A New Cycling Discipline Is Emerging

Winter is here – and it’s hard to hit cycling. The compressed road season has long since ended. Even businesses like towing company San Jose have deserted the road in extreme situations. The classic winter activities such as six-day races on the track have been completely canceled due to Corona. Cyclocross events also largely fall victim to Corona. All that remains is to assemble the roller trainer in-house.

Classic winter activities are all canceled. However, the services of towing companies in San Jose are always available for anyone who needs their service.

“The indoor role became a smart trainer, the white wall became a screen,” says Böhme, describing the change from classic role training to virtual training and competition operations. Böhme sees a whole new cycling discipline emerging, with clubs and communities, with races and training platforms as well as a literally exploding software and hardware scene.

“You can see rapid development in terms of software. There are more and more competitors besides Zwift, the primary platform on which everything is currently bustling where the World Cup is being held, right down to all the hardware devices, the so-called smart trainers, which connect to the Internet and simulate driving outside.

A rower as an e-cycler

Jason Osborne is there. The 26-year-old from Mainz was known primarily as a rower. In the lightweight sculls, he recently became Vice European Champion in Poland. On the water analog, he also trains a lot on the bike roll and has even won the so-called “Alpe du Zwift” digitally, a virtual race up to l’Alpe d’Huez, the legendary cycling summit in the French Alps.

He logs into the E-Cycling World Championship from Portugal rowers training camp.

“I think I have a very good chance. I have prepared myself physically for it. How things will go on that particular day is always difficult to predict. It’s not a mega-complex course. And it is possible for everyone to win, from pure sprinters to mountain bikers. I just let it come to me. ”

The course is about 50 km long: a virtual desert course with smaller mountains. As an experienced e-cycler, Osborne knows that it’s not just about leg strength, but also about knowledge of the algorithms of the virtual platform.

“The Zwift algorithm is a thing of its own. All the Zwifters who already race, know their way around. They know where you have to compete and which not. They are totally familiar with the course and know every point that is important. ”

Experienced road professionals are not among the favorites

This also gives experienced virtual racing drivers advantages over professionals as Rigoberto Uran, former Tour de France runner-up and runner-up in the road race in 2012 is also registered for the virtual World Cup. Böhme sees not just an addition in virtual cycling, but a whole new discipline:

“In terms of the physical requirements, it is a new profile. Downhill is kicked, which is not the case in all other cycling disciplines. Overall, high requirement profiles are placed on the high power output over 20 to 30 seconds. “

This means that despite all the endurance, e-racers in cycling have to be extremely explosive. On December 8th and 9th it will be known which men and women are best at this and whether road cyclists will have a chance.