Now that the cold weather is round the corner and the icy wind is starting to blowing, itโs time to return to the Pain Cave, where the sun is always shining, the fans are blowing hard and refreshments and the bathroom are close at hand. No flat tires, no mechanicals and no excuses โ itโs time to ramp up the off-season training โ and the Rouvy indoor cycling training app offers over 1500 realistic routes, filmed around the world in high quality video, to help.
There is a highly competitive range of software choices for indoor riding for users of smart trainers and each has its own strengths. I find that the one I use most often is Rouvy, which aims to provide the most immersive experience possible with high-quality videos of real scenery and in the five years I have used it, covering nearly 10,000 virtual kilometers, I have seen considerable changes in the programโs presentation, as well as growth in the community of users.
There are plenty of YouTube videos providing a general description of the Rouvy program, which was launched in 2017 and is headquartered in the Czech Republic. Briefly, it offers videos of real scenery in two formats. The original (โnon-ARโ) videos give you the scenery and, connected to your smart trainer, it provides readouts of your wattage, speed and cadence, along with the gradient, in the upper left side of the screen, while at the bottom it indicates your progress, with distance and climbing completed and yet to come.
Col de la Loze, France
The โAugmented Realityโ videos are where the action is, so to speak. In these, you, the rider, appear on-screen as a computer-generated image on your bike, and you will see other riders as well. This is the format used for racing on Rouvy. The screen appearance with your numbers is the same as the non-AR version. There are also some interesting โOmni 360โ videos where the camera zooms around you, giving a more complete picture of the ride. Some people are not keen on the mix of a computerized avatar with real scenery but I donโt find it distracting.
Over the years Rouvy has worked to upgrade the quality of the videos it uses. They vary as some are originally shot from cars, while others were done from motorcycles or bicycles, Again, some users have commented on flickering on the edges of the images or that cars that appear on the road are slowed down and, again, neither has bothered me and I use a great big screen for the videos.
Furka Pass
I began using Rouvy via a laptop but when I switched to a 46โ monitor connected to the laptop via an HDMI cable it made my workouts far more enjoyable. I have seen that some Rouvy users are riding with laptops or even cellphones and I would consider this very demotivating. The reason is that the great strength of Rouvy is the immersive experience of riding in the Real World and maximizing that image as much as possible adds enormously.
Between the non-AR and AR routes, Rouvy offers something like 50,000 kms of roads (and off-roads too) around the world. I have done virtual rides on in throughout Europe, including most of the great iconic climbs of the Giro and the Tour de France, along with many of the hellingen of Flanders, but also rides in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Vietnam and even Raratonga in the Cook Islands. You can (virtually) ride the Las Vegas Strip at night or climb the Sa Calobra Pass on Mallorca. Want to ride the Stelvio? It is available to climb from Prato. Or Bormio. Or Sta. Maria.
This reality makes Rouvy fundamentally different from the applications that come from the video game direction. If you are considering specific rides, it is a good way to familiarize yourself with a route you will someday ride In Real Life. I have tried a number of videos of rides I have actually ridden and enjoyed reliving the experience. It is a strange that I can ride my usual 45 km training route in the comfort of the Pain Cave today while just across the river it will be actually buried in snow until April.
In addition to races, Rouvy offers a regular opportunity to participate in particular challenges, which are usually a series of four or five rides to complete in a given time. These will get you points, which will eventually allow you to buy different virtual bicycles, and allow you to move up in class. This is pretty much the limit of Rouvyโs โgameification,โ since moving up in class makes no difference except for bragging rights when you finally become a โLegendโ at Level 80. I am not even sure the bicycles make much of difference either, although I do use the Specialized Shiv on flat routes and the Cervelo S5 on climbs. Lots of jerseys to choose from as well, including some nifty ones for Halloween, Christmas or Valentineโs Day.
Las Vegas
As an example of a Rouvy Challenge, GCN recently prepared a video in which presenter Oliver Bridgewood did the three big climbs of the โThree Hill Hell with GCN Challenge,โ doing the Stelvio, Mont Ventous and the Grossglockner on the same day. For the Challenge you can ride the climbs one at a time and in any order you like as long as you have completed them all before January 14th. To indicate how hard these are, Olliver took something like five hours to do the rides.
In the past, Rouvy has partnered with race organizations to showcase routes that are actually used in the races. As someone who loves riding in Switzerland, I am made very happy by some excellent videos of the Swiss Triathlon series, the Tour de Suisse, and the TorTour amateur event. In 2023 Rouvy featured sections of each of the five stages of the Tour of the Alps, so each day after watching the real race I then did my own TotA. 2023 also saw a very extensive collection of Vuelta a Espaรฑa rides for that year, with challenges ranging from โtranquiloโ to just brutally hard and not to be underestimated. Riding indoors for hours and putting out the watts is effective to maintain your fitness and can be a fulfilling thing. I tell myself.
Given how many kilometers of road there are, it is not surprising that sometimes you will find yourself all alone on the ride. The developers at Rouvy have paid attention and can assuage your loneliness by providing virtual riders to accompany you, if you want. Ranging from a single rider to a whole peloton of eleven, they seem pretty matched to your speed. I generally ride with Imaginary Will, Peter and Emma who, unlike my friends, do not drop me when I stop but just wait a bit up the road. On the other hand, they do sometimes sprint unexpectedly to beat you at the finish line after sitting in your draft for ages. Much like my friends.
Sella Ronda on Rouvy
Recently Rouvy made major changes to the user interface, making it much more attractive and easy enough to navigate, considering how much there is to do in this Virtual World. Users on the home page see which bike they are using, their rider level, recommended rides, rides to finish, challenge routes and some workouts as well. The workouts are a recent addition and while I have tried them I prefer using a different app which is more training-specific. There is also a good search function that lets you pick rides based on distance, elevation gain, or region, among other factors.
For those looking for an indoor cycling experience that offers visual realism, a vast choice of routes, and fulfilling challenges, as well as the chance to scout out roads you really want to ride In Real Life, Rouvy can be highly recommended.
Grossglockner
There are different plans available for your Rouvy subscription. There is even a group rate for five riders, so even if your friends drop you, you can save some money with them.
Use this link to sign up for Rouvy and PEZ receives a small commission: www.rouvy.com
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