The latest indieVelo update V0.2.10 released August 14, 2023, includes critical infrastructure upgrades and instructions to follow before your next ride.
We all know that in cycling, success builds on solid foundations. You must put in huge amounts of time and dedication behind the scenes to get the desired results. Making your riding look effortless is hard work!
Designing and building computer software is remarkably similar. Therefore, this week’s release (see below for full details) focuses on providing you with that core stability – ensuring those foundations are solid to set us all up for the future. Over the last week, developer Dr. George Gilbert completely replaced all the game servers, web servers, networking infrastructure, and the central database and moved everything to a new data center. All the while, riders have been using indieVelo 24×7, hopefully without anyone noticing anything changed.
Further, Dr. Gilbert significantly restructured the install process to make updating indieVelo, quicker, smoother, and more resilient. Some fixes ensure that the downloads don’t get flagged by Windows as potentially unsafe, pass more anti-virus scans and run the first time on a much more comprehensive range of computer configurations.
Whether it is training or coding, it’s what people don’t see that makes the most significant difference. It might not be glamorous or headline-grabbing, but under the covers, it all needs to “Just Work” to provide you with a seamless experience.
Beyond this, there is the usual array of quality-of-life improvements as well as some significant infrastructure changes behind the scenes to help set indieVelo up for moving towards a fully open Beta Trial phase and the likely increased numbers of people using it as we head towards the Northern Hemisphere Winter.
If all has gone well, you shouldn’t have to do anything to get the new version, as indieVelo will self-update the next time you start it up. If you find any problems, however, instructions on how to manually update are on the website: https://wiki.indievelo.com/docs/updates
Please note that, depending on when you installed indieVelo, you may see a warning message recommending that you update the installer/launcher to the latest version. If you see this, download it again from https://indievelo.com/downloads, and the update will automatically apply. The entire process typically takes a minute or two, often much less.
The full patch notes are below!
“Please do continue to let me know your thoughts on what you would like to see prioritized over the next few weeks as indieVelo progresses towards a fully open beta phase in the near future. Thank you all again for your continued support and encouragement; it’s hugely appreciated and makes a real difference in the evolution of the sport.”
indieVelo founder Dr. George Gilbert
Patch Notes – V0.2.10 – Key changes from last version
- Added new game servers.
- Added new web servers.
- Added new main database.
- Added new networking infrastructure.
- Added checks to installer for any download issues.
- Added checks to main executable that the latest installer was used.
- Added logs to help diagnose any frame rate issues.
- Added lots more teams.
- Improved permissions requirements needed by installer.
- Improved consistency between installer and main executable.
- Improved process for enabling BLE permissions on Apple Mac.
- Improved reliability of loading sequence.
- Improved disallowed word filter.
- Fixed bug with installer sometimes being flagged as an unsafe download.
- Fixed bug with installer sometimes being blocked by anti-virus scanners.
- Fixed bug with installer sometimes stopping mid-way through.
- Fixed bug with systems using OneDrive for storing user files.
- Fixed bug with systems using multiple (or no) “My Documents” folders.
- Fixed bug with scenery sometimes not being visible.
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.
