Why We're Not Zwift (And Why That Matters)

Don’t get me wrong, Zwift and Wahoo are brilliant. They’ve made indoor cycling accessible, addictive, and genuinely fun. They’ve gamified the grind and kept so many people cycling through the winter. I love what they’ve built.

But here’s what I’ve seen time and time again:

• You’re connected to your data, but disconnected from your body.

• You get fitter on paper, but not faster on the road.

• You have all the data in the world but still aren’t making progress.

Because data isn’t the problem.

Interpretation is.

And that’s where real coaching, not algorithms, makes all the difference. You can follow every structured plan in the world, but if it doesn’t see you, it can’t change you. So if you’re tired of...

• Following plans that don’t know you’re juggling work deadlines and family commitments

• Chasing numbers without understanding why you’re doing specific sessions

• Training consistently but still plateauing ... then keep reading our top 3 differences and discover why Njinga has become the go-to Zwift coaching alternative for cyclists over 40.

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1. Apps Give You Workouts. We Give You Coaching.

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When I talk to new riders, they often tell me: “I just want someone to tell me why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

That’s the difference.

Open Zwift or Wahoo, and you’ll get power targets and intervals. Great. Open Njinga, and you’ll get me in your ear, coaching in real time.

Not just reading the numbers, but helping you understand them. Telling you when to dig deep and when to back off. Explaining what this specific effort is building and how it fits your goal.

Stefan said it best after a tough block: “Having Togo in my ear through the sessions, pushing, explaining, adjusting  made all the difference. You just don’t get that from an app.”

Yes, you might call me a few names during a tough session(it happens). But when you finish, you’ll know exactly what you achieved andwhy it mattered.

That’s the power of real, human cycling coaching,  something no algorithm can replicate.

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2. They Use Data. We Read Between the Lines.

We use the same metrics as everyone else,  power, cadence, heart rate, but data is just the start.

I look for the small things:

• The message that sounds a bit flat after a tough week.
• The subtle drop in cadence in the second interval.
• The hesitation in your body language on a call.

Apps can’t read your body language. They can’t spot that your pedal stroke is inefficient. They don’t know when your sleep debt isn’t just “poor recovery” but a symptom of overtraining or stress at work.

We do.

Most cyclists don’t quit training plans because they’re not working. They quit because they’re boring, isolating, or impossible to maintain alongside a full life.

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3. They’re Built for Everyone. We’re Built for You.

I’m sure you know this already but your body doesn’t recover like it did at 25 and that’s not a weakness. It’s biology.

Mass-market platforms can’t account for that because they’re built for everyone. We’re built for you.

Every Njinga plan considers recovery, metabolism, and strength changes that come with age.

If you remember cassette tapes (like me), your body deserves training that respects experience as oppose to  fighting against it. It doesn’t respond to training the same way a 25-year-old’s does. Our coaching knows this.

That’s why our riders in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s are still setting personal bests.

So Who’s Njinga Really For?

Let’s be clear, Zwift, Wahoo, and Whoop are excellent tools. But tools can’t coach you.

We’re what’s missing between them, the human insight that makes your data make sense. Because real coaching isn’t about collecting data. It’s about interpreting it and translating it into habits that make you stronger, faster, and more consistent.

You should absolutely use those apps if:

• You love the gamification and virtual racing
• You’re self-sufficient and thrive on training alone
• You just want a fun way to clock indoor miles

But Njinga is for you if:

• You’ve followed plans before but can’t seem to breakthrough
• You want to understand why you’re doing each session, not just complete it
• You’re juggling work, family, and life and need coaching that adapts so every session counts
• You’re over 40 and tired of programmes that don’t account for how your body has changed
• You’re done chasing marginal gains and want meaningful, sustainable improvement
• You want actual coaching support when you have questions or hit a rough patch
• You want a system that reports accurate, real-time power data during your training so you can hit and hold exact power targets in every interval, instead of guessing your average effort like you would on Zwift,Whoosh, Rouvy, or Wahoo.

Why I Built Njinga

After years of coaching, I realised something simple, cyclists don’t need more plans they need more understanding.

When I ask cyclists what they want from coaching, most say: “I just want to feel strong again. I want to enjoy riding like I used to.”

That’s what the Njinga 360 Performance Code™ was builtfor. We don’t just prescribe intervals. We look at the full picture combiningthe best of both worlds.

You get data and science to track progress objectivelyand  human coaching to interpret what itreally means.

It’s the bridge between information and transformation.Improving your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is great. But improving yourconfidence, technique, mindset, and consistency is what transforms your cyclingand life.

The Results Speak for Themselves

Our riders average a 23 watt FTP increase over 8 weeks, but that’s not the part that matters most to me.

It’s the messages I get every week. Like Jo’s:

“I started for fitness. I stayed because of the confidence and the community.”

Or the rider who sent me a photo of their first centuryride with the caption: “Didn’t think I had this in me.”

Or the 60-year-old who beat their PB on a local climb.

Or the community of 3,000+ riders who found something bigger than just a training plan.

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That’s what keeps me coaching.

If you still believe your most enjoyable years on the bike are still ahead of you, you’re exactly who we built this for.

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