Announcing WKO+ 3.0 software!

[Hunter w/kg]

We are excited to announce the release of an all-new Version 3.0 of TrainingPeaks WKO+, our industry-leading workout data and power analysis software for endurance athletes and coaches. It’s been over 3 years since we released a major upgrade to the product, far longer than we ever planned. Suffice to say, we’ve been overcoming many obstacles and working hard to bring a lot of great new features to life.

I can assure you, we’ve been listening to your feedback over the years, so here’s a few things everyone will welcome. First, you can download and install version 3.0 side-by-side with version 2.2. Use our simple migration tool to copy your data over to 3.0 and play with the 14-day free trial without worry of mixing up your 2.2 data. When you’re ready to upgrade, its seamless.

We know, our licensing has been a challenge to deal with for our customers in the past, but we’ve always tried to be as helpful as possible getting you back up and running after a hard drive crash or new computer. To remedy this, we’re pleased to announce an all new flexible licensing system. First, with every purchase we now allow you to install WKO+ 3.0 on up to two computers; second, we’ve built an online activation/deactivation system so you are free to move your active licenses from machine to machine. Are you leaving on a 2 week trip? Just de-activate your home computer, activate your laptop, and you’re on your way. When you get home, de-actiavate your laptop, re-activate your desktop and you’re all set.

In addition to more flexible licensing, WKO+ 3.0 features
-Multi-File/Range Analysis, manage an unlimited number of athletes, Quadrant Analysis, Scatter Graphs, and seamless upload and download with TrainingPeaks.com.
-Now you can backup your data files at TrainingPeaks.com, FREE! Or, if you’re a coach, download all your premium client’s data files with the click of a button: no more export, drag and drop.. just click Download!
-The free TrainingPeaks.com Basic account included with every WKO+ 3.0 license provides not only free online data storage for athletes, but also added online training features like building routes, sharing workouts on Facebook and Twitter, recording nutrition, and getting expert advice from a coach or a training plan.
-Multi-File/Range Analysis allows you to compare and overlay ranges within the same workout or across multiple workouts.

-Want to compare intervals and see your performance in each? No problem! Power profiling now gives you the option to use your 20 minute FTP, making it easier to see how you stack up.

-The new Quadrant Analysis and Scatter Graph charts provide expanded analysis and comparison of your performances.

We’ve also improved the engine underneath to better handle Garmin “smart” recording, gaps, stops and TSS calculations too.

If you own a power meter, heart rate monitor or GPS unit, then you owe it to yourself to make the most of the information you get from your workouts, and WKO+ 3.0 helps you do just that.

With new tools in version 3.0 like Quadrant Analysis, Multi-File/Range Analysis, and easy data transfer between TrainingPeaks.com and WKO+, athletes will have the data to help themselves become faster and coaches will have the tools to coach better than ever before.

Free trials of WKO+ 3.0 are available at Analysis Software for Training Files from: Power Meters, GPS Devices and Heart Rate Monitors | TrainingPeaks WKO+ where the software is available for $129. Owners of WKO+ version 2.x can upgrade for $64.50.

Stay tuned for many more updates as we enable compatibility with more training devices, roll-out new updates, and once again, deliver the best tools possible for your training and racing.

We also made a quick youtube video about the new features.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbq08yeTP6Q[/ame]

Lastly, I will be teaching (4) FREE webinars on how to use Version 3.0 next week.
Sign up for them now on this page.
(yes, we will record them and have them available later for download!)

Dec. 21-Monday-Noon (EST, GMT-5) –How to use WKO+ 3.0 for Coaches
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/193708795
Dec. 21- Monday-6pm (EST, GMT-5) – How to use WKO+ 3.0 for Athletes
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/797167162
Dec. 22- Tuesday- Noon (EST, GMT-5) – How to use WKO+ for Athletes
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/760922411
Dec. 22- Tuesday- 6pm (EST, GMT-5) – How to use WKO+ for Coaches
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/233860138


Hunter Allen

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Very nice Hunter.

I love the built in QA and multi file analysis as well as the scatterplot features.

Really nice implementation and thanks for the two machine licensing model and ability to de-comission / re-comission licenses to move across platforms as we retire and upgrade machines.

Well worth the very reasonable upgrade cost!

-Dave
P.S. I suppose I'll post something directly on the WKO+ boards but after importing all my previous workout files is there a way to import the remaining context, especially FTP values and their associated change dates so my PMC values are accurate? I got all the files over but it looks like I've got to go back to my old version figure out when my FTP entry changed and manually renter the FTP values and change dates in the new version.

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Thanks for the kudos Dave. Glad you are liking things!

How did you import your files over from 2.2?
Did you use the migration tool or did you 'drag and drop' from your 2.2 data folder?

If you used the migration tool, then all the FTP settings should come right over.

If you did the drag and drop, then you can copy over your athlete.dat file from 2.2 to 3.0 to bring over the FTP settings.


Hunter

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Thanks for the kudos Dave. Glad you are liking things!...

De nada, I really like the layout and new features.

...How did you import your files over from 2.2?
Did you use the migration tool or did you 'drag and drop' from your 2.2 data folder?...If you did the drag and drop, then you can copy over your athlete.dat file from 2.2 to 3.0 to bring over the FTP settings...

I used the drag and drop method. Thanks for the info on the athlete.dat file but it doesn't seem to have completely solved the issue. Now I've got all my custom charts back and my PMC for this season looks normal including the custom 'best' MMP plots but when I go back to older data the values are out of whack.

It looks like my older FTP change dates are being ignored by the PMC as it shows my CTL peaking at ~190 and ~220 TSS/day during the 07 and 08 seasons (should be more like 95 and 104 IIRC) even though this season matches the older version. When I scroll back through FTP settings and associated dates on the Athlete Home Page the values and dates seem correct all the way back to 06 when I started with WKO but somehow the PMC doesn't seem to be using those FTP values. Not a pressing issue but something I'll want to work out to be able to compare training load to previous seasons in meaningful ways.

Thanks again,
-Dave

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Hey Dave-

What about Nuking your Data folder in 3.0 and start over with the migration tool? That will bring over all your settings and you'll save massive headache and time.

To get to the migration tool, just click START>PROGRAMS>TRAININGPEAKS> MIGRATE 2.2 to 3.0 Data.
Here's a link to the support page that will help.

First Hour
(scroll down on that page)

Hunter

De nada, I really like the layout and new features.
I used the drag and drop method. Thanks for the info on the athlete.dat file but it doesn't seem to have completely solved the issue. Now I've got all my custom charts back and my PMC for this season looks normal including the custom 'best' MMP plots but when I go back to older data the values are out of whack.

It looks like my older FTP change dates are being ignored by the PMC as it shows my CTL peaking at ~190 and ~220 TSS/day during the 07 and 08 seasons (should be more like 95 and 104 IIRC) even though this season matches the older version. When I scroll back through FTP settings and associated dates on the Athlete Home Page the values and dates seem correct all the way back to 06 when I started with WKO but somehow the PMC doesn't seem to be using those FTP values. Not a pressing issue but something I'll want to work out to be able to compare training load to previous seasons in meaningful ways.

Thanks again,
-Dave

 

[daveryanwyoming]

...What about Nuking your Data folder in 3.0 and start over with the migration tool...

Yep, that did the trick. Everything looks great now including the older PMC data.

Thanks,
-Dave

 

[rob of the og]

For the first time ever, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with TrainingPeaks. This feels like version 2.5 not 3.0; a real shame at a point where (again, for the first time ever) I'm envisaging WKO+ not always being necessary. We'll shortly have the key metrics of TSS and IF on our Joule screens, which will make it much easier to bypass WKO+. This should have been the time for a big leap forward in WKO+ to retain the initiative.

A few things:
1. Good to have a more practical EULA so we can use on two PCs. It's also easier to upload to the website, which is nice. But both of these are a pain because you can't sync with the website; you still have to manually manage all the data. WKO+ is all about managing data - it ought to be trivial for the end user to ensure that they have all the data for a particular user account whenever they open WKO+.
2. It's frustrating when the website and the desktop are similar but different: eg, they both have spreadsheet views to look at an overview of the data history. But on the website you can quickly change values, write in notes etc. On the desktop you have to go through the file.
3. One big leap forward should have been to allow forward-planning. I'm pretty sure that most of us are running separate spreadsheets to plan out CTL ramp-rates and get the TSB spot on for a big race. But this should be central to WKO+.
4. Little things, like being able to add notes to points on graphs, would make use a lot easier.

The jury is out on QA, might be useful occasionally I suppose. The highlight of the update is the multi-file analysis, which will be a major reduction in the number of times we have to dive out to Excel.

Anyway, I feel like a football supporter complaining about his own team: we're all WKO+ supporters here, just want it to keep improving and stay the best.

 

[naisan]

I echo the previous poster's disappointment.

To add insult to injury, I bought my 2.x license in mid-november (last month), called in and asked if an upgrade was imminent, and told no.

A month later am being asked to pay again. . .

mercenary.

shame.

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Sorry to hear. We have done our best and don't worry, we have more things in the future coming out.

reminder: WKO+ has NEVER/EVER been a 'planning' tool for coaches or athletes. It's always been a post-ride analysis tool.
It's been a philsophical commitment. I certainly concede the point that there is almost a desperate need for the planning side and we are working in that direction. Whether or not it becomes integrated into WKO+ is still up for discussion.

Unfortunately Rob...it comes down to time and money in many cases. We need more of both. We are still a small company and have to make choices sometimes. Version 3.0 was a HUGE investment for us and it is likely to take the better part of 2010 to actually dig out of that hole. While there might not seem to be a ton of new features, the new UI was quite a substantial time consumer. This is a very small market. If people don't upgrade, then we won't be able to make version 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 4.0, etc. So we do our best to give you features that you want and will help.

and...I guarantee to you that MFQA will help. Try it. It's damn cool.

Hunter

For the first time ever, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with TrainingPeaks. This feels like version 2.5 not 3.0; a real shame at a point where (again, for the first time ever) I'm envisaging WKO+ not always being necessary. We'll shortly have the key metrics of TSS and IF on our Joule screens, which will make it much easier to bypass WKO+. This should have been the time for a big leap forward in WKO+ to retain the initiative.

A few things:
1. Good to have a more practical EULA so we can use on two PCs. It's also easier to upload to the website, which is nice. But both of these are a pain because you can't sync with the website; you still have to manually manage all the data. WKO+ is all about managing data - it ought to be trivial for the end user to ensure that they have all the data for a particular user account whenever they open WKO+.
2. It's frustrating when the website and the desktop are similar but different: eg, they both have spreadsheet views to look at an overview of the data history. But on the website you can quickly change values, write in notes etc. On the desktop you have to go through the file.
3. One big leap forward should have been to allow forward-planning. I'm pretty sure that most of us are running separate spreadsheets to plan out CTL ramp-rates and get the TSB spot on for a big race. But this should be central to WKO+.
4. Little things, like being able to add notes to points on graphs, would make use a lot easier.

The jury is out on QA, might be useful occasionally I suppose. The highlight of the update is the multi-file analysis, which will be a major reduction in the number of times we have to dive out to Excel.

Anyway, I feel like a football supporter complaining about his own team: we're all WKO+ supporters here, just want it to keep improving and stay the best.

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Mercenary?
That's a hoot! Thanks for the laugh!

You want to know mercenary?
-Save up all year for a trip to Disney for your family. Literally, go on the payment plan- I paid for 8 months on this to take the family to Disney. Then once you get there, you pay like $5 for a drink and like $25 for stuffed mickey doll. That's mercenary.

-Or goto a rock concert. I went to U2 this year because I have always wanted to see them and they came close to me. $65 for a T-shirt. A freaking T-shirt. Same price as the upgrade to version 3.0

-Or how about this one. On your way back from the Disney trip, your car breaks down. You are pretty much a good car mechanic yourself. Your Kids are screaming, your wife is going nuts. You are on the side of Interstate 95 with thousands of cars whizzing by at 80mph. You call the wrecker. They tow you in. It's the thermostat and water pump. If you were home you could fix this yourself for less than $100(I have all the tools) , but it's 5pm at night on Sunday. They charge you $800 to fix it. Mercenary.

For the same price as a T-shirt, you can improve your cycling. For LESS than the price of a good bicycle tire, you can improve your cycling. For about $150 less than a pair of Carbon fiber bars...you could improve your cycling.

Last example and then I'll go.
-I bought a sweet pair of shoes two months ago for Mountain biking. Paid retail $250. Ouch. No less than two weeks later they introdouced a new version of the shoes and way cooler styling. Did I demand a refund? A free upgrade? No, of course not.

Check out 3.0, it can improve your cycling. Or stick with 2.2, it's great too.

Hunter


PS.- What are people going to do when the 2nd edition of Andy and my book come out and they just bought it a month earlier? Will people complain, send hate mail and post on internet groups that they deserve a free upgrade to the 2nd edition book?

I echo the previous poster's disappointment.

To add insult to injury, I bought my 2.x license in mid-november (last month), called in and asked if an upgrade was imminent, and told no.

A month later am being asked to pay again. . .

mercenary.

shame.

 

[Alex Simmons]

PS.- What are people going to do when the 2nd edition of Andy and my book come out and they just bought it a month earlier? Will people complain, send hate mail and post on internet groups that they deserve a free upgrade to the 2nd edition book?

Probably

 

[rob of the og]

Sorry to hear. We have done our best and don't worry, we have more things in the future coming out.

reminder: WKO+ has NEVER/EVER been a 'planning' tool for coaches or athletes. It's always been a post-ride analysis tool.
It's been a philsophical commitment. I certainly concede the point that there is almost a desperate need for the planning side and we are working in that direction.
<snip>

Hunter

Thanks for the quick reply. (by the way, when I said 'disappointed in TP' I meant to mean the range of software not the company)

For me the line between post-ride analysis and future planning got blurred once PMC was introduced. (Actually even TSS, since one of the primary purposes of that is to analyse how quickly you can recover and what training loads you can sustain in the coming days.) But especially the PMC, which points heavily to future trends - that's the point where we start taking numbers out of WKO+ and into our own spreadsheets. I want to stop programming spreadsheets and pay you guys some more money because I know you can do it better than I can!

I'll definitely keep playing with the QA - especially now that I can go back to running a copy on my work PC and spend longer playing with it. One of the great things about WKO+ is that it looks just like some of the engineering design software we run at work...

 

[naisan]

You made a choice to go to disneyland knowing what their drinks cost. Books aren't comparable to software - there are clear standards for "upgrades" on books - there are none.

Most software companies will give free upgrades to people who bought older releases just before major releases however, so why compare to books?

Compare to software vendors, for instance?

Recently:
* Microsoft vista --> 7
* Adobe cs3 --> cs4

As a matter of fact, many software companies (most) have upgrade maintenance policies to make this clear and fair.

Traininpeaks didn't put any notice up about a new release of WKO+ and sold copies of it's software knowing a release was just a few days away.

mercenary.

If you want loyal customers, don't trick them or fool them, provide value and communicate with them.

Am I asking too much?

 

[hazychris]

3. One big leap forward should have been to allow forward-planning. I'm pretty sure that most of us are running separate spreadsheets to plan out CTL ramp-rates and get the TSB spot on for a big race. But this should be central to WKO+.

If you want to plan stuff out and see the effect in the PMC, why not add manual exercise for future dates, right click on the calendar entry and select "Override values..." and put in the proposed TSS (easy to do if you have a similar workout with TSS recorded, otherwise it's not too hard to have a guess). The PMC will reflect the future CTL and ATL and then all you have to do is delete the proposed workout when you have done the real one.

Calendar:

PMC:

A few bits don't work very well though, and it'd be great to get these minor bugs sorted.

1) Sometimes the calendar doesn't refresh properly when you add a manual training entry, and you only get to see it when you enter the second one....
2) I'm sure it's related to the first, sometimes the entered workout doesn't take first time.

Can these bugettes be looked at Hunter.

Otherwise 3.0 is a worthwhile tool - I've come from SportTracks which is better at ancillary information, but doesn't really compare when it comes to longer-term tracking of critical workout numbers. To be honest, I'll probably use both side-by-side - WKO+ for getting the more insightful analysis of performance, and SportTracks for holding the ride route, equipment usage etc.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Naisan-

We can argue our points until we are both blue in the face.
But, it's likely you'll never understand the dynamics of software development and sales and how a very small software company works unless you are the owner of one yourself. The fact that one of the founders of the company is answering forums posts on Sunday evening, should give you an idea about how small we are and about how much we DO care about our customers.
When was the last time you got to chat on a forum with the co-founder of Microsoft? I don't think Paul Allen or Bill Gates get on the forums too much to talk about upgrading to Windows 7 and last time I looked, I paid $399 for Vista, and the upgrade to Win7 is $199 or something like that. Apples and oranges to our software, not to mention how many billions of dollars Mr. Gates has made, vs. the very, very small amount we make if we even break even on this release at all!

Bottom line, if it makes you feel any better, just use 2.2 for the next 3.5 years. That's what 90% of our customers have been using and it still works great! Like it was my choice to goto Disney(certainly not my choice to pay $800 for car fix that I could have done!), it's also your choice to upgrade. We have a very clear upgrade policy as well.
Official Blog of TrainingPeaks Blog Archives All New TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3.0 Now Available

We offer a 1/2 price upgrade for you(and everyone that bought 2.2) at $69.50, and you are welcome to upgrade for the new features and learn more. Or you can just wait for 3 years if you like and continue with 2.2, I poured my heart and soul into 2.2 as well....

One last interesting anecdote, we have had more than a few of our loyal customers from 2003(when we first launched 1.1-called CyclingPeaks Software) pay full RETAIL for Version 3.0 because they appreciate our work so much and like the new tools and also realize how much hard work it is to produce a product like this.

May your 2010 season be a powerful one!
Happy Holidays!

Hunter

You made a choice to go to disneyland knowing what their drinks cost. Books aren't comparable to software - there are clear standards for "upgrades" on books - there are none.

Most software companies will give free upgrades to people who bought older releases just before major releases however, so why compare to books?

Compare to software vendors, for instance?

Recently:
* Microsoft vista --> 7
* Adobe cs3 --> cs4

As a matter of fact, many software companies (most) have upgrade maintenance policies to make this clear and fair.

Traininpeaks didn't put any notice up about a new release of WKO+ and sold copies of it's software knowing a release was just a few days away.

mercenary.

If you want loyal customers, don't trick them or fool them, provide value and communicate with them.

Am I asking too much?

 

[Hunter w/kg]

Yup, We are on these, it's #2 on my list right now. I am hoping we'll have them fixed before Christmas and release the new build. If you would be willing to help beta test, that would rock. Can you send me an email OFF-LIST hunter AT peaksware.com and I'll add you to the list, so you can help test this bug fix.
Thanks Chris, Appreciate your support and help!

Hunter

If you want to plan stuff out and see the effect in the PMC, why not add manual exercise for future dates, right click on the calendar entry and select "Override values..." and put in the proposed TSS (easy to do if you have a similar workout with TSS recorded, otherwise it's not too hard to have a guess). The PMC will reflect the future CTL and ATL and then all you have to do is delete the proposed workout when you have done the real one.

A few bits don't work very well though, and it'd be great to get these minor bugs sorted.

1) Sometimes the calendar doesn't refresh properly when you add a manual training entry, and you only get to see it when you enter the second one....
2) I'm sure it's related to the first, sometimes the entered workout doesn't take first time.

Can these bugettes be looked at Hunter.

Otherwise 3.0 is a worthwhile tool - I've come from SportTracks which is better at ancillary information, but doesn't really compare when it comes to longer-term tracking of critical workout numbers. To be honest, I'll probably use both side-by-side - WKO+ for getting the more insightful analysis of performance, and SportTracks for holding the ride route, equipment usage etc.

Cheers,
Chris