Yeah, I did a virtual Tour de Cure last year because our closest Tour de Cure ride died of Covid. The only one left in Texas is in Fort Worth which is 170 miles for me. That would likely require an overnight stay if not 2 which would draw on money I could donate. The one in Waller which is about halfway between Houston and me drew great crowds and raised lots of money. Houston to Ft Worth is 260 miles.. I rather be riding in my red riider jersey with the family, friends and other red riders than doing it on my own wherever I am. But I got a new jersey.
The best substitute for virtual I can find is off site.. It is not perfect but much better than virtual. Now if one was running on a dreadmiill or stationary bike virtual glasses that place you in the middle of the real event, that would be a virtual ride,run.
@Eric I do have a virtual component in my stationary cycling using a smart trainer controlled by an app Zwift. Some use it for races and group rides. They have a running app for dreadmills but I donāt think any of those devices are smart, able to charge inclines. Havenāt tried it but might make running in place more interesting.
There are multiple routes London, Yorkshire, Scotland, fictitious Japanese islands and Watopia.
iFit used to have a subscription where you could create any workout you wanted. You could map a course and put in the inclines just as they exist on the actual road. And you could put in pre-programmed speed, including any speed changes you wanted to have. It was really nice.
They changed it a few years ago, and you canāt do that anymore.
For cycling, it would be cool to create an immersive video experience. Like the 3D ārollercoastersā you sit in. You could put in inclines, and crosswinds or headwinds, and temperature changes, and all kinds of stuff.
All of it inside a ācontainerā that surrounds you. It would cost a fortune, but it would be possible.
Except a stationary bike is not the same as far as riding mechanics. Things like the side-to-side movement on a real bike just donāt match up. There is a lot of work to do there.
And I donāt think you could ever get g-forces on a stationary bike, no matter how much technology you threw at it.
This is my stationary bike connected to a smart trainer that varies resistance for inclines and descents. It is mounted on a rocker panel which gives side to side motion. I did not get the 3rd panel which does fore and aft motion. The rocking really makes it more comfortable. Your weight shifts a bit on the saddle.
My first smart trainer was a NEO TACX that had a feature of vibration to stimulated rough road conditions. It also had a bit of sway, Not as much as this rocker panel.
The fans are necessary to prevent drowning in sweat. When you ride on the road there is always wind in your face, even with a tail wind.
Thereare quite a few apps available, but like streaming service on can blow their budget up with these thing. Zwift is good enough for me.
Edited to add the picture donāt know what happened
