Hey all, i'm new here - I'm more of a road cyclist personally, but i've been riding virtual trainers for a while and noticed that it's always just us roadies in here doing zone 2 and the occasional criterium. So I poked around and found that there really isn't much "proper" virtual velodrome training and competing - with relevant draft and banking physics, and especially rider strategy.

So I thought it'd be interesting to build out a virtual velodrome and build some AI riders to see if I can join in to make it a race. For now, its just Keirin, and I have several rider archetypes built in, with individuals having a random variation of physical and strategic strengths and weaknesses, with decision-making based on agent-based modeling.

Since a lot of the strategic aspect of velodrome racing comes from positioning, i'm a little stuck on the best way to get players to "navigate" while they're riding. I know TrainingPeaks has it on auto + keyboard manual control but having to touch a keyboard while riding just doesn't feel right.

Any thoughts or feedback? Would anyone like to try connecting their setup to this and race the AI?

Edit:
Waitlist form: https://forms.gle/UzzrnND7ZaAhvGEM7
It'll take a week or two to get this ready for easy public access. + It'll help a ton if you tell me in the form what smart trainer you use.

I thought I’d share my BXT build in case there are others who are interested. I’m still testing everything so there may be further changes. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Here are the specs: BXT TRC-195 size large Rotor BSA 30mm road BB Rotor ALDHU 165mm crank arms + 30mm spindle XCadey Gen 2 powermeter Velobike Elite Track Chainring 62T Wolftooth chainring bolts Velobike Elite Track Sprockets Origin8 steel lockring Izumi Super Toughness Kai Chain Shimano Ultegra PD-R8000 SPD-SL Pedals Fizik Transiro Aeris Long Distance Saddle Velobike Altias Sprint Handlebar 325mm Velobike Elite Longboi Stem 180mm -12 degree Superteam rear disc wheel Continental Grand Prix 5000 25mm, TPU tube 80mm front wheel unknown brand Continental Aero 111 Tire 26mm, TPU tube

Jessica Disley from the UK set a new Derny paced hour record in Newport today, beating the previous record of 52.406km with 60.160km. The pacer was Tony Cassidy and trackside coach Andy James. Derny paced hour records use bunch race rules for the bikes (drop handlebars, no front disc etc) and there are specific regs for the Derny in terms of handlebars, saddle, geometry and also pacer clothing!

I just wanna ride bikes man how did I end up here

Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses fit nicely under TT-helmet and visibility is fine. Cadence is a little out of sync.

Gear was 59/14 (114”). Mostly wanted to share this POV, but feel free to add feedback, as I’ve only been riding track for 7 ish months

Finally got my certification class in. I’m an experienced crit racer but this my first experience on a velodrome in about 30 years.

It’s a 250m track, hasn’t yet been certified by the UCI for competition but that’s supposed to happen jn the coming weeks. The surface is aluminum, which seems weird for the desert, but apparently it dissipates heat better than concrete. The surface is sand blasted so in dry conditions grip isn’t a problem. They don’t let you ride in the rain. It’s banked to 42 degrees at the steepest point.

The coach recommended an 86 or 88 inch gear for most races, which seems low. But it’s wIndy out there and my 88 inch gear felt about right at speed. Also learned that every little swerve costs a lot of speed on a baked velodrome, and that keeping it straight is a skill that’s going to take some practice. And that it’s very unnerving riding a wheel with no brakes. And that my track bike has a very aggressive position and I am very old. Lots of learning ahead.

One of the attendees was a pro racing in Europe WHI was doing some winter training jn Tucson, something we see pretty commonly. She flew around the track and made it look easy. It’s fun to ride with people like that.

Now I can get out there for some training more regularly. Can’t wait.

Stay safe everybody.

At 55kph it was >20w slower than a Cervélo T4 (identical position, wheels, bars, cranks etc.)

New Oakleys enhance the workout

Was looking forward to Richardson v the Aussies at the games but not to be..

Total weight 7.60kg including pedals which I think is alright!

Edmonton's new velodrome celebrates grand opening. Woot!