Virtual reality system brings outdoors indoors for winter cycling
Since 1997, I've done some of my winter riding indoors.
Sounds boring, you say?
Not with a Computrainer Pro virtual reality system. I bought one that winter and it is essentially a physiology lab in your home, measuring your heart rate, power output (in watts), calories burned, and pedal strength for each leg (every 15 degrees of rotation), along with several other categories. Unlike a lab, however, this is truly fun.
The heart of this system is a powerful magnetic resistance motor that is controlled by a computer. You mount the rear wheel of your outdoor bicycle into the U-shaped frame, and a friction roller contacts your tire to simulate up to a 15 percent mountain climb.
Once connected to your PC, the system comes to life. You can choose among pre-programmed accurate representations of real-life courses, or design your own dream course. Once the course is picked, your opponent can be either the computer, another human (with a second Computrainer), or you can race against a previously saved performance. Tell the system the height, weight, and gender of yourself and your opponent, and you're ready to go.
In the 3D version of the system, you start the race side by side with a chrome representation of your opponent, and a Lycra-clad version of you. The scenery is gorgeous, with mountains, grass, trees, and a smooth, winding road ahead of you. The sun casts shadows from both the trees and the riders. After the "3-2-1" countdown, you both hit the pedals hard --if you stay close to each other, the screen shows the pavement whizzing by as you jockey for position.
Just as in real life, there is an advantage to riding directly behind your opponent (known as drafting), and if one or the other of you pulls away, the system switches to a "helicopter view" so that both riders can be seen -- no matter how far apart they get. A split-screen view is also available to show the view that each rider sees.
You can learn more about purchasing the system at www.computrainer.com, or another increasingly popular option is to take part in classes that are available in several locations throughout the Chicago area.
In the Northwest suburbs, Village CycleSport bike shop in Arlington Heights has classes under way using a full eight-rider Computrainer system that cyclists either gender and any age or ability can feel comfortable joining.
Their fall four-week sampler sessions are just about to begin, followed by a series of full six-week classes beginning January 6 and running through June. Visit villagecyclesport.com for full details.
Similar Computrainer multi-rider systems are also in use at The Bike Rack in St. Charles (thebikerack.com) and at both the Batavia and Winfield locations of Prairie Path Cycles (prairiepathcycles.com).