Garmin just dropped a quiet bombshell that might turn out to be a bigger deal than the upcoming Fenix 9 launch. Sure, anyone can buy a Fenix 9 — but if you've spent any real time in the endurance and coaching world, you already know TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic.
Garmin officially announced the acquisition of both training platforms on July 22, 2026. TrainingPeaks has long been the go-to standard for cyclists, triathletes and runners — structured training plans, performance analytics (TSS, IF, Normalized Power) and coach-athlete connections all live there. TrainHeroic plays the same role on the strength and conditioning side. Both platforms were owned by Peaksware Holdings, headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, and roughly 120 combined employees from both companies will join Garmin. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
For Garmin, this is a major shift. The company has dominated the hardware side for years — watches, cycling computers, sensors — while the coaching and training-planning layer has always just "sat" on top as a third-party integration. The open question now is how Garmin will handle TrainingPeaks' neutrality: the platform currently connects with plenty of competing devices too, including Wahoo, Coros, Polar, Suunto, Apple, and Zwift.
The acquisition caught a lot of people off guard, but it's really not that surprising. Garmin has racked up dozens of acquisitions, large and small, over the past 15 years, so TrainingPeaks fits the pattern logically enough — even if the timing genuinely surprised most of the industry.
So what is Garmin actually after, and what does it get out of this? Beyond the official statement about better coaching and more value for coaches and athletes through a best-in-class platform, the press release doesn't say much more. So let's dig into what else this acquisition unlocks — for both Garmin and TrainingPeaks.
TrainingPeaks gains resources for further development — Garmin's backing gives it a faster runway for product and technology growth.
Garmin, meanwhile, gets:
- A platform with mature analytics tools built for professional coaching.
- Analytics tools used at the level of world-class athletes.
- TrainingPeaks Virtual — a cycling platform that sits somewhere between Zwift and MyWhoosh (it actually grew out of TrainingPeaks' 2024 acquisition of indieVelo). This move mirrors what Zwift recently did by acquiring Rouvy — combining a gamified training platform with real-world video routes under one roof. Garmin already owns Tacx Training, which is conceptually similar to Rouvy's "real route" approach.
What Garmin didn't say — but is pretty obvious anyway — is that it now gets data from a platform that virtually every competing device maker feeds into: Suunto, Coros, Polar, Apple, Amazfit, Xiaomi, basically anything capable of syncing with TrainingPeaks.
And there's a lot you can do with data like that.
Strategically, Garmin has bought:
- A service that works, and works well.
- A service users trust and consider reliable over the long term.
- TrainingPeaks' related products (WKO, TrainingPeaks Virtual, Best Bike Split and more).
- The technology and know-how behind processing and analyzing training data.
- A communication platform connecting coaches with their athletes.
- Data, information, insight — in other words, a serious competitive edge.
Call it whatever you want — Garmin is simply a corporation pushing forward with a clearly well-thought-out vision, strategy and execution.
Anyone who held Garmin stock before this acquisition is probably smiling a little right now.
I'm curious what else Garmin has in store for us over the next five years.