The latest indieVelo update V0.2.16 released September 25, 2023, includes quality-of-life enhancements that make this Just Work better!
It needs to Just Work (TM). While unique features usually tend to grab the headlines about any product (regardless of what it is), more often than not, people’s impressions are shaped by whether things they expect to work work. It might sound obvious, but getting the basics right can be just as, if not more, important than anything else.
Each week, when looking through the list of suggestions everyone has made for new things to add to indieVelo in the release, I always include a few of the little things that make using indieVelo a bit easier. This week’s release (see below for full details) goes all-in on those quality-of-life improvements.
Whether it’s making it easier to find routes or workouts, displaying smoothed or average power data, easier camera control, more options for virtual gearing control, obvious extensions to routes, or any of the other many updates included, they’re all about ensuring it all Just Works, just as you want it to.
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!
“Thank you all again for your thoughts and ideas. indieVelo is, above all else, a community of people who share a vision of what online cycling and esports could be – by collaboratively working, it’s amazing to see that we’re achieving that goal of transforming cycling together.“
indieVelo founder Dr. George Gilbert
Patch Notes – V0.2.16 – Key changes from the last version:
- Added 2 new routes – multi-lap versions of the existing hill climb routes.
- Added ability to smooth displayed power data over 0 / 1 / 3 / 5 seconds.
- Added ability to show average/normalized/maximum power, HR & Cadence values.
- Added ability to sort routes & workouts by name, distance, duration etc.
- Added ability to change virtual gearing when using XBox / PS etc game controllers.
- Added better camera controls to game controllers.
- Added more Performance Verification checks.
- Added lots more teams.
- Improved clean-up of Mac BLE resources when exiting application.
- Improved autobraking to not trigger in Neutral Zone at start of events.
- Improved handling of game controllers being added during a ride.
- Improved mapping of game controller buttons / joysticks.
- Improved detection of potential network dropouts.
- Improved bot AI after finishing an event.
- Improved layout of workout UI text.
- Improved rider jersey textures.
- Improved logging infrastructure.
- Fixed bug when disconnecting then immediately reconnecting to a server.
- Fixed bug with HRMs sometimes showing powermeter calibration data.
- Fixed bug with scroll position of workout elements in long workouts.
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.
