Garmin has this week announced the acquisition of the popular cycling training platform, TrainingPeaks, as well as strength training plaform TrainHeroic.
The American technology company announced the news in a short press release on Wednesday, and stated 'financial terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.'
The TrainingPeaks headquarters are in Louisville, Colorado. The 120-person staff will join Garmin's workforce.
Garmin, founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao, has been a key name in the cycling world since its first bike computers were launched back in the mid 2000s.
TrainingPeaks was founded in 1999 by Joe Friel, his son Dirk Friel, and Gear Fisher. The web and mobile platform allows coaches and athletes to plan and manage their training programmes. TrainHeroic, meanwhile, focuses on supporting gym users and strength and conditioning coaches. Both were owned by Peaksware, a holding company that also owns a host of software brands in the music industry.
On the acquisition, Brad Trenkle, the Garmin Co-COO, said "TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic share Garmin’s passion for empowering athletes and coaches around the world with world-class training tools, performance metrics and actionable insights.
"The addition of these highly successful platforms to the Garmin ecosystem will expand access to more authentic coaching experiences, connecting athletes with professional coaches who guide, motivate and inspire them to reach their goals.”
Dirk Friel has confirmed in a statement on his LinkedIn page that he will remain involved as a strategic advisor, and TrainingPeaks President Lee Gerakos will continue to lead the company.
He provided some insight into what the future may hold for the three platforms.
"Joining forces with an iconic, industry-leading brand like Garmin is the ultimate catalyst for our next era of innovation.
"By combining our coaching expertise with Garmin’s world-class technology, we are positioning ourselves to pioneer the next generation of athletic training software and services," he said.
In 2024, TrainingPeaks itself acquired indoor cycling platform IndieVelo, developing it into a new indoor cycling app, TrainingPeaks Virtual and established itself as a challenger to popular platforms like Zwift and MyWhoosh. The move from Garmin, with the capital behind it, could transform TrainingPeaks Virtual into a serious competitor in the space.
