Many athletes import their last ~3 months of Strava data when starting a trial. After subscribing, you may want to sync more of your historical training so Xert can:
- Build a deeper understanding of your long-term progression (XPMC “Forever/Year”)
- Improve modeling context, especially if you had major training blocks or key races in the past
- Make it easier to reference older rides, benchmarks, and fitness trends
This guide shows how to pull in additional older Strava activities at any time.
Quick Answers
- Where to do it: Sync → Strava page.
- How it works: Unsynced activities in the selected time range are shown. Use the checkbox to select activities and click 'Sync' to request the activities from Strava.
- How far back can I sync? You can import up to 3 years of historical activities from Strava using the Custom Range date picker.
- Will this create duplicates? It can if you also import the same rides from Garmin/Zwift/etc. Xert does detect duplicates & will automatically hide these, if detected.
Step 1 — Confirm Strava is Connected
- Log in to Xert at www.XertOnline.com
- Head to Sync → Strava
- Confirm your Strava status shows Connected
- If not connected, click Connect to Strava and approve permissions
Step 2 — Import Older Unsynced Strava Activities
Use the Strava sync page to pull older rides that haven’t been imported to Xert yet.
- Go to Sync → Strava
- Above the data table, use the Custom Range to display older unsynced activities (up to ~3 years back):
- Tap Start Date, then End Date, then Apply
- Xert will query Strava for that time range and populate the table. This may take some time, depending on your number of activities in that time range.
- Select activities using the Checkboxes (or use Select All at the top)
- Click Sync to import the selected activities into Xert. Depending on the number of activities, this can take some time for Xert to import and process all your activities.
Recommended way to import more history
To keep your history clean and avoid bad data skewing your Fitness Signature:
- Import in 3-6 month batches, then quickly review for obvious data issues
- Repeat until you've imported the history you want
Tip: If you’re importing years of history, smaller batches make it easier to spot corrupted files (power spikes, etc.)
Step 3 — Confirm the Import
After syncing, check:
- Activities list/table — Dates and activity counts should increase
- XPMC — Try switching to Year or Forever to see the bigger trend
Note: If you notice significant changes to your fitness signature after importing older activities, review activities with unexplained breakthroughs or contact our support team for help.
Related Article: How to Verify Your Fitness Signature — and what to do if it seems wrong
Activity Duplicates
Some of your past rides may already be in Xert if the activity already synced from another source (Garmin, Zwift, Wahoo, etc.). If you import the same ride again via Strava, Xert may detect it as a duplicate and automatically hide it.
Best practice:
- Use Strava for historical backfill when needed
- Connect Xert to primary data sources (Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, etc.) going forward for new activities
Related: Integrations Overview & Data Flow
Related: Activity Management [link]
Troubleshooting
I don’t see any older activities listed to sync
Most common reasons:
- You already imported them (or they came from another source)
- Activity type filters are excluding them
- Your Strava permissions were changed/revoked
Fix checklist
- Confirm Strava is still Connected in Sync → Strava
- Check your activity type filters (if applicable)
- Try syncing a small test activity
- Disconnect/reconnect Strava to refresh permissions
Only Some Activities Imported
Some activities may be excluded due to:
- Date or Activity Type Filters
- Strava API limitations or temporary unavailability. Wait an hour and try again.
Try importing a smaller range first and expand gradually.
Should I keep “Sync New Strava Activities to Xert” enabled?
It depends on your setup:
- If Strava is your primary activity hub, you can leave it on. Allow your training apps & devices to sync directly to Strava & have Strava send the activities to Xert.
- If you wish to sync directly to Xert from Garmin/Zwift/etc., consider turning it off to reduce chance of duplicate files
Related Resources
- Xert + Strava Integration
- Integrations Overview & Data Flow
- Activity Management [link]
- How to get Breakthrough & Workout Reports to show on Strava [link] (great add-on once users enable Xert → Strava)
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