The TBN -Special Edition: RacePal: Shaping the Future of Endurance Training

Yan Busset
Oct 1
4 min read

Read time: 4min.

By Coach Yan Busset

RacePal: Shaping the Future of Endurance Training

In a recent article, I shared my perspective on artificial intelligence. My point was simple: AI is here already, it is changing our lives, and it will shape the future even more. Like many, I’ve been reflecting on what this means for our professions. As coaches, we can either view it as a threat or accept that it’s here and learn how to use it in the best possible way.

At the end of the day, our job as coaches is to solve problems and help athletes reach their goals. Ignoring tools that can help us do that would be like refusing to use a bike computer, a power meter, or even a laptop back when they first appeared. Not using AI, when it clearly has potential, could almost be seen as professional negligence.

A Technology-Driven DNA

Those who know me know that I’ve always been a bit of a triathlon geek. As a kid, I was the one spending hours behind a computer, fascinated by anything that mixed sports and technology. Triathlon gave me an outlet for that passion, because it has always been at the cutting edge of innovation.

I’ve always been an early adopter, from the first power meters, online training platform, online cycling apps, virtual wind tunnel software, motion sensors…the list goes on and on. Technology has always been part of my DNA as both an athlete and a coach.

Why RacePal

Out of curiosity, I’ve explored every AI-driven coaching solution on the market. And to be honest, none of them convinced me. There’s a lot of noise, a lot of marketing, but in the end, the results were disappointing. Nothing that truly matched the standards I would expect, either as a professional coach or as an athlete.

That changed when I was approached by Luc Debaupte and his team. Luc is a software engineer who grew up in a family that was both sporty and technological. His father, ex-Nokia and triathlete, was one of the first athletes I coached when I moved to Finland. From his childhood, Luc was immersed in the triathlon world, and he understands deeply what athletes go through.

When he shared his vision for RacePal, I saw real potential. For the first time, here was a project that could combine the best of both worlds:

• the automatic, adaptive generation of training plans by AI,

• validated and enriched by my coaching philosophy, my human touch, and the proven methods that have worked with hundreds of athletes I’ve coached.

I accepted to become their Lead Coach and Training Framework Architect. My mission is to make sure RacePal produces not just data-driven training plans, but truly athlete-driven ones.

Competition or Complement?

Some might think it’s strange for a professional coach like me to join forces with an app that generates Training Schedules. Isn’t that competition?

Not at all. Seeing it that way would be short-sighted. I don’t see RacePal as a competitor: I see it as a complement.

In Helsinki, I run a training group that is built around community, human connection, and the motivation of training buddies. I also coach one-to-one with a very small pool of athletes. This is the gold standard of coaching: fully custom, handcrafted training with almost weekly or daily feedback and adjustments. But by nature, this model is limited. Sadly, I can’t coach everyone. There are only 24 hours in the day, even if I sometimes wish I could clone myself!

Where RacePal Fits

There are many athletes outside these formats:

• those who self-coach,

• those who patch together plans from the internet,

• those who train in triathlon clubs but don’t have a dedicated coach,

• beginners who don’t know where to start,

• athletes who don’t have the budget or the access to one-to-one coaching.

RacePal is for them.

• It creates training programs that are fit to real life schedules. Life always gets in the way of a rigid training plan, and RacePal can adapt 24/7.

• It is affordable, opening up structured coaching to people who otherwise couldn’t access it.

• It is seamless, with a simple onboarding process and schedule that adapt to any type of athlete and any goal.

For me, this was obvious: the world is moving in this direction anyway. If AI-powered training is coming, then I want to make sure it’s done well, with a coaching philosophy at its core.

The Launch

We are really proud to announce that RacePal v1 is now live. You can download it today directly to your phone, set your goal, and start training with a schedule that adapts to your life.

This is only the beginning, but we believe RacePal will be a game changer for endurance athletes everywhere. And I’m proud to be part of this journey. Because in the end, the mission is always the same: help athletes achieve their goals, enjoy the journey, and cross the finish line with confidence.

👉 Download RacePal v1 now

FOR IOS HERE

FOR ANDROID HERE