getting all the TR & AT related goodies… Progression Levels in particular.
  • Unless TR hands over WLV2 along with the Zwift-based TR workout, there will be a partial loss WRT PL’s since those are not specifically updated with these “outside workouts” (aka non-TR app derived data).
    • There is some analysis of that core data for use with AT, RLGL & such but actual PL changes are still not part of the non-TR import aspect at this time.
  • So gaining the simplicity of running TR workouts natively in Z will come with a potential sacrifice, at least until they release WLV2.
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Yes, that’s what I was thinking. But surely they just address this otherwise there is no point doing the workouts in Zwift without your levels moving.

I thought outdoor rides and Progression Levels worked just fine as long you matched the ride. I would think that the integration will report back to TR that a workout was complete, and TR can grab that FIT file and apply to the workout in a similar manner as it does for on device workouts.

When I match my outdoor workout to TR workouts, my PL do update, don’t they?

Good point, they do that with a potential caveat.

  • It is “simple” in the sense that there is only a basic acceptance that you did match the workout demands. This is more likely for inside workout on a trainer while following a workout via the app as compared to pure outside workouts with far more variables.
  • But I believe there is a deeper PL analysis still happening behind the scenes for actual TR workouts that may have more impact than the “outside” option. So if a rider deviates notably from the workout plan, it might get better info than the alternative.
  • Essentially, the Z-outside option is a step removed from the pure TR experience, and may lack a bit as a result.

I could be off base on this though, as I have not followed all the recent developments beyond the older info I am considering here.

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It’s hard to say without knowing that the Zwift API is like (as far as I can tell there’s no public documentation on it), but I’d imagine that it allows TrainerRoad to send the workout to Zwift, and Zwift to send the completed activity back to TrainerRoad in a way that associates it to the corresponding TrainerRoad workout, so at the very least TR should be able to adjust the PLs accordingly. Since they know what workout you intended to do, hopefully TR can still analyze the workout data to know if it deviated significantly and pop up a survey next time you open the app.