Garmin Connect is down: will you lose your ride?

Garmin Connect - the app which syncs rides and acts as a bridge between Garmin cycling computers and platforms like Strava - is suffering an outage, which began on Thursday evening.

It is being reported by ZDNet that the outage follows a ransomware attack. As far as we can see, this has not been confirmed and we've contacted Garmin for further information. However, with Garmin unable to receive emails, or accept calls, we can appreciate it might not be easy for employees to come back to us.

ZDNet also reports that the outage is expected to last for several days.

Messages on the app initially stated that the service was down for "server maintenance".

However, a longer message now reads: "We are currently experiencing an outage that affects Garmin.com. This outage also affects our call centres, and we are currently unabler to receive any calls, emails, or online chats."

It added "we are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for this inconvenience."

The outage affects cyclists using the popular Garmin Edge units, as well as runners, and other athletes who wear the Garmin watches.

Garmin also manufactures Sat Nav devices, lifestyle tracking watches and more. It also produces navigational systems for pilots to use, meaning the effects of an outage could be more consequential than the loss of a few Strava KOM/QOMs.

Will I lose my ride?

If you (like me) recorded an activity last night, the activity will remain on your Garmin device.

If you'd like to upload it manually, simply plug the Garmin Edge into your computer, via the charging port. Locate the device, open the "Activities" file, and you'll be able to select the file in question and upload it directly to whichever app you use.

Some waterproof devices in the range (used for swimming) use a magnetic charging mechanism and cannot plug in, but that does not apply to any Edge computers.

We'll be bringing you updates on this situation as it unfolds.