Strava handed out five App Awards at this week’s Strava Developer Conference, with three apps shortlisted in each category. Strava hasn’t published the results, but I have the slide from the presentation, and three of the five winners are now confirmed.
Image © David Green and the5krunner
Epic Ride Weather won The Toolkit, and its developer, David Green, has announced the award. Strava Receipt from Laurels won The Remix, and 18Birdies won The Rising Stars. The winners of The Slipstream and The Mechanic are not yet confirmed. Most of the logos on the slide carry no name, so please let me know if I have misidentified any of them.
Congratulations to the winners and to all 15 nominees.
Strava App Awards 2026 nominees by category
The Toolkit – best activity planning app
- Epic Ride Weather (winner) forecasts wind, rain, temperature and air quality along your planned route at your own speed, so you can choose the best time and direction to ride.
- Headwind rates how hard your Strava rides were, and how hard your saved routes will be, from local weather data.
- myWindsock maps headwinds and tailwinds along a route, predicts your time based on your power and aerodynamics, and can add a weather report to your Strava activity.
The Slipstream – best productivity app
- Bandók replaces Strava’s default titles, such as “Morning Ride”, with one-liners from films, song lyrics, and puns, and leaves alone any activity you name yourself.
- ActivityFix edits new Strava activities by rules you set, so it can pick the right bike, mark a commute, or rename a group ride based on where you started or which sensors you used.
- Commute Marker recognises your regular commute routes and marks those rides as commutes on Strava.
The Remix – best entertainment app
- Trackrecord records each song you play on a run, along with the mile you heard it, posts the soundtrack to Strava, and lets you listen to what other runners play.
- Strava Receipt (winner) from Laurels turns a run into a shareable shop receipt, with the distance, time and route itemised.
- The English Cyclist turns your Strava rides or GPX files into made-to-order map prints, and also sells posters of famous climbs and races.
The Mechanic – best maintenance app
- mainTrack adds up the distance and hours on each bike and component from your Strava rides, reminds you when a service is due and keeps a log of the work done.
- myBikeBuddy keeps each bike’s service history, component wear and maintenance costs in one place, with mileage imported from Strava.
- ProBikeGarage syncs your bikes and rides from Strava and sends an alert when a part is due for service.
The Rising Stars – best up-and-coming app
- adidas launched a Strava integration in July that gives adiClub members in the US and Canada loyalty points for the runs, walks, hikes and rides they log on Strava.
- 18Birdies (winner) is a golf GPS and scoring app that has shared completed rounds to Strava since June.
- Liftoff is a gym tracker that scores every lift, ranks you from Wood to Olympian and shares your sessions to Strava.
What the shortlist says about Strava
The shortlist covers very different kinds of apps. Some are complex, such as the three Toolkit apps, which combine your route and speed with live weather data. Others do one small job, such as renaming a ride or marking a commute.
Liftoff and 18Birdies point to one of Strava’s likely futures, which is support for more sports. Strava overhauled its strength training features this year, and Liftoff brings gym sessions into the feed. I hadn’t realised Strava supported golf at all until I saw 18Birdies on the slide.
I’ll update and extend this list as more information comes in.
Last Updated on 12 November 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin with any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafing stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable arches, perfect position. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Health, recovery and sleep
- Kineon MOVE+: Red and infrared light for sore knees, Achilles and other joints after hard training. I use it.
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet. Occasional use.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors. I use it.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used. Occasional use.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions. I use both.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Ravemen FR1000: The light and the computer mount in one unit, so nothing else goes on the bars. Better than mine.
- Ravemen FR1500SE: 1,500 lumens hanging under your Garmin, for proper night rides.
- Ravemen FR1100SE: 1,100 lumens under your Garmin, and up to 46 hours on slow flash.
- Ravemen FR500: A brighter FR300 with the same mount.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home via Starling. I use it.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
