If you are a serious cyclist it's likely that the winter months are pretty frustrating. The weather makes outdoor biking nearly impossible and stationary bikes can be pretty boring.
But winter is about to get a lot better for cyclists thanks to Ottawa bike rider Paul Smeulders, developer of ErgVideo. Smeulders has combined his biking skills with his software-writing and video-editing talent to usher in a winter cycling game-changer and allow cyclists to engage in virtual reality cycling all year-round.
Smeulders hired professional European cyclists to ride courses like the Tour de France routes. Riders wore HD cameras on their helmets and sensors on their bikes to capture a record of their workload. The same thing has been done in bike races and a variety of other routes including some in the Ottawa area.
Cyclists then watch these videos as they ride stationary bikes. The videos tell riders how much energy they need to put out to match the onscreen effort.
"It's a common complaint that being on fixed bike is boring. Guys watch hockey games or movies but there is nothing like getting together with a group of guys and riding and you can do that even in the dead of winter," said cyclist Ron Amos.
Smeulders has partnered with the Computrainer, an American company that provides cyclist training gear. You can order Smeulders' videos and software as a package. It includes a multi-week training program.
