What Is an AI Cycling Coach?

An AI cycling coach reads your actual training data — FTP, CTL, ATL, TSB — and gives you personalised coaching decisions in plain language. No generic plans. No one-size-fits-all advice. Coaching built around where you are right now.

The problem with traditional training plans

Most cyclists follow one of two paths: they download a static 12-week training plan from the internet, or they subscribe to a platform and get workouts pushed at them based on a broad fitness category.

Both approaches have the same flaw: they don't know who you are today. A plan written in January doesn't know you had a rough week at work in March, that your CTL dropped when you were ill in April, or that your TSB is sitting at −18 right now and you should not be doing a threshold session this afternoon.

A good human coach knows all of this. They're reading your training log, asking you how you feel, and adjusting the plan in real time. The problem is that a good human coach costs £150–£300 per month — far out of reach for most amateur cyclists.

That's the gap an AI cycling coach fills.

What an AI cycling coach actually does

Reads your training load continuously

An AI cycling coach connects to your training data sources — Strava, Wahoo, Garmin, Intervals.icu — and reads your rides as they happen. Every session updates the model: how hard you're working, how much fatigue you're accumulating, how your fitness is trending.

Interprets the numbers, not just displays them

Intervals.icu and TrainingPeaks already show you CTL, ATL and TSB. The difference with an AI coach is that it tells you what to do with those numbers.

When your TSB is at −18 and your ATL is climbing faster than your CTL, a dashboard shows you a red number. An AI coach tells you: "Fatigue is rising faster than fitness. Back off today — absorb the block, don't force it." Same data. Completely different value.

Adapts every week automatically

Static plans can't adapt to life. An AI cycling coach recomputes your programme every time you ride. Missed two sessions this week? It recalculates. Nailed a big block and your CTL jumped 8 points? It adjusts your targets accordingly. Going into a race next Sunday? It tapers you automatically based on your current TSB.

Explains the why, not just the what

The best human coaches don't just say "do 4×8 minutes at threshold today." They explain why — because your CTL has been flat for three weeks, you've recovered well, and your next event is eight weeks out. You learn from good coaching, not just execute it.

An AI cycling coach should do the same. Every recommendation should come with the reasoning behind it, so you build your own understanding of how training works — and can make better decisions when the app isn't in front of you.

What an AI cycling coach is not

It's worth being direct about what AI coaching isn't — because there's a lot of noise in this space.

• It's not a chatbot that answers cycling questions. ChatGPT can tell you about threshold training. An AI cycling coach reads your actual data and applies that knowledge to your situation.
• It's not a workout generator. Generating a random interval session isn't coaching. Coaching is knowing whether you should be doing intervals at all right now.
• It's not a replacement for race-level coaching. If you're a professional or racing at national/international level, you need a human coach who can observe you in person, test you regularly, and manage your programme with full context. AI coaching is for the millions of serious amateurs who train hard but can't afford that level of support.

How VeloCoach AI works

VeloCoach is an iPhone app that connects to Strava, Wahoo, Intervals.icu, Garmin and Apple Health. Every time you sync a ride, it updates your training load model — CTL, ATL, TSB — and re-evaluates your coaching programme.

Each morning, you get a coaching message. Not a generic tip — a specific decision for today, based on your current fitness, fatigue and goals. "Your TSB is −6, fitness is climbing, and your next event is 11 days out. Today is a quality day — let's do 3×10 minutes at sweet spot." Or: "Fatigue is high after your three-day block. Easy spin today, no more than 90 minutes Zone 2."

It also tracks your FTP over time and lets you set goals, whether that's a sportive, a gran fondo or a club race, so the training builds toward something specific.

The app is currently in early access. We're taking on testers who want real AI coaching — not marketing dressed up as AI.