Peloton Homecoming Keynote 2021 Announcements: Strive Score, Programs 2.0, Scenic Workout Relaunch, Pause Button

Peloton CEO John Foley hosted a keynote address today to kick off Peloton Homecoming 2021. After recapping the past year, he jumped into announcing some new features for members. No new hardware was announced or teased, so people will have to keep waiting for the Peloton rower or Peloton strength device.

Peloton Pause Button Announced

It is finally happening – Peloton is adding a pause button. The pause button will only be available on on-demand rides, and will allow members to pause a workout and pick back up where they left off. John Foley notes it was developed in a way to preserve the integrity of the leaderboard. This feature will be added later this year – exact timing wasn’t provided. We reported in January that Peloton was surveying some members about they they thought a pause button should work.

John Foley announcing a Peloton pause button.
Peloton CEO John Foley announces Peloton is adding a pause button in 2021 during Peloton Homecoming 2021.

Peloton Strive Score

Peloton is also introducing a “Strive Score”, which is a way to compare efforts across workouts, based on your heart rate. This will allow you to track a relative effort for workouts that don’t have power metrics, like bootcamps or strength. The feature is rolling out today for Bike/Tread owners, and “soon” for Peloton Digital Users. This feature was developed with input from the Health & Wellness Council.

Image of the new Strive Score on a Peloton Bike or Tread.
Peloton will be adding a new “Strive Score”, which allows you to track effort across all workout types based on heart rate.

The strive score will only be available for Bike/Tread owners.

Peloton Scenic Rides & Runs Relaunch: Guided Classes, Distance-Based Classes, and Time-Based Classes.

Peloton’s scenic rides & runs are getting a refresh. If you weren’t familiar with them, you can view a full list of scenic rides here, which were licensed and created by a 3rd party. However, Peloton will soon be replacing these with their own custom scenic classes. Peloton will be producing & creating the videos, and selecting the soundtrack. There will be 3 new types of scenic classes: Guided classes, and then distance-based & time-based.

Screenshot of a new Peloton Guided Scenic ride led by Matt Wilpers in Hawaii.
Peloton announced new Guided Scenic Rides. These features instructors out in the real world, with you riding or running with them in locations like Hawaii or Big Sure.
Guided Peloton Scenic Classes

Peloton’s new guided scenic classes will feature a Peloton instructor out in the real world. The Homecoming video showed Matt Wilpers on an outdoor road bike, and Selena Samuela on an outdoor run. These allow you to “join the Peloton instructor out of the studio on an immersive adventure.” The music on these guided classes is curated by the instructor teaching the class, and the instructor will be chatting with you like a normal studio class. The Guided Peloton Scenic classes will take place in locations like Big Sur, Hawaii, New Mexico, and more.

Distance-Based Peloton Classes & Time-Based Peloton Classes

Peloton is also introducing two other options that allow you to customize to your workout – distance-based scenic classes and time-based scenic classes. These are “continuous cinematic experiences” that allow you to ride or run for as long, or as far as you want.

All 3 of these new scenic rides should be available later today.

We first reported in March that Distance & Guided runs were potentially in the works to be added. Yesterday we shared that scenic rides were being removed for Peloton Digital only users.

Peloton Programs 2.0

Peloton is also launching an overhaul of their programs. Before today, programs were simply a list of curated classes, and you would jump in and take the next one as you want. Some of your favorite programs like Total Strength with Andy Speer will be loaded in, and Peloton will be launching new programs well.

Screenshot of a Peloton Program
The overview screen of a new Peloton program.

With Programs 2.0, Peloton is providing more structure to your routine, and giving you a recommended schedule. The interface is completely refreshed and should make it easier to follow the programs. The classes in each program are designed to be followed in a specific order.

Screenshot of Peloton Program in progress.
Image of how a new Peloton program looks in progress.

If you want to retake previous classes, you can, or you can retake an entire program to try to reach higher tiers. You’ll be able to see a scorecard of each program, and of course, there will be badges available.

Screenshot of Peloton Program scorecard.
Scorecard & Badges in a new Peloton Program.

These new programs will be available for all Peloton members, whether they are Bike/Tread owners or Digital only.

We recently reported on two new programs that will likely launch with Programs 2.0. A new bike Power Zone Program called “Build Your Power Zones” and a new tread Couch to 5K program called “You Can Run”

Target Metrics for Peloton Tread & Tread+

A welcome change for Tread owners is that the Tread & Tread+ will now have target metrics shown on the UI. Much like how on the bike you see target cadence & resistance, you will now be able to see a target range for both speed & incline on the Tread & Tread+.

Screenshot of target metrics on a Peloton Tread.
The Peloton Tread will now show target metrics for speed & incline during runs.

In addition, you will be able to preview the class structure of a class using the target metrics before a class.

Peloton Tread target metrics.
With new target metrics, you can view the structure of Tread workouts ahead of time.

Peloton Boxing / Strength / Rower

What wasn’t announced today? Peloton Boxing, Peloton rower or a Peloton strength device.

Watch the Peloton Homecoming 2021 Keynote & Feature Announcements

Missed the keynote? You can watch it embedded below!


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Chris Lewis
Chris Lewis is the creator & founder of Pelo Buddy. He purchased his Peloton in 2018, and uses all the different devices: Peloton Bike, Tread, Row, and Guide. He has been involved in the fitness industry for more than a decade - previously co-founding the websites Mud Run Guide & Ninja Guide. You can find him on the leaderboard at #PeloBuddy.

7 Comments

  • Bob says:

    Peloton ruined the experience. No more scenic routes with leaderboard. No point in riding it.

  • jeff olund says:

    I completely agree that they have ruined Scenic Rides in this rollout. I’m sure they will be adding more content, but right now there is only one 60-minute scenic ride. All the new rides are on roads, but frankly, I preferred the ones on hiking trails (nicer scenery–who wants to stare at a road all the time?), but most importantly, they have eliminated the leaderboard! The leaderboard is what motivates me. I pace against myself, and I pace against others. Yesterday, I rode the 60-min Spanish ride, and whatev. I’m just riding, not striving, because there is nothing to strive against! Why they would remove something like this that is already in the product and working well, I cannot fathom. TERRIBLE design decision. TERRIBLE customer experience.

  • PeloUser says:

    Lots of folks don’t use the leaderboard. The new strive score gives you what to work against as does the zones bar if you have it enabled. But fir people still attached to the fake leaderboard, I’m sure it will return in a modified form as the rollout continues.

  • Jan says:

    Programs: This was a great idea but not sure why they didn’t allow members’ existing completed classes to apply? I was on third week of Crush your Core when they unveiled the change. Now must start over or “skip” each class to get back to where I was and I’m sure many others were further along. Great idea but wish they had considered those mid-program.

  • Dave says:

    Peloton is a joke. When I emailed them about the recent horrible downgrade of the scenic rides, specifically the personal best and leaderboard, their answer was that they wanted to create ‘a non-competitive workout experience’….. haha. I don’t even know what that means. Mine is for sale and I’m buying a Zwift. They embrace competition and not the participation trophy culture peloton is apparently about. Screw this company.

  • SM says:

    If you skip a class in the program one week can you still do it at some point during that week or the following week?

  • Julie Hart says:

    I bought a Peloton for my husband. He loved the competitive aspect of the scenic rides. Peloton eliminating the leaderboard and competitive aspects of the rides is bait and switch and false advertising. Anytime anyone exercises, in anyway, there is a level of competition involved wether it be against yourself or others. Exercise is self-improvement and competitive by nature. The company’s excuse about being “non-competitive” is going against all that they have advertised so vehemently. Class-action lawsuit is where this needs to go if changes are not made.

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