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Connect Strava

A one-time, read-only connection that pulls your rides and runs into Adaptive Training — so your fitness, power curve, and form build themselves. It runs through a Strava API application that belongs to you, so nobody else ever holds a key to your data.

What it does

Adaptive Training reads your Strava activities — type, time, distance, and the power, heart-rate, and cadence streams — and turns them into your fitness/fatigue/form, power-duration curve, durability, and ride analysis. It is read-only: it never posts, edits, or deletes anything on Strava, and your data stays in the single file on your own machine.

Why you register your own Strava application

Strava lets every API application connect exactly one athlete. Adaptive Training could ship one shared application and ask Strava to raise that limit — but then its author would sit between you and Strava, holding a key to your data. Instead, each athlete registers their own application. It's a five-minute form you fill in once, and it means the only two parties in the chain are you and Strava.

Step 1 — Create your Strava API application

You need a Strava subscription for this step. Since June 2026, Strava only lets subscribers create an API application (their getting-started guide calls it a prerequisite). No subscription? Skip Strava and use Settings → Import files — drop in the FIT/GPX/TCX files from your device and everything else in Adaptive Training works the same.

  1. Go to strava.com/settings/api and sign in to Strava.
  2. Fill in the form. Only the last field really matters:
    Application Nameanything you like, e.g. My Training (Strava's brand rules say it must not contain “Strava”)
    CategoryTraining
    Clubleave blank
    Websiteany URL — your own site if you have one, otherwise https://adaptivetraining.app (Strava requires something here)
    Application Descriptionanything, e.g. my own training analysis
    Authorization Callback Domainlocalhost — this is the one that matters. It's where Strava sends you back after you authorize; Adaptive Training runs on your own machine, which is localhost.
  3. Click Create. If Strava asks for an app icon, any image that isn't a Strava logo will do.
  4. Strava now shows your application's details: a Client ID (a number) and a Client Secret (click Show to reveal it). Keep this page open for the next step.

Step 2 — Paste the Client ID and Client Secret into Adaptive Training

  1. Open Adaptive Training and go to Settings (left sidebar), Strava panel.
  2. Paste the Client ID and Client Secret from Strava's page and click Save.

They're stored encrypted in the database on your machine and used for nothing but talking to Strava. You can change or forget them in the same panel at any time.

Step 3 — Connect

  1. Click Connect Strava. Your browser opens Strava's authorization page — log in if you aren't already.
  2. On the consent screen, leave “View data about your activities” checked and click Authorize. Adaptive Training needs full activity access; if you uncheck it, the connection is refused.
  3. Strava sends you back, and the app shows Connected. That's it — you never do this again.

Syncing

Your history imports the moment you connect, then new activities arrive on their own — Adaptive Training checks Strava in the background every few minutes while it's open. Want one right now? Hit Sync now in Settings. To pull new rides immediately, hit Sync now in Settings. New activities flow into your Fitness chart, calendar, and ride analysis on their own — no files to move.

Troubleshooting

  • “Reconnect needed” in Settings. You connected with an earlier version, which used a shared Strava application. Do the three steps above once; everything you've already imported stays.
  • No “My API Application” section, or “Something went wrong” at strava.com/settings/api. Your Strava account has no active subscription, which Strava now requires to create an API application. Use Settings → Import files instead.
  • “Limit of connected athletes exceeded” on Strava's page. The application you're authorizing against already has its one athlete. Make sure the Client ID in Settings is the one from your Strava account's API page, not someone else's.
  • “Adaptive Training needs full activity access.” You unchecked the activity permission on Strava's screen. Click Connect Strava again and approve everything.
  • Strava says the redirect URI is invalid. The application's Authorization Callback Domain must be exactly localhost. Edit it at strava.com/settings/api and try again.
  • Activities aren't showing. Hit Sync now in Settings. Very large histories import in the background and fill in over a few minutes.
  • Want to disconnect? Settings → Disconnect clears the connection and its tokens; Forget this application also removes your Client ID and Secret. You can also revoke access any time at Strava → Settings → My Apps, and delete the application itself at strava.com/settings/api.

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