Take a ride in virtual universe

Britain's Mark Cavendish, second from left, reacts after winning the first stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour cycling race, in Abu Dhabi, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. (Matteo Bazzi/ANSA via AP)

Britain's Mark Cavendish, second from left, reacts after winning the first stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour cycling race, in Abu Dhabi, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. (Matteo Bazzi/ANSA via AP)

Published Feb 27, 2017

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San Francisco - For decades, cyclists hoping to stay fit through the winter have been presented with the same choice: bundle up and brave the elements or resign themselves to hours of frustration on an indoor training device. Basically, a cyclist can suffer from frostbite or boredom. 

No longer. We live in a marvellous age of technical innovation, where a robot will make tortillas for you or tell you dumb jokes. Cycling, too, has been disrupted by technology: There’s a new generation of “smart” bike trainers and software that merge gaming displays with resistance and rider input. To put it simply, if you want to simulate riding up a Mont Ventoux from your living room, you can.

Zwift isn’t the first company to create digital training software - there are competitors like Peloton, TrainerRoad, and SufferFest - but it’s differentiated itself by adding layers of social gaming to the experience.

The company has created a virtual universe in which riders from all over the world train together in digital harmony. 

“I missed riding with my friends in Central Park,” said founder and chief executive Eric Min.

“I was really trying to re-create that experience in a virtual setting.”

Though Zwift has been in business less than two years, more than a million people have taken the $10-a-month service for a spin.

For this test, I paired the Zwift software with the $1200 Wahoo KICKR smart trainer.

Read also:  How virtual reality can make you more productive

The set-up is fairly simple. Remove your bike’s rear wheel, and mount the frame onto the KICKR via the quick release mechanism.

Then open the Wahoo Utility app and calibrate the KICKR. Finally, open the Zwift software on your computer, iPhone or iPad (Android compatibility is coming soon) and pair the KICKR (along with any cadence or heart-rate sensors) to Zwift.

You’re required to enter some personal data such as your height and weight so the software can accurately calculate your speed in the Zwift universe.

You’re represented in the Zwift world with a customisable avatar (choose your own bike, helmet, sunglasses, jersey, wheels, etc).

I found the optimal set-up to be running Zwift on my computer while using my TV as a monitor.

Then I used the Zwift Mobile Link app on my phone as a remote control to manipulate the software on my computer.

This allowed me to respond to messages from other riders or chart a new course without moving my hands too far from the handlebars.

BLOOMBERG

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