It’s every amateur athlete’s dream. Do sport with the real experts, compete with professionals. This is often utopian, the best are too far away to think about for anyone to have any fun at all. Except in cycling, at least in virtual cycling.
Since the first large virtual cycling platforms came onto the market about ten years ago, an interesting trend has developed: Amateur athletes can not only train alone in their own living room, but also in groups – and even try to keep up with real world stars.
For example with Kasia Niewiadoma. The 30-year-old Polish woman has this year Tour de France of women won. Not only does she ride her bike on Europe’s most spectacular routes, she also occasionally cycles as an avatar on the Zwift platform. “To celebrate my victory in the Tour de France, I organized a group ride. Hundreds of people rode with me in the virtual world of France,” says Niewiadoma.
Jonas Vingegaard, winner of the 2023 men’s Tour de France, has also been out on Zwift with his fans. Mark Cavendish could be found there as well as the Yates brothers. You will meet Zwift Mathieu van der Poel, the 2023 road cycling world champion, and the German Tour de France rider Ricarda Bauernfeind. Lance Armstrong has also invited people to group rides.
Zwift is the most famous and largest platform. It was launched in 2014 and now more than a million people cycle there regularly. Usually around 3,000 are online at the same time. But countless female cyclists also train using apps such as MyWhoosh, FulGaz and Rouvy. For many people, having their own living room has long been a better alternative, especially in autumn and winter. With Zwift and Co. you can ride through blooming landscapes, down fast descents and up high mountains even in dark seasons.
All Zwift members can take part in group rides or races. The professional athletes can be found using a search function in the app. If they are training, anyone can join their ride and follow them virtually. “Many pros announce on social media when they train on Zwift so others can join in and ride with them,” says Niewiadoma. Drivers can exchange ideas via chats and emojis can also be distributed. “I really enjoy the rides with fans. It’s nice to see how happy people are to train with me,” says Kasia Niewiadoma.
However, in order to be able to compete virtually against the top drivers, you need a lot of equipment. Expensive device. The cheapest option are so-called roller trainers, onto which your own racing bike is attached. The rear wheel is firmly clamped into a frame and runs on a roller. However, for a realistic driving experience, more expensive devices, so-called direct trainers, are required. For them, the rear wheel of the racing bike is removed and the chain of the bike is connected to the flywheel of the trainer. The cheapest models cost around 500 euros.
Indoor bikes that completely replace your own and are reminiscent of ergometers from the gym are even more expensive. These super-intelligent variants can simulate climbs, descents and intervals, but they come at a price; the cheapest cost 1,300 euros and the most expensive up to 4,000 euros. You also need a subscription to the app on which you want to compete with others. Zwift, for example, costs 20 euros a month or 200 euros a year. There are a number of accessories in the Zwift shop: tablet holders, game controllers for virtual gear shifting and heart rate monitors. If you want, you can spend a lot of money.
