The latest indieVelo update V0.2.18 released October 9, 2023, includes a welcome letter from the developer and essential resources.
A warm welcome from indieVelo developer, Dr. George Gilbert!
Firstly, and most importantly, I wanted to acknowledge RGT’s contribution to online cycling. In a seismic week in the industry, it would be remiss not to mention RGT’s pioneering effect in developing many unique features, its approach of trying to improve racing through in-game physics, and its users’ sense of community. With so many of indieVelo’s users having also used RGT, I’m sure that everyone recognizes their impact, and I would like to join in saying a collective thank you for everything it did to further the sport.
Secondly, I welcome everyone who has joined indieVelo this week warmly. With so many new riders (indieVelo grew by around 25% in just a couple of days following the RGT announcement), highlighting a few essential resources for finding more information is helpful.
https://indievelo.com/about/ contains background information on indieVelo’s purpose and key features to explore. It also includes links to the official indieVelo Discord, unofficial fan Facebook page, and online documentation.
https://events.indievelohub.com/ is a mobile-friendly site showing what events are coming up in the next couple of days so you can plan your rides ahead.
https://indievelo.com/checkouts/indievelo-founder/ introduces the indieVelo Founders Club, a low-cost way to support the ongoing development of indieVelo and gives you access to a range of benefits, including in-game team kit and access to an exclusive indieVelo Founders Club online forum.
Finally, this week’s release! See below for full details, but in summary, I’ve focussed mostly this week on server-side improvements to ensure indieVelo remains absolutely rock solid as it rapidly scales up, but also with the usual array of more minor fixes and quality-of-life improvements to reduce any friction and make it easier for everyone to use.
indieVelodrome Oktoberfest begins Monday, October 9, 2023. Check out our indieVelo Events page for details!
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!
“Again, Thank you for your continued support and encouragement – it’s hugely appreciated. As ever, please do let me know your thoughts and suggestions for how to keep improving.“
indieVelo founder Dr. George Gilbert
Patch Notes – V0.2.18 – Key changes from the last version:
- Added ability to use the drone camera zoom while using virtual gearing (hotkey: Shift)
- Added ability to use the drone camera pan while near a junction (hotkey: Shift)
- Added support for Viiiiva HRM BLE/ANT+ bridging function.
- Added lots more teams.
- Improved support for BLE devices that don’t strictly follow the BLE specifications.
- Improved handling of network timeouts / dropouts.
- Improved memory management.
- Improved socket layer.
- Improved network diagnostics.
- Improved performance of FIT file creation.
- Improved server performance.
- Improved in-game documentation of keyboard shortcuts.
- Improved log spam.
- Fixed bug with trainer resistance when viewing another rider.
- Fixed bug with end of Neutralised Zone flare positioning.
- Fixed bug with an event leader leaving an event mid-way through.
- Fixed bug with riders leaving world while still on another’s nearest list.
- Fixed bug with asynchronous removal of riders.
- Fixed bug with riders occasionally appearing to move a few millimeters sideways.
- Fixed bug with network jitter.
- Fixed bug with icons.
- Fixed various typos throughout.
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.
