What is CycleLytic?
A cycling dashboard built on one idea: a 40-mile ride on the flat and a 40-mile ride in the mountains shouldn't be averaged together. CycleLytic sorts every ride into five terrain tiers by climbing per mile (flat, rolling, hilly, very hilly, mountain) and tracks speed, power and heart rate separately for each, so a hilly ride is compared with your other hilly rides.
Rides come in from Strava, Hammerhead, Suunto or ROUVY, and the phone app (iPhone and Android) can record rides itself, with GPS plus heart rate and power from Bluetooth sensors, then play them back in 3D over the terrain. Recording needs no Strava account. From Strava it reads the activities you've set to Everyone or Followers, not ones set to Only You, per its privacy policy.
The other Strava piece is an add-on called Wind & Weather. If you turn it on, CycleLytic also asks for Strava's write permission (Strava labels it "Upload your activities") and uses it, as documented, only to add a short note under your own description on each new ride.
Key Features
Terrain tiers
Every ride is classified by climbing per mile, and power, speed and heart rate trends are kept per tier. The Pro plan adds power and heart rate zones, training load and full history search.
Ride detail
Power, heart rate and cadence over time, an elevation profile linked to the map, zone distribution, TSS and Intensity Factor, plus the day's wind and temperature with an estimate of what the weather cost you.
Segments and routes
Your Strava segment efforts plus custom segments you draw yourself. You can compare every attempt, replay a ride or segment, and fly a ride in 3D over the terrain in the phone app.
Wind & Weather note
Each new Strava ride gets a few lines at the end of its description: wind speed and direction, the estimated time it cost you, temperature and sky, the headwind, tailwind and crosswind split, the toughest headwind stretch and the terrain tier. The note links to a page with a map of where the wind hit. That page is open to anyone with the link, shows your first name and the route with the first and last 500 m hidden, and isn't listed in search engines. It works on new rides only.
Community and clubs
Follow other riders, comment, and share a read-only dashboard link with a coach. Clubs get a page, a calendar and a newsletter, ride announcements with RSVPs (emailed to the members who want email), challenges, and a leaderboard that compares riders on terrain. Every Monday there's a weekly winners digest, ready to paste into the newsletter. Riders join free and the Strava club stays where it is. A demo club is open to look at without an account.
Who It's For
- Riders in hilly places whose average speed swings with the route more than with their fitness
- Anyone who wants the wind on their Strava ride without opening another app, for $9.99 a year
- Club organizers who want a page and a leaderboard without moving the club off Strava
Does CycleLytic connect to Strava?
Yes. You connect Strava and it imports your ride history and new rides as they arrive. The privacy policy says it reads activities visible to everyone or to your followers, with their data streams, matched segments and photos, and your profile basics. Rides set to Only You aren't read.
Does it write anything to my Strava rides?
Only if you turn on Wind & Weather. Then it adds a note below your own description on new rides, which the site says is never changed, and you can switch it off in Settings. The App Store description says it never writes to your Strava account, and the terms (last updated May 2026) say it doesn't modify or post data on the provider's side; the newer privacy policy and the Wind & Weather page describe the opt-in note. The note sits on the ride itself, so your followers see it too.
How much does it cost?
Free covers the activity feed, ride details and community features. Pro is $3.50 a month or $36 a year on the web, with the first three months free and Wind & Weather included. Wind & Weather on its own is $9.99 a year after 10 free rides. The phone app is free to download on iPhone and Android, and the App Store lists in-app purchases at $3.59 and $35.49.
Is there an Android app?
Yes. The app is free on Google Play (Android 7.0 or later) as well as the App Store (iOS 15.1 or later), and the web app works in any browser.
