Mountain biking enters the matrix

Image courtesy Zwift Insider

 

Ok so maybe it doesn’t involve flying and kung fu but Zwift’s incorporation of mountain biking to its stable is certainly a groundbreaking move.

The American developer has made massive strides forward in recent years, revolutionising the cycling world with their simulations.

Cyclists are able to hook their bike up to a smart trainer and console and ‘race’ anywhere in the world as well as compete against other riders online.

Until this year the program had been available only to road bikes but at Eurobike the first MTB simulation was revealed.

 

 

Set in the fictional world of ‘Watopia’, the map is a technical course offering a level of skill and gradient that riders simply can’t get on ‘road mode’.

Even the name of the course ‘Repack Ridge’ is a nod to MTB history and will no doubt go a long way towards convincing people to give it a go.

As shown in the above video, it’s far from perfect with the usual sensitivity found in most video games present. One wrong turn and you’re flying into the proverbial no man’s land with no room for a quick course correction.

It must be noted however that Australia is just one market and a small one at that with the whole premise of indoor trainers aimed at countries where entire weeks can be knocked out due to inclement weather.

What are you thoughts? Does VR have a place in mountain biking?