Strava’s latest acquisition hints at its bold new vision for athletes

Strava, the world’s biggest social network for athletes, is quickly transforming into something much more powerful.

Today, it announced the acquisition of The Breakaway, a Y Combinator-backed cycling training app focused on personalised coaching, ride analysis and achievement tracking.

This follows hot on the heels of Strava’s recent purchase of Runna, a popular training app for runners, and signals a clear shift in strategy for the platform.

According to Strava CEO Michael Martin, the new acquisition is all about giving cyclists more value: “Jordan Kobert, Kyle Yugawa and team have built a brilliant app for cyclists who want to improve and achieve their cycling targets, making it a perfect fit for the Strava subscription,” he said in a press release.

“When Strava was founded more than 16 years ago, it was created initially for cyclists – these users remain important members of our global community, and we are excited to enhance their experience.”

Strava claims cyclists who connect their accounts to The Breakaway upload twice as many activities compared to regular users.

That kind of engagement is gold dust for a company betting big on subscriptions.

More than maps and kudos

Strava has been busy in 2025. Alongside acquiring Runna and now The Breakaway, it’s launched a suite of features aimed at serious athletes: AI-powered route suggestions, deeper activity insights, and even “Athlete Intelligence” – a tool that helps you understand how different elements of your life impact your training.

These changes all point in one direction: Strava wants to be more than a place where you log your workouts. It wants to be the platform that drives your progress.

By integrating third-party innovations and supporting an open API, Strava is expanding its ecosystem in the same way Apple or Garmin might, with modular, personalised upgrades that keep you coming back.

So what does this mean for you? If you’re a cyclist who wants structured training without jumping between multiple apps, Strava’s upcoming integrations might soon turn it into your one-stop coaching hub.

Runners are already seeing the benefits of Strava’s Runna partnership. With The Breakaway on board, expect cyclists to be next.

Strava’s no longer just about kudos. It’s about performance. And if this trend continues, the app that once helped you track a ride could soon help you plan your next PB.

You can sign up for Strava for free.