I wouldn’t worry too much about other people getting faster by using TR, they still have to follow through
If you’re training to compete against your friends then they probably do their own training in secret too.
More likely, like most people that use TR, you train to get faster. Faster than you’ve been last season.
That’s why it doesn’t matter if your friends are also faster.
Compare your efforts to you from the past.
You will always be better AND worse than other people. That can only lead you to insecurities.
More likes on FB, Instagram, more followers, etc. Break that self destructive circle and try to be better than that
Honestly expected TR designers to come up with something more like what dr3do mentioned above as I was reading through this.
Making a dedicated link for referrals would help with a few things:
- You can make the notification red when new info there is unread, gray when it’s been read.
- It brings attention to the fact that there ARE referrals available to you to use, without being obtrusive, and again…it’s a subtle reminder.
Personally, I didn’t mind the red, I know why it’s there and it’s a reminder for me. I use reminders constantly, but I realize it could be annoying to some.
Since all of you that hide your rides and don’t want to share your training are competing for world titles, I understand why you might not want to share. 
If you are not willing to help your friends then I’m not willing to you you either
There are thousands of other cyclists in your area that you are competing against, more so than your “friends”.
Totally false. It absolutely matters.
It’s like saying it doesn’t matter if you lose at Risk or Monopoly…total destruction and world domination are the only way forward.
(Says the guy with a 280 FTP…)
Oh come on, it’s a small Red Icon on a screen.
We should applaud TR (Nate) for being so responsive to this forum but also be careful. I want the designers to spend all their time making / developing / improving features that make us faster.
Come to think of it, we should want the Red Icon larger, people will give away the referrals to get rid of it, resulting in more sign ups, more TR revenue, more “go faster” features 
totally agree! I hope my post didn’t come off the wrong way, I’m in favor of it being a visible part of the app that draws attention but also can be considered unobtrusive for those that make a big deal out it.
The Strava promoted content annoys me more than this little red icon does.
I’m trying to send my referrals to friends and family that I want to be able to keep up with me, I want more people to ride with! And as far as hiding the workouts on Strava, I hang them all out there for the world to see. Winter is a great time to sow seeds of doubt in your group
No, not at all, let’s just give TR a hard time about stuff that makes us faster. 
I like how the initial forum and calendar “New” icons were implemented. They were there for a short period of time. Long enough that everyone knew they were there, but they later disappeared. Was that after a certain number of page visits?
Nah, just about 30 days.
@Nate_Pearson is there a way to send a referral as a text rather than an email? For most of my friends I only text and don’t have their email.
We hear you on that one, we toned down the big red number.
Now its a much less visually assaulting grey
I find it still too disturbing, TBH. My suggestion
hasn’t been considered. Therefore I went this
route.
No, we don’t have that ability 
.
You could have a button to generate a unique link for a referral and someone can text the link. It wouldn’t be quite as manageable on TR’s end. E.g., I suppose you’d use-it-or-lose-it after generating the link so people don’t have unlimited invites, etc. But seems doable.
so @Nate_Pearson - slightly different issue with the referral program. Giving 1 month of training doesn’t allow a new user to see their gains in that time. By giving 2 months…or 7 weeks…it would allow you to get through one SSB 6 week cycle and then do a ramp test starting the 2nd 6 weeks. Boom, power gain and how could you possibly give up on that training program?
Just a thought.
Along the same lines, I can see a few competitors in Strava (and I can see that they’re using Zwift), but I don’t know their email addresses or phone numbers. Do you have a way to give a referral to someone in Strava who is interested?
I also hide my TR workouts on Strava.
But I do give away my free months to people. My sister, this masters triathlete (I am not a triathlete, nor a masters athlete), a friend who lives quite far away…I don’t think any of them have actually tried it. I am constantly telling coworkers about TR, but haven’t given any of my months to them because (a) they said they weren’t interested or (b) they are strictly commuters and have no trainer. I am hesitant to helping my competition at least for this next (first) season. Maybe after I go off the front next summer, like @batwood14, will I reveal my secret.
I do like how the referrals keep replenishing. Now I just need to get people to use them! I 
the TR product and podcast and think they are doing a fantastic job!