Forget staring at virtual roads for another winter. It’s time to train smarter, get stronger, turn up the music and discover that indoor cycling doesn’t have to feel like a punishment.

October arrives. The temperature drops, daylight disappears, and thousands of cyclists reluctantly drag their turbo trainers out of retirement.

It’s that magical time of year when otherwise perfectly normal people spend hours staring at a virtual version of themselves cycling up a computer-generated mountain, while their actual bike goes absolutely nowhere.

Welcome to winter training.

Whether you’re preparing for a spring sportive, a triathlon, your next cycling season or even a HYROX competition, the next few months could make a massive difference to your performance in 2027.

But here’s a question.

What if your winter training could be more effective, more measurable and considerably more entertaining?

Meet Ciclo. Indoor Cycling With a Brain.

Let’s get something straight. We’re not suggesting you abandon Zwift, throw away your training plan or suddenly develop an unhealthy obsession with glow sticks and dance remixes.

We’re suggesting something different.

Ciclo takes the atmosphere, music and energy of a great indoor cycling class and combines it with intelligent, power-based training.

Real physiological progression. Real performance metrics. Real challenges.

And absolutely no requirement to pretend you’re cycling through Watopia for the 400th time.

At the heart of Ciclo is something called COL% — Ciclo Output Level.

Unlike conventional cycling classes, where difficulty can be rather subjective, Ciclo uses COL% to grade the overall physical demand of each class.

The system considers far more than just power. Cadence, interval duration, intensity, riding position and physiological differences all contribute to how demanding a session really is.

The result? A class library that allows you to select workouts based on their actual calculated training demand.

And that’s where things get interesting.

Six Weeks. One Plan. A Stronger You.

Imagine building your winter training around a structured six-week progression.

Not random workouts. Not simply riding harder because you’re feeling particularly enthusiastic on a Tuesday.

A genuine progression in training demand.

Weeks 1–2: Build the Foundations — 60–70% COL

Start by establishing your aerobic conditioning, developing muscular endurance and preparing your body for the harder work ahead.

Don’t mistake controlled training for easy training. You’re laying the foundations for everything that follows.

Weeks 3–4: Turn Up the Heat — 70–80% COL

Now we increase the challenge.

Expect more demanding intervals, greater sustained workloads and sessions that begin pushing your physiological boundaries.

Your legs will notice. Your cardiovascular system certainly will.

Weeks 5–6: Welcome to the Pain Cave — 80–90% COL

Here’s where things get serious.

Higher-intensity sessions, demanding interval structures and workouts designed to challenge even experienced athletes.

Think you’re fit because you can hold 300 watts on your turbo trainer?

Excellent.

Now try completing one of our 85%+ COL classes, with the prescribed cadence, power demands and recoveries.

Finishing the class is the challenge. Finishing it properly is the achievement.

And if you fail? Brilliant. You’ve discovered a benchmark worth training for.

Your FTP Doesn’t Get to Hide Either

Traditional FTP testing can feel like voluntarily attending a particularly unpleasant appointment.

Ciclo approaches things differently.

Our Adaptive FTP technology monitors your performance and adjusts your personal power benchmark as your capabilities develop. When required, you can toggle Adaptive FTP on to measure your actual FTP across a range of RPM and intensity intervals of different lengths. By analysing how you perform across those varied conditions, the system gives you a three-dimensional view of what your FTP really is, rather than reducing it to a single effort under one set of circumstances.

Adaptive FTP is designed to be toggled on during the final week of the six-week block. Use it in the classes you complete that week to build an overview of your current FTP, then accept the resulting FTP award before beginning the next periodisation cycle.

Then comes the clever part.

Start again at 60–70% COL, but this time with your new, higher FTP.

The relative training demand returns to a manageable starting point, while the absolute power required may have increased.

You’re not simply repeating the same six weeks.

You’re building on them.

That’s progressive training, personalised to your changing physiology.

And because Ciclo understands the relationship between cadence, power and physical demand, there’s much more intelligence involved than simply increasing resistance and hoping for the best.

Cyclists, It’s Time to Come Out of Your Shell

We know what you’re thinking.

“I’m a serious cyclist. I don’t do spin classes.”

Of course you don’t.

You prefer sitting alone in your garage, staring at a wall, occasionally checking whether your expensive carbon bike has somehow moved three inches closer to the washing machine.

But Ciclo isn’t your traditional spin class.

Connect your compatible smart trainer using ERG mode, follow the prescribed session and let the system challenge you.

There’s music. There’s a screen. There’s structured interval training. There are live performance metrics.

And there’s a very real possibility that the indoor cycling class you’ve spent years dismissing might just humble you.

Go on. We dare you.

And HYROX Athletes… We Haven’t Forgotten You

We appreciate that HYROX athletes are incredibly fit.

Anyone who voluntarily combines running, sled pushes, rowing, lunges and burpees clearly has an unusual relationship with discomfort.

But have you considered trying some real exercise for a change?

We’re joking. Mostly.

Seriously, structured cycling provides a fantastic opportunity to develop aerobic capacity, challenge your cardiovascular system and introduce high-quality conditioning without constantly adding more running impact.

You can train hard, target specific physiological demands and give your joints a welcome change.

And unlike another hundred burpees, you might actually enjoy it.

Turn Up the Music. Watch the Numbers. Feel the Progress.

Here’s the other thing about Ciclo.

Training doesn’t have to be miserable to be effective.

Imagine riding to perfectly matched music, following a visual training profile on a large screen while your performance metrics update throughout the session.

Power. Cadence. Heart rate. Training intensity. Personal progression.

All presented through intelligent performance widgets that help you understand exactly what you’re achieving.

You can lose yourself in the music while remaining completely connected to the science behind your workout.

No guessing. No meaningless shouting about turning the resistance up.

Just structured, measurable training delivered in an environment that makes you want to come back.

Your 2027 Season Starts Before 2027

Spring performances aren’t built in spring.

They’re built during dark winter evenings, early mornings and the training sessions you complete when motivation isn’t particularly interested in joining you.

Whether your target is a faster sportive, a stronger triathlon bike leg, improved HYROX conditioning or simply becoming the fittest version of yourself, winter presents an enormous opportunity.

So this year, do something different.

Keep the turbo trainer. Keep your ambitions. Keep your competitive streak.

But maybe lose the monotony.

Choose your COL%. Challenge your FTP. Follow your progression. And discover just how demanding an indoor cycling class can really be.

Because when spring 2027 arrives, we’d rather you were looking back at a winter of measurable improvement than another thousand kilometres of virtual scenery.

Ciclo. Train with intelligence. Ride with purpose. Perform with power.

Ready to discover your COL%? Explore Ciclo and make this winter count.