OTR Virtual Event's James Ogilvie brings the first Team Time Trial race series to the rapidly evolving virtual cycling platform indieVelo
OTR TTT on IndieVelo
OTR Virtual Events have organized the most well-attending events on Wahoo RGT for the last few years, including six annual multi-day tours. The Tour du Monde is the biggest mass participation event on the platform, and OTR promotes weekly series and a popular TTT league.
Head Turning indieVelo
When the indieVelo Beta announcement dropped on FaceBook a few weeks back, I was intrigued. The focus on delivering the best racing experience and physics possible got me into virtual racing, to begin with, and with features like in-game team management and a focus on anti-cheating protocols considered from the get-go, what’s not to like.
OTR TTT on indieVelo
indieVelo has a dedicated TTT feature on its development roadmap, but the platform is already in a good enough place for us to run a TTT league, so we went for it!
The format is pretty straightforward. Teams of three to six riders have a week to ride a TTT on a given route and register the Team name and date/time of their ride on our online form. Then, at the end of the week, I process the results.
The competition is league based, with promotions/demotions of the top/bottom teams in each league taking place every four races. At the end of the season, the top three teams in League One and the top team in League Two go forward to a one-off race final.
Join in the fun via our FaceBook page here.
In the coming weeks, our broadcast partners at ZMS Esports Studios will be recording teams and producing a pro-level highlight stream to showcase the good looks of the routes along with the top work by the riders.
Feedback and Physics
The promise of the indieVelo physics engine has not disappointed, with positive feedback from those riding our test week and first proper week of the league. The indieVelo engine keeps those putting out the low watts in the draft while the rider driving the group along is placed in front.
Riders have reported “sling-shotting” past the lead rider if they don’t feather the power output appropriately. Others say this is more a case of getting used to the physics than any fundamental flaw in the game’s design.
The Future
Looks exciting on the platform. We can’t wait to involve more teams and test indieVelo’s dedicated TTT functionality when available. Will teams prefer to go simultaneously in a penned, time-released format instead of “ride when you want”? We’ll see.
I can say that we’ll roll with what the community decides is better for them. In the long term, if things grow as I hope, they will be on indieVelo. OTR would love to get some sponsors involved and do the kind of random prize draws the organization does in their other events, giving the teams a chance to win some goodies and sponsors to get their products into the hands of active virtual racers.
Thank you to Beta-tester James Ogilvie for all you do!
Check out News & Features to keep up with all indieVelo news and happenings!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
