Sounds like the perfect college computer science (or whatever) project - for someone to write an app the provides that function (audio feedback for a non sighted rider on a bike trainer.)

You may not get the result for a few months but why don't you email a few universities and suggest the idea, you might be surprised at the result.

Hmm thanks that’s a good idea. I’ve got a few local contacts here too. Thanks, I’ll try that.

All you need is an explanation of the workout. The ERG mode will take care of the rest. I think if you’re blind ERG is a necessity.

If you run a pre programmed workout on a Garmin Edge computer, it gives audio cues for the start and end of intervals (I don't know but I assume the Wahoos do the same).

Run your workouts that way on a erg trainer and you are 90% there. The newer Edge's can sync workouts from TrainingPeaks if that is where you want to build them. At a minimum, that would be a good way to get started with hands on experiments to get some feedback an build out the wish list for your tool.

The Garmins also lets you set audio alarms if you are above or below your target but I have found those to be useless, at least outdoors (never tried that feature indoors) - if you set them narrow, they are always going off and if you set them wide enough you are not always hearing them, they become pointless. Personally, I think that is a very hard way to deal with a target power, bind or not. Erg mode sounds like a much better solution.

How do they "read" webpages and such?
If it's any tech or programs it might help on a workout plan.
Something as simple (easy for me to say) as trainerroad with audio prompts in erg mode might do nicely.
Check with CAF or paralympic groups, probably can get good help there.

The cycling part will probably be pretty easy. All the data is there, it is just getting into sound form. The reading part also may be no harder than getting the appropriate text to speech reader (or just have the coach dictate the workouts and send the descriptions as a .wav file).

My brother in law is paralyzed form the neck down. He constantly has 4 or 5 Word With Friends games going and posts on Facebook several times a day, that is when he is not making phone calls, channel surfing. It is pretty amazing what technology exists to assist the disabled. Everything you want to do that is not directly related to the cycling data devices is fairly routine stuff in the world of computers and the disabled.

I'm in the process of building up a lab with one of our focuses being adaptive recreation. My projects this summer are mostly in the powered mobility space, but I might be able to find some students interested. Feel free to shoot me a PM.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I feel very encouraged by your interest. I'm very familiar with the Training Peaks, the Garmin 520 and Kickr (including ERG mode) and with the Wahoo Fitness app (and its audio progress reporting on a smart phone), and indeed it was the relative integration of these components that got me thinking I could create a system for these VI guys. In turn they all have their smart phones set up to do everything via audio, from creating messages, to reading emails, to finding directions, even to turning on their air con before they get home. It would surely be easy to bring all this together and set them up on smart trainers at home with a coach etc.

It all sounds good, but the devil really is in the detail. Try doing your daily set up with your eyes closed. I was hoping that maybe someone had figured this out somewhere.

Incidentally these VI guys are already heavily involved in para sport here in Australia and I too thought that surely they could tap into a resource here. But they haven't had any luck so far and my suggestion to them of how it could be for them with a smart trainer was greatly welcomed.

I thought the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, with its closer integration with the Kickr (and iPhone) might be the answer. I don't have one, nor do I know anyone close that has one, but I read up all about it and then went to a LBS who sold them and explained what I was trying to do, and asked if I could use a demo one in the shop with the Kickr they had set up in the shop, and the advice of their Wahoo expert. However I quickly found I knew more about the Wahoo/Kickr/Training Peaks/IPhone integration than they did and spent most of my available time that day updating the software on their devices to the latest versions, and got it all working partially but ran out of time. I do think in this set up the Wahoo Bolt is probably offering more relevant functionality than the Garmin, but really I needed to borrow the Bolt for a few days to figure it all out at home with my Kickr and smart phone, but they weren't willing to loan me it, and I didn't want to buy it just to find out. I think an OK set up could be created, but it would probably be very clunky, and have a number of steps where it could all go wrong, totally frustrating the VI athlete.

I think the suggestion that a group of students be asked to work on it is a really good idea. All the components for a system exist, as above, and a small app over the top that integrated them and is voice driven, and has voice output, all running on a smart phone, would create a superb system for VI athletes, worldwide. JDinMA I'll be in touch! Thanks again everyone for your contributions. Nick