News, Reviews and Media Coverage
VELO: 5 Training Tools to Help You Ride Farther and Get Faster
Xert is highlighted as a cutting-edge training tool that offers dynamic and personalized workout recommendations based on your performance data. Unlike static training programs, Xert adapts to your progress in real-time, helping you optimize your training efforts effectively. The platform’s Adaptive Training Advisor (XATA) provides tailored suggestions that adjust based on your recent activities, making it a versatile choice for athletes looking to improve their endurance and speed. With integration capabilities for devices and apps like Garmin and Zwift, Xert ensures a seamless experience across various platforms, making it a valuable tool for those serious about advancing their cycling performance. Read more, here.
Podcast: AI and the past, present and future of training
Insights from a Toronto cyclist and engineering scientist who’s been working with an artificial intelligence-like training platform for roughly 10 years. Give it a listen, here.
I tried 5 alternatives to the old 20-minute FTP test – and I won’t be going back
“What Xert offers buried within its numbers is quite incredible. There is a level of detail that is well beyond my expertise. In terms of FTP though, my number is always within a few watts of a ramp test or a 20 minute test.”
Read more, here.
XERT -Major Update [new iOS app]
The launch of our new iOS app was received with lots of excitement (not the least of whom were our iPhone-carrying Xerters!), and the5krunner shared his thoughts on what the app, and Xert, can do. Check out his thoughts here.
You are more than your FTP
Though a big ‘FTP’, or Threshold Power, is highly correlated with performance in endurance sports, this metric alone doesn’t tell the whole story of an athlete. Canadian Cycling Magazine delves into the merits and risks of training by this one number alone, and explores the multidimensional ‘Fitness Signature’ of Xert that better represents the aerobic and anaerobic abilities of an athlete. Read it here.
Train smarter: importing adapted Xert Smart Workouts into Zwift’s ecosystem
Doing your training in Zwift is a great way to make your training hours fly by in the safety and warmth of your pain cave. To help you get the most out of your training time, we launched the ability to import your Xert workouts into Zwift, and Cory Benson at BIKERUMOR.com shared the news. Check it out here.
The Man (And The Math) Behind The Strava Segment Hunter
No.22 Bicycles, purveyors of multi-time NAHBS winning titanium frames and bikes, share the same passion for innovation that Xert does. They interviewed Armando Mastracci, founder of Xert, to explore the innovation behind the Xert Segment Hunter app, which uses a cyclist’s power data to guide them towards their best performance on a segment. Check out the story as part of their Innovators Series here.
ZCL Weekly Wind Up
Xert is often used in conjunction with Zwift, with the former providing training/workout guidance and data analysis, and the latter providing a fantastic cycling environment free of cars, ice and rain. Nathan Guerra gets the story behind Xert and some of its features, whilst Zwifter extraordinaire Greg Leo shares a video of one of his sprint workouts with an overlay of his Xert data. Watch the video here.
Xert rolls out Segment Hunter Connect IQ App, doesn’t require Strava Premium/Summit
When we launched the ‘Xert Segment Hunter’, Ray was one of the first to put it through its paces. He summed up what it does this way: “You just simply do what it says, and hopefully you end up with a solid new Segment PR.” Yep, that just about captures it. Check out Ray’s guide and review here.
Product News – Xert Segment Hunter
Hunting segments can be painful work…but it’s even worse if you don’t know how you’re doing mid-segment! So we developed the Xert Segment Hunter to pace you through your effort, and Michelle Arthurs-Brennan at Cycling Weekly covered the launch of our revolutionary new Garmin app (datafield) here.
Xert Launches New App To Help Cyclists KOM/QOM Segments
Nearly all cyclists – including triathletes – get excited about achieving a PR or winning the coveted KOM or QOM crown on a local segment. Check out TriRadar’s quick coverage of the launch of the Xert Segment Hunter app here.
New Xert pacing app aims to help you target KOM and QOM segments
The folks at Road.cc know how tricky it is to perfectly execute an effort to get a new PR, or better yet – a KOM or QOM – on a segment, so they were pretty excited to see the new Xert Segment Hunter app launch. Check out their coverage here.
For Toronto’s Xert, The Future Is In An Older Technology
Canadian Cycling Magazine takes a look at how Xert works, the potential impacts on the business of coaching (hint: if you’re a coach, Xert will make you better, not unemployed!), and what’s next. Check out the coverage here.
The GCN Show Ep. 279: One of ‘3 Scientific Breakthroughs To Revolutionize Cycling’
When we launched the Xert Adaptive Training Planner in 2018, Si and Dan at GCN included Xert as one of “3 Scientific Breakthroughs To Revolutionize Cycling”. Their assessment: “Quite mind-blowing training analysis software…”. We agree…but we’ll overlook their reminder of our visit in 2014 with our ‘sad’ looking saddle. Hey, don’t knock ‘em until you’ve tried them! Check it out here.
Toolbox: Training Using Xert Adaptive Training Advisor
Xert’s own Stephen Cheung shares his journey entrusting Xert to guide his training for his first set of big goals in 2018, including the venerable Paris to Ancaster gravel race. Spoiler alert: he crushed his previous best placing by *a lot*. Check out the story here to follow his journey, discover his favourite workout, and to see his inspiring progress.
Toolbox: Build a Custom Training Program With Xert Adaptive Training Advisor
Xert’s Chief Sport Scientist, Stephen Cheung, compares the benefits of the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor to the limits of the traditional ‘generic’ training plan as he selects his workout for that particular day. For his brief but informative summary, click here.
The GCN Show Ep. 263: A step into the future
Si and Dan cover the launch of the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor with this generous praise: “It’s a step into the future” with “the world’s first artificially intelligent coaching software”. Thanks guys [blushing]. Check it out here.
Advanced power training with Xert – Armando Mastracci and Stephen Cheung | EP#86
‘That Triathlon Show’ does a very thorough interview with Xert’s Armando Mastracci and Stephen Cheung, including digging into the sometimes confusing, but fundamentally important [and a game-changer as far we’re concerned] concept of ‘Focus’, including how it’s calculated and used. Listen to it out here.
Measure your FTP in a minute, app claims
bikeradar’s Ben Delaney covers the release of Xert’s new ‘What’s My FTP?’ datafield for Garmin along with a brief summary of some key concepts in Xert like Maximal Power Available and Difficulty. To read his review, click here.
‘What’s My FTP?’ Garmin Datafield Review
“Pretty darn cool” is how Ray Maker wrapped up his review of the datafield when it first launched. We think that’s pretty darn cool too… Check it out here.
‘What’s My FTP?’ app from Baron Biosystems takes guess work out of training with power
Corey Benson covers the release of our ‘What’s My FTP?’ datafield for Garmin computers, highlighting the fact that the alternative 20 minute ‘FTP tests’ “are cumbersome enough that most cyclists do not recalculate their FTP accurately as they progress through a season’s training plan.” Problem solved. Check out his coverage here.
Toolbox: Fitness Signature Analysis with Xert
Xert’s Chief Sport Scientist, Dr. Stephen Cheung, unpacks Xert’s multi-parameter Fitness Signature and its impact on performance, including a comparison of the ‘Strain’ of a workout, at the same power, by athletes of varying Fitness Signatures. Check it out here.
Toolbox: Xert ‘Maximal Power Available’ Modelling
Xert’s Chief Sport Scientist, Dr. Stephen Cheung, shares some of the science behind Maximal Power Available (MPA) and Xert’s multi-parameter Fitness Signature, including defining High Intensity Energy (HIE). Check it out here.
Xert Training Platform In-Depth Review
DC Rainmaker does one of his signature ‘In-Depth Reviews’ on Xert, including setting up and using the system. And though the images are now a little outdated, and many features have been added since, we still think his assessment was spot-on: “MPA is one of the coolest features within Xert. And when combined with XSS…it starts to be a different way of looking at things.” and “…for a pure cyclist that has a power meter, it’s one of the most solid all-inclusive options out there today.” Check it out here.
Smart Workouts with Xert & Baron Biosystems
A great summary from the introduction of our SMART (adaptive) workouts, by Corey Benson. What does he think? “If you are serious about improving yourself, their workout designer is definitely worth a further look.” Check out his coverage here.
Personalised, micro-adaptive bike workouts from XERT
When we launched our SMART (adaptive) workouts, the5krunner was the first to cover it. This is a nice piece that reminds all athletes that although the technology & hardware associated with sport is pretty cool, what really matters is YOU (the athlete). And that’s where the Xert SMART workouts fit in…they adapt on-the-fly to the needs of the athlete. Check out the coverage here.
The GCN Show Ep. 172: Introducing Xert & MPA
The guys at GCN cover Xert early in its development and are suitably impressed with the concept of Maximal Power Available (MPA). The same can’t be said for their alternative name suggestion: “blow-meter” and “bonk-o-meter”. But we digress… Check it out here.
Baron Biosystems Introduces Suite of Apps For Garmin Bike Computers
Our apps and datafields for Garmin cycling computers feature some pretty cool technology to help cyclists get the most out of their training. Bicycle Retailer covered the release of our MPA & Power, Fat & Carbs, and Time To Exhaustion datafields (apps) when they first came out in early 2016. Check it out here.
Shoot for better performance with red (and green) Baron Xert apps on your Garmin
Bikerumor covers the launch of several new apps (datafields) from Xert, and includes a brief look at how they, and Xert, work. Check it out here.
Toolbox: Xert and Real-time Fatigue Monitoring
Before Dr. Stephen Cheung joined Xert as its Chief Sport Scientist, he shared his early experience using Xert to monitor how much he had ‘left in the tank’ during a race, and shares how others can use this metric – Maximal Power Available (MPA) – in training and racing. Check it out here.