New leak of the Garmin wristband competing with Whoop: it could be the most expensive on the market

Garmin seems to be on the verge of fully entering the realm of screenless tracking bands, a segment that has gained significant traction among cyclists and endurance athletes in recent years, largely due to the commercial and media push from Whoop. What began months ago as an accidental leak on Garmin's own website has just taken a new turn with the emergence of its potential retail price.

The Garmin Cirqa Smart Band could be the rival to the Whoop band

The first leak occurred in early 2026, when several regional Garmin websites briefly displayed a product page for the so-called Cirqa Smart Band before quickly taking it down. Some users managed to capture the information, which was enough to confirm that it was neither a watch nor a bike computer, but rather a screenless wristband, in line with the concept popularized by Whoop.

That initial leak revealed several interesting details. Garmin described a device designed for continuous monitoring of physiological parameters and recovery, available in two sizes (S/M and L/XL) and two colors (black and gray). Additionally, the listing showed an estimated shipping time of “4–5 months,” placing its potential launch between late spring and early summer 2026.

Now a second leak has emerged, resolving one of the major remaining unknowns. The Ukrainian store Stylus Store mistakenly published a product listing for the Garmin Cirqa with a price of 22,399 UAH, about 470 euros at the current exchange rate. It also lists a supposed pre-sale promotional price of 19,999 UAH, equivalent to about 420 euros.

RECOMENDADO

Why do most cyclists wear their glasses outside their helmets?

Why modern cyclists are spending less and less time standing while climbing

Cherry juice: the mysterious red drink that cyclists drink at the end of each stage

The time of day you train can affect your performance on the bike

This is how the UCI put a stop to the most radical revolution in bicycle design

Over €2,000 for winning an intermediate sprint and over €10,000 for winning the stage: all the prize money for the 2026 Giro

If these figures are confirmed, the Garmin Cirqa would likely become the most expensive screenless fitness tracker on the market, even surpassing many of the brand’s own advanced sports watches.

Among cyclists, these bands have become particularly visible due to Whoop's intense sponsorship campaign, as the brand is the main sponsor of the MTB World Cup, and is already part of the usual image of figures like Mathieu van der Poel. It is now common to see Van der Poel competing, in any discipline, with a Richard Mille watch worth over €300,000 in one hand and his Whoop band in the other.

Although one of its main criticisms is that they add little value for those who already use advanced sports watches. However, these screenless bands are very appealing to those who train with cycling computers but do not want to wear sports watches throughout the day or at night, thus losing key information about rest, stress, or training adaptation.

One of the strengths traditionally associated with Whoop is precisely its sleep tracking. Many users who have compared it to smartwatches agree that the wristband provides more consistent sleep metrics, especially in detecting sleep stages and analyzing nighttime recovery—a key factor for high-intensity sports like cycling.

Additionally, the trademark application filed by Garmin in the United States describes the Cirqa as a “non-medical and non-therapeutic” wearable device designed to monitor physical and emotional stress, alertness, performance, and various biometric signals related to recovery.

A key question remains unanswered. It is not known what price it will have or if Garmin will opt for a subscription model, following Whoop's path, or if it will maintain its traditional one-time payment philosophy. The recent introduction of advanced features under Garmin Connect+ opens the door to both possibilities, but the leak did not contain any clear reference in this regard.

If confirmed, the Cirqa Smart Band would represent a coherent step within Garmin's strategy. And for many cyclists, it could be the missing piece to close the loop between training, rest, and performance, without the need to sleep with a bulky watch on their wrist.