Rouvy becomes Ironman Virtual Racing Series partner, giving triathletes the chance to race on AR courses and even qualify for the Ironman 70.3 world champs
With a unique blend of real-world video and virtual avatars, Ironman’s new partnership with the Rouvy online cycling platform means athletes will soon have access to 35 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 bike courses, complete with accurate elevation profiles.
This not only provides a great opportunity to train on real-world courses while much of the triathlon community is in lockdown but also to recce future events around the globe so you know what to expect on race day.
“This partnership is a cornerstone of our virtual racing strategy”
Matthieu Van Veen, Ironman
The first new route added will be Ironman 70.3 Boulder, giving Ironman fans the chance to ride the hometown course of many of the world’s top professional triathletes. Meanwhile, the Ironman Hawaii course is one of 4,000 video routes already live.
Rouvy will also provide athletes across the planet with the chance to compete in the new Ironman Virtual Racing Series without ever leaving their pain caves. These races, hosted through Ironman’s new Ironman Virtual Club website allow athletes to earn profile badges, the chance to win prizes and get discount on Ironman merchandise.
Meanwhile, Rouby will be the host of the Ironman VR Pro Challenge events that run alongside age-group competition and will be streamed on Ironman’s Facebook Now channel.
“This partnership is a cornerstone of our virtual racing strategy,” says Ironman chief revenue officer Matthieu Van Veen. “Rouvy is an exciting platform for athletes to use to compete in the Ironman Virtual Racing Series. The platform will also be an integral part of the Ironman VR Pro Challenge… Riding on Rouvy is as close as virtual cycling gets to being out on the course.”
Premium membership for Rouvy starts at USD$10 per month including multi-device access across iOS and Android as well as up to three family members on one account.
Ironman Virtual Race competitions will take place every weekend with athletes taking part in their usual age-group categories. Ironman also says that selected races will allow athletes to earn qualifying slots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand, scheduled to take place on 28 and 29 November 2020.
The first Virtual Race is free to take part in and will take place this weekend. Athletes will have from 6pm GMT on Friday 3 April until 11:59pm on Sunday 5 April to complete a 5km run, 90km bike and 21km run. Activities can be logged virtually through Rouvy or via data from your GPS-enabled bike computer or running watch.
While Ironman hasn’t stated costs associated with competing in future events, the company did say that from VR 3 onwards, athletes will receive a finisher package including a collectable Ironman VR medal and finisher T-shirts as well as Ironman Virtual Club points that can be redeemed against merchandise discounts and other special benefits.
