The online training platform Rouvy has taken the cycling world by storm: athletes ride real routes filmed on screen, while the Smarttrainer simulates gradients and air resistance in real time. You can find a few tricks here.
At some point, the idea was born: how about using the abundant POV film material from the famous Alpine passes and e.g. the Tour de Suisse as a virtual training ground? The brothers Petr and Jiri Samek, passionate racing cyclists and IT specialists, had already developed and launched a number of digital training aids on the market. The combination of real filmed images and iconic cycling routes with animated digital overlays was to become their most successful invention. The Rouvy App, which we already reported on last year reported, enables a realistic cycling experience, enriched with real-time information that reality does not offer. At Red Bull, we have found a few tricks that we don't want to withhold from you.
The first ride with Rouvy: what you need to know
To be able to use Rouvy with all its advantages, you need a Smarttrainer, i.e. a Indoor BikeIts variable pedal resistance is controlled electronically and in turn transmits speed and wattage values to an app. Because that's Rouvy's speciality: when you go from flat to uphill, pedalling becomes harder, while the landscape passes by more slowly - just like on a real bike.
For this to work, Rouvy connects via Bluetooth or ANT+ with the Smarttrainer. If you have a conventional, analogue roller, you can also use Rouvy - but then you need a speed sensor on the rotating wheel. You also have to manually adjust the resistance on the roller. A prompt appears on the screen when it is time to do so.
It is advisable to download the route before starting. This way, the image always runs smoothly, whereas streaming can sometimes lead to interruptions, which can suddenly take you out of augmented reality.
What you have achieved on Rouvy can be transferred to your own Strava account as well as to various other training apps, e.g. Trainingpeaks, RunKeeper, Ride with GPS etc. The other way round is also possible.
250 AR routes
Around 250 augmented reality routes are available on Rouvy. They offer the full programme: your own avatar is visible, as are other riders, as well as information on the gradient, route and more in the form of animated road signs, archways, barriers, etc. You can choose a virtual training partner for the selected route, either challenging or leisurely.
Train mental toughness
Some Rouvy users report that familiar climbs feel much harder when you ride them on Rouvy. It has to be said that the IT engineers behind the app use physical calculations to get as close as possible to the real load. Even air resistance is taken into account, as well as slipstreaming, provided there are other riders on the track and you have activated drafting in the options. The fact that Rouvy Rides sometimes feel crisper is due to psychological reasons. As realistic as the visualisation on the screen is, you are still fighting your way up the mountain at a standstill. Rouvy therefore trains your mental toughness as well as your legs.
Social Ride: Ride with friends
You can also arrange to meet up on Rouvy. Your buddy is then just a tirelessly pedalling pixel figure, but you can talk on the phone at the same time and enjoy the shared experience. It definitely increases training diligence and motivation when you can see your colleague pedalling on the screen.
The world on your local mountain
Rouvy offers its users the option of uploading their own videos of routes together with GPS data. This way you can show the global cycling community your local mountain or your favourite route. It's a fun experience when you meet an Indonesian on the foothills of the Zurich Oberland or pedalling through the Andes with a Finnish woman.
Ascend with Rouvy - Challenges and training programmes
In addition to routes and race tracks, Rouvy also offers training programmes that help every racing cyclist and every recreational racer to become even better. Various challenges in which you have to ride certain routes provide an extra boost of motivation. If you want more, you can join a training programme in which you climb level by level, with rewards enticing you at each level, such as reduced Rouvy subscription fees or discounts from sports equipment manufacturers.
Source: Redbull / Rouvy
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