In January, CycleOps partnered with Trek Factory Racing to put their pro riders on the PowerBeam Pro and SuperMagneto Pro trainers and CycleOps VirtualTraining software. The benefit to them is the software lets them practice for future race courses regardless of physical location. The benefit for us is we’ll start seeing some of their rides pop up for our own training fun.
How? Their VirtualTraining software lets riders upload GPS and ride data for others to stream. And that’s what they plan on doing with some of the pros’ real rides.
“We have two new routes online now from their training camps in Mallorca, and streaming for the iPad goes live this week,” says Saris Cycling Group’s marketing man Tim Staton. “We have plans to release several of the training rides for the Spring Classics, too. We’re looking at ways to put a camera on the chase car for race day and capture GPS data to recreate race courses so it’s like you’re riding with the team, but we’re still pretty early in the partnership. Right now, there’s enough chaos on race days without us trying to capture data separately!”
As for mirroring actual rides from certain top level riders, both parties are considering it, but Staton says it can be a touchy subject when making power profiles public from folks like Cancellara. Obviously there are strategic advantages to keeping that sort of data private.
In other news, updates to the Windows desktop program and iOS app, along with a new Android app, are coming late February to allow subscribers to race head to head virtually. No Mac desktop version yet, but it’s on their to do list…it’s just that tablets took priority.
