The free-mode training plans use free-mode workouts and are ride-able without ErgVideos. But the cool part is ErgVideo will automatically recommend which ErgVideo workouts are directly equivalent to the free-mode workout.
We call the recommended sessions "TOE's" for "Training Objective Equivalent" workouts. We've enabled the TOE look-up feature whenever you select some of the many free-mode power-training sessions we've included with ErgVideo itself. So you can take advantage of the TOE recommendation feature even when you're not following a training plan. The video to the right is a seminar-style presentation of the new free training plans and the TOE concept. You'll find even more information at the ErgVideo help page.
The free plans can be selected as full 28-week, event-specific plans from "start of training" up to your goal event. You can also select, mix, and match shorter training phases like "Power foundation" (often called base-build), and then choose your event-specific "Power Build and Peak" phases. You can choose your start date or plan backwards from your event date. We even make it possible to start anywhere within our plans, assuming you've been training already for awhile, and you think you have enough in your legs, heart, and lungs to jump right in. If you are interested in parameters like your daily TSS, volume, and the resulting plan's Performance Manager Chart, we provide interactive displays for all of that data, too.
Currently the plans are available for 3 different levels of time-availability and rider experience. Events are separated into mass-start bike racing events (road racing, criteriums) vs events for more endurance-focused riders like triathletes, Granfondo riders, club riders, and sport-tourists. The latter are great to prepare you for that big mountain tour in the Alps you've been planning, or that spring training camp in Mallorca with VelociousCyclingAdventures.
These plans are completely free, and the sessions can be ridden in the free mode. Every 4 weeks, in all the plans we recommend the ErgVideo threshold test video, or you can choose other means to determine your FTP such as the mFTP calculation using WKO4 or TrainingPeaks.
The free-mode training plans give you a new way to use your ErgVideo collection.When a free-mode session is selected from a training plan or our included library of workouts, ErgVideo automatically scans for the ErgVideo-based workouts that match the free session in terms of achieving the same training objectives. We call them the "Training Objective Equivalent" workouts, or TOE's. The scan shows the ErgVideo choices that are direct substitutes for the free-mode workout. For subscribers, all ErgVideos show as "in library" and are available to be chosen.
On Feb 13, 2025, our streaming service partner made a change that breaks ErgVideo streaming playback in the desktop application. It came as an unannounced surprise.
The ErgVideo application has been out of development for several years and supported only for current subscribers. Costs to update and further maintain the application and web services infrastructure now exceed revenues.
As such, we have:
Refunded any subscription that was affected by an outage Feb 13. That is, any subscription that renewed after Jan 13, 2025.
Terminated all recurring monthly subscriptions as of today, Feb 17, 2025. You will see no new charges.
Further, on May 31, 2025, we will:
Remove all web services and the website. This means that the free ErgVideo desktop software will stop working on that date.
Be assured that these are not temporary measures while the outage exists. We are no longer investigating a fix. It is truly the end of the ErgVideo application, web services, and support.
If you purchased a legacy video license (DVD or one-time download), you will still be able to playback videos in any desktop player like Windows "Films and TV" app, or "Windows Media Player"**. What won't work (after May 31) is the desktop software ("ErgVideo 6.009") that controlled your trainer with its own synchronized video player. Since our first release in 2007, we've always provided, maintained, and supported the desktop software for free.
Thank you for your business and understanding,
Paul Smeulders
ErgVideo Inc.
** If you did a standard install, the video files are in .wmv format and located in subfolders of C:\Users\Public\Videos\ErgVideo. Each subfolder is named by the title of the video.