Support

Answers to the questions that come up most.

How do I get a route into RideCoach?

Export a GPX from your route planner (Strava, Komoot and Ride with GPS all offer "Export GPX" on a route's page; note that sharing a route sends a link, not a file) and share the file to RideCoach, or use Routes → Import route inside the app. Garmin FIT activity files import the same way. The GPX must include elevation, which the major services all export.

Want to try the import without a route of your own? Download the sample hill loop (an 18 km demonstration circuit) on your iPhone and share it to RideCoach. There is also the RideCoach Test Track, a 25 km course packed with every feature the coach reacts to (long climb, steep ramp, rollers, fast descents), made for exploring the coaching in simulation.

I can't hear the coach

My heart-rate strap won't connect

Wear the strap (it only wakes on skin contact) and tap the strap chip on the setup screen. RideCoach reconnects automatically to the last strap it used. Note the app uses Bluetooth: a strap that only broadcasts ANT+ can talk to a bike computer but not to the phone.

Does it work with no signal?

Yes. Route following, coaching, pacing and logging are fully offline. Only the optional AI features need a connection, and the ride never depends on them.

How do I race a friend?

After a ride, open it from the clock icon on the main screen and tap Share as a ghost to race. Send the file however you like: AirDrop, Messages, email. Opening it on another iPhone with RideCoach shows a preview: whose ride it is, which of their routes it races on, and how the pace compares. Once saved, the Race button on the route card chooses who you're chasing, and the coach calls the gaps by name as you ride.

Set your name under Your name on shared ghost rides in Coach settings first, so friends know who they're chasing.

What's in a ghost file, and is it private?

A ghost holds how far along the route the rider was at each moment of moving time, their chosen name, and the route's name and length. That's all. There are no coordinates in it, so sharing a ghost never reveals where you ride or where you live.

Can I race rides from before I had RideCoach?

Yes. Import a ridden GPX or FIT file from your bike computer or another app, and on the import screen choose Add as a ghost instead of saving it as a route. It has to be a ride of a route you already have, so the app can line the two up.

How do I get the premium voice?

Add your own ElevenLabs API key in Coach settings and switch on "Speak everything in the premium voice". Each line is synthesised once and cached on the phone, so repeated phrases play offline and cost nothing. A paid ElevenLabs plan is recommended, as the free tier's monthly allowance only covers a ride or two. The closing summary and the post-ride debrief use it too. When the voice is unavailable the built-in iOS voice takes over instantly, one line at a time so the two voices never overlap; downloading an "Enhanced" voice in iOS Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content makes that fallback much nicer too.

Can I make the text bigger?

Yes. RideCoach follows your phone's own setting. Change it in iOS Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size, and RideCoach's text changes with it. The large ride-screen numbers stay put so the layout you glance at doesn't move around.

Where are my past rides?

Tap the clock icon on the main screen: every finished ride keeps its stats, the coach's highlights and the post-ride analysis. Each ride also shows the route's profile with how far you got, and how long you spent in each heart-rate zone. The full technical log for each ride can be exported from the ride's detail page or from Diagnostics.

Why does it need "Always" location?

So coaching continues while the phone is locked in your pocket. Your location is processed on the phone and never transmitted.

Contact

Found a bug or have an idea? garrywilliams@mac.com