Cast for two

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Adding virtual power to your Tacx T2600 workout using Python

In previous post 'Adding virtual power to tcx for Tacx' I talked about adding virtual power to your trainer workout. Today I made a Github repository with a Python program for doing that: vpower

What is needed to be able to add power ? First, you must record your speed during the workout. The power is specifically for the Tacx Blue Motion T2600. This model is not for sale anymore, but the Tacx Blue Motion 2650 is:


The lever for the manual resistance control must remain on the same position during the workout. I leave mine in position 5 and use my gears to alter the workload during the workout.

I use my Garmin 810 for recording but any cycling computer will work probably as well. The result from my Garmin 810 is a FIT file that I normally submit to Strava. If you want to add virtual power, you must do following steps before submitting to Strava:

  1. Obtain a TCX file with speed during the workout: In case of a Garmin, I convert the FIT file of my workout to TCX (I use Garmin Training Center for that, but unfortunately Garmin does not offer it anymore for download).
  2. Process the TCX file with the vpower.py program from the vpower repository. The result is an altered TCX file with power included. The added power element are derived from the speed you were riding at a certain moment during your workout. It is assumed that you did not altered the lever for the manual resistance control during the workout. Since the lever of the Tacx T2600 is purely mechanical, it can not be recorded by your cycling computer during the workout.
  3. Upload the altered TCX file to Strava.

Why do I use TCX and not GPX? GPX has no extensions for power at this moment.

The linear formula to determine power from speed is based on following drawing:
Suppose that your lever for manual resistance control is at position 5 and your riding at 30km/h, your power is then a little less then 250 Watt.


13 comments:

Priya Kannan said...

Inspiring writings and I greatly admired what you have to say , I hope you continue to provide new ideas for us all and greetings success always for you..Keep update more information..
Python Training in Chennai

eu4 console commands said...

for training purposes, as long as the power data is consistent than it shouldn't matter I would think. If it said 100w and you trained on the same device and trained at 90w (ftp) you would be getting a good workout. Let me know if that makes sense.



xcom 2 cheat said...

Hi, Useful review thanks. I bought one of these about a year ago and have had a bit of a nightmare with it. My thought was to use my MTB on it just to keep my cardio up. First problem MTB tyres are just too noisy on the trainer, not a problem just get a training tyre Tacx do one, problem is they don't make it to fit the tyre size, also struggled to find an inner tube to fit it as they don't do one, after looking at the problem online I did what others had done and basically got the tyre to fit - all good. Next problem was the range of adjustment provided by the two holes - neither really fitted my wheel size (27), never mind just get it to work again so I did, however under load the tyre slipped on the roller. Not a problem Ill just re adjust it using the adjustment wheel, turned it a little bit more and it came away from the internal fitting lol. Now struggling (really struggling) to put it all back together properly. My experience has been of my own making the item is well made and had I just used a road bike I think would have been really simple and would have served me well. Good luck and happy travels :-)
Show less

xcom 2 console cheats said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
xcom 2 cheats said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dipanwita said...

Whoever thought of a workout using Python. Thank you immensely for this blog post. Enjoyed it thoroughly. python training in Chennai

Praylin S said...

Awesome post with great piece of information. Thanks for sharing with us.
Unix Training in Chennai | Unix Shell Scripting Training in Chennai | Unix Course in Chennai | Unix Certification Courses | LINUX Training in Chennai | Excel Training in Chennai | Wordpress Training in Chennai

priya rajesh said...

Excellent and useful blog, share more like this.
Python Training in Chennai
Python course in Chennai
ccna Training in Chennai
AWS Training in Chennai
DevOps Training in Chennai
Angularjs Training in Chennai
RPA Training in Chennai
UiPath Training in Chennai
Blue Prism Training in Chennai

nikitha josh said...


I read the post and I have really enjoyed your blogs posts.
Aviation Courses in Chennai
air hostess institute in chennai
Airport Management Training in Chennai
Ground staff training in Chennai
medical coding institute in chennai
fashion designing courses in chennai part time
Interior design courses in Chennai

sudhan said...

Pretty blog, i found some useful information from this blog, thanks for sharining the great information.
Cyber Security Training Course in Chennai | Certification | Cyber Security Online Training Course | Ethical Hacking Training Course in Chennai | Certification | Ethical Hacking Online Training Course | CCNA Training Course in Chennai | Certification | CCNA Online Training Course | RPA Robotic Process Automation Training Course in Chennai | Certification | RPA Training Course Chennai | SEO Training in Chennai | Certification | SEO Online Training Course

Sages Marketing said...

Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget
Money Gadget

Mrbk30 said...

Very Informative blog thank you for sharing. Keep sharing.

Best software training institute in Chennai. Make your career development the best by learning software courses.

best blue prism training in chennai
android course in chennai
power bi training in chennai
Docker Training in Chennai

iteducationcentre said...

Great blog.
Python training in Pune