We've just enhanced Activity Insights with a feature that serious cyclists and runners have been asking for: detailed lap-by-lap analysis powered by AI.
Whether you’re doing structured indoor training sessions, interval workouts on the road, or analysing segments of a long ride, Activity Insights can now see the complete picture of your training—not just overall averages, but how you performed across every lap of your session.
What’s New: Lap Data in Activity Insights
Activity Insights now receives comprehensive lap data for every activity, including:
Performance Metrics Per Lap:
• Time and distance
• Maximum, average, and minimum speed
• Power output (max, average, and normalized)
• Heart rate zones and distribution
• Cadence (minimum, maximum, average)
• Altitude changes and ascent
Advanced Training Metrics:
• Power zones distribution per lap
• Intensity Factor
• Training Load (TSS)
• Watts per kilogram
• Left/right balance
• Variability Index
This data is now available both in the detailed lap table on the website and is sent to the AI when generating your Activity Insights coaching feedback.
Why Lap Data Matters for Training
If you’ve ever done structured training—intervals on the turbo trainer, hill repeats, or tempo sessions—you know that the overall average tells you very little about the quality of your workout.
A session might show an average power of 200 watts, but that could mean:
• Steady endurance riding at 200 watts for an hour
• 20 hard intervals at 300 watts with easy recovery between
• Gradually fading efforts starting at 250 watts and finishing at 150 watts
These are completely different training stimuli, and they require different coaching feedback.
With lap-by-lap analysis, Activity Insights can now understand the structure of your training session and provide coaching that reflects what you actually did—not just what the averages suggest.
Real Example: Indoor Training Analysis
Here’s an actual Activity Insights response analyzing an indoor cycling session with lap data:
“Nick, this indoor cycling session demonstrated a solid structure with a focus on varied power outputs across laps. Notably, your laps showed a mix of endurance and some higher intensity efforts, but there was a significant emphasis on Zone 2 (39%) and Zone 3 (32%) with only 7% in Zone 4. This indicates a need to incorporate more sustained efforts at higher intensities to enhance your threshold power, which is crucial for the upcoming Marmotte Gran Fondo.
The variability index averaged around 1.02, which is excellent for maintaining steady efforts. However, it would be beneficial to increase the duration and frequency of your Zone 4 intervals. In particular, laps 11-27 showed promising power outputs, especially with laps 26 and 27 peaking at 246W and 111W respectively. Consider structuring your next indoor sessions to include longer intervals at or above your FTP to build endurance in those crucial power zones.*
Overall, keep focusing on building your threshold strength while maintaining good pacing control. This pattern will help you prepare effectively for your ultra-distance cycling goals.”
Notice how Activity Insights:
• Identifies the zone distribution across the entire session
• Recognizes specific laps where performance was strong
• Provides actionable guidance based on upcoming goals
• Suggests specific improvements for the next session
This level of analysis was previously only available through expensive coaching services or spending hours manually reviewing data.
How Different Athletes Benefit from Lap Analysis
Indoor Cyclists and Zwift Riders
Indoor training sessions are naturally structured around intervals. With lap data analysis, Activity Insights can:
• Assess whether you’re maintaining target power across interval repetitions
• Identify if you’re fading on later intervals (a sign of poor pacing or too-high targets)
• Recognize recovery intervals and distinguish them from work intervals
• Evaluate your overall session structure and suggest improvements
Runners Doing Track or Interval Sessions
For runners completing track sessions or structured intervals:
• Analyze pace consistency across repetitions
• Identify whether your pace is dropping on later intervals
• Monitor heart rate response to repeated efforts
• Provide guidance on pacing strategy for future sessions
Cyclists Training for Sportives and Gran Fondos
Long rides often include multiple climbs or varied terrain. Lap data helps Activity Insights:
• Analyze how you performed on each major climb
• Identify whether you paced climbs effectively
• Recognize if you’re recovering properly between efforts
• Assess your ability to maintain power output over long distances
Time Triallists and Triathletes
Consistent pacing is crucial for time trials and triathlon bike legs. Lap analysis reveals:
• Whether you started too hard and faded
• How consistent your effort was throughout
• Where you lost time or gained time
• Pacing strategy improvements for future events
What Activity Insights Can Now Tell You
With access to lap data, Activity Insights provides much more nuanced coaching:
Interval Quality Assessment
“Your first three intervals averaged 285W, but intervals 4-6 dropped to 260W. This suggests your interval target might be slightly too high for the current number of repetitions. Consider reducing the target by 5-10W to maintain quality throughout the session.”
Pacing Analysis
“Excellent pacing control today. Your power output varied by less than 3% across all six climbing intervals, and your variability index of 1.01 indicates very steady efforts. This consistency will serve you well during long sportives.”
Progressive Improvement Recognition
“Comparing to your session three weeks ago, you’re now maintaining higher power in the later intervals. Lap 8 today averaged 245W versus 220W previously—clear evidence your threshold is improving.”
Recovery Monitoring
“Your heart rate took longer to recover between intervals 4-6 compared to intervals 1-3. This suggests accumulated fatigue. Consider adding an extra recovery day before your next high-intensity session.”
Zone Distribution Guidance
“Today’s session spent 45% of time in Zone 2 and 35% in Zone 3, with only 8% above threshold. For your gran fondo preparation, aim to increase Zone 3 time to build sustained power at tempo pace.”
Technical Details: The Data Behind the Insights
Every lap in your activity now includes comprehensive metrics that Activity Insights can analyze:
Power Analysis (for cycling)
Maximum power, average power, and normalized power give a complete picture of your effort. Normalized power is particularly valuable because it accounts for the physiological cost of variable efforts—a crucial metric for structured training.
Heart Rate Distribution
Rather than just average heart rate, Activity Insights sees how much time you spent in each heart rate zone during every lap. This reveals whether your intervals were hitting the intended intensity and how your cardiovascular system responded throughout the session.
Power Zone Distribution
Similar to heart rate zones, power zone distribution shows where your efforts actually fell. You might think you did a “threshold session,” but the data might reveal most of your time was actually in Zone 2. Activity Insights can spot this and provide guidance accordingly.
Intensity Factor and Training Load
These advanced metrics quantify the overall stress of your session. An Intensity Factor above 1.0 indicates you averaged above your FTP (very hard), while Training Load (TSS) measures the total training stimulus accounting for both intensity and duration.
Variability Index
This metric indicates how steady your effort was. A variability index near 1.0 suggests very consistent power output (ideal for time trials), while higher values indicate more variable efforts (typical of criterium racing or group rides with attacks).
Lap Data on the Website
Beyond AI analysis, lap data is now displayed in comprehensive tables on the Map My Tracks website. For every activity with lap data, you can see:
• Complete metrics for every lap side by side
• Easy comparison across laps to spot trends
• All the advanced training metrics in one place
• The same data that Activity Insights analyzes
This gives you both the AI coaching perspective and the ability to dive deep into the numbers yourself when you want more detail.
How to Get the Most from Lap Data Analysis
1. Use Auto Lap Features
Most GPS devices can automatically create laps based on:
• Distance (every km or mile)
• Time intervals (every 5 or 10 minutes)
• Position (each lap of a track or circuit)
• Manual lap button presses
Configure auto lap on your Garmin, Wahoo, or Coros device to ensure your structured sessions are properly segmented.
2. Structure Your Indoor Sessions
When training indoors on Zwift or a smart trainer, use workout mode to create properly structured sessions. Each interval will appear as a separate lap, allowing Activity Insights to analyze the quality of each repetition.
3. Mark Laps During Key Efforts
During outdoor rides, press the lap button at the start and end of climbs, intervals, or other key segments. This helps Activity Insights understand the structure of your training and provide more relevant feedback.
4. Review Both the AI Analysis and the Data Table
Activity Insights provides the coaching perspective, but sometimes you want to see the numbers yourself. Use both the AI feedback and the detailed lap table to fully understand your training.
Privacy and Your Lap Data
Just like all your activity data, lap information remains private. When Activity Insights analyzes your session, the data is sent to the AI for analysis but is not stored or used to train AI models. Your training data stays yours.
What’s Coming Next
Lap data analysis is available now for all Activity Insights users. We’re already working on enhancements including:
Weekly Training Analysis
Aggregate lap data across multiple sessions to identify training patterns over longer periods. For example, “Your threshold intervals have improved by an average of 15W over the past month.”
Workout Comparison
Compare lap-by-lap performance across similar sessions to track your progression on specific workouts.
Goal-Specific Lap Analysis
Enhanced analysis tailored to specific goals like gran fondo preparation, marathon training, or time trial improvement.
Who Benefits Most from Lap Data Analysis?
You’ll get the most value from lap data analysis if you:
• Do structured interval training (indoors or outdoors)
• Train with power or heart rate zones
• Complete track sessions or hill repeats
• Use Zwift or other structured training platforms
• Prepare for sportives, gran fondos, or races
• Want detailed feedback on workout quality beyond simple averages
You’ll still benefit even if you don’t do structured training:
Activity Insights will continue to provide valuable feedback based on your overall activity data. Lap analysis simply adds an extra dimension for those who do structured training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does lap data analysis work for running activities?
A: Yes, Activity Insights analyzes lap data for both cycling and running activities. Any activity with lap data will receive lap-specific coaching feedback.
Q: Do I need special equipment to use lap data analysis?
A: Most GPS devices (Garmin, Wahoo, Coros) automatically create lap data. Activities imported from these devices will include lap information that Activity Insights can analyze.
Q: Is lap data analysis available for free users?
A: Yes, lap data analysis is included in Activity Insights, which is free for all Map My Tracks users.
Q: Can I see my lap data on the website?
A: Yes, activities with lap data display comprehensive lap tables on the Map My Tracks website showing all metrics for each lap.
Q: Will Activity Insights always mention lap data in its analysis?
A: Activity Insights will reference lap data when it’s relevant and adds value to the coaching feedback. For steady-state activities, the overall analysis may be more useful than lap-by-lap details.
Q: Does lap data analysis work with indoor trainer sessions?
A: Yes, this is one of the best use cases. Indoor training sessions on smart trainers typically include detailed lap data that Activity Insights can analyze to provide workout-specific coaching.
Getting Started with Lap Analysis
If you’re already using Map My Tracks with Activity Insights, lap data analysis is automatically available for activities that include lap information. Just complete your next structured training session and Activity Insights will provide coaching feedback that incorporates your lap-by-lap performance.
To ensure your activities include lap data:
• Enable auto lap on your GPS device
• Use workout mode on Zwift or your smart trainer
• Manually mark laps during key efforts
• Import activities from Garmin, Wahoo, or Coros devices
Whether you’re training for your first gran fondo, chasing a marathon PR, or simply trying to make your training more effective, lap data analysis helps you understand what’s working and what needs adjustment.
Your training is more than just averages. With lap data analysis, Activity Insights can finally give you the detailed coaching feedback your structured training deserves.
Download Map My Tracks and experience AI coaching that understands the complete picture of your training: http://www.mapmytracks.com
