The latest indieVelo update V0.2.24 released November 20, 2023, introduces late join to events and time-based time trial functionality. Hour indoor record anyone?!?!
Time changes everything. As indieVelo continues its rapid exponential growth (daily active usage is now around ten times higher than it was just a few weeks ago), I thought it would be good to spend this week’s release (see below for full details) implementing a couple of the most requested new features that focus on the impact of time.
Late Join: Let’s face it – we’ve all been a few minutes later than planned to get onto the bike! indieVelo now allows anyone to join group rides late. To give you maximum flexibility and help support the realities of life and indoor cycling. There’s no particular time cut-off, so as long as other people are still riding in an event, feel free to hop in and out whenever you like.
Time Challenges: In normal Time Trials, we’re all used to racing over a fixed distance to see who can go the quickest, but indieVelo now also supports racing over a set time to see who can go the furthest. The format is relatively common in real-world endurance cycling (for example, the UCI Hour Record on the Track or the 6, 12, and 24-hour races that are a standard part of the MTB and Road TT scene). Still, indoors, you can now create custom events for anyone to ride and challenge themselves against for any duration you like.
As ever, the usual wide range of additions, improvements, and fixes spanning everything from fully automated real-time Performance Verification, Virtual Gearing, Bot AI, workouts, custom event creation, and plenty of other behind-the-scenes updates to keep everything running accompany these headlines.
Note for Mac Bluetooth users. If you find that Bluetooth has stopped working for you, and the Bluetooth icon on the pairing screen has turned red, please follow the instructions linked from https://wiki.indievelo.com/docs/apple-mac-ble-permissions/ to first remove, and then re-add, permission for indieVelo to use the Mac Bluetooth connection.
Do you want to steepen your indieVelo learning curve? Check out our How-to-Guides 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!
“Please do keep your suggestions coming in for other features and improvements that you’d like to see. Every comment and idea makes a real difference and helps to improve indieVelo and define the future of online cycling. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I can’t wait to see what we can create together with even more time.“
indieVelo founder Dr. George Gilbert
Patch Notes – V0.2.24 – Key changes from last version:
- Added the ability to join group rides after they’ve started.
- Added option for custom events run over a fixed time duration.
- Added display of group positions in a group ride.
- Added lots more teams.
- Added more custom event brandings.
- Improved real-time Performance Verification checks for Sticky Watts.
- Improved real-time Performance Verification checks in Neutralized Zone.
- Improved calibration of virtual gearing.
- Improved reliability of MacOS BLE device capability auditing.
- Improved bot AI.
- Improved bot weight distribution to remove very light riders.
- Improved display of route distance when creating custom events.
- Improved handling of very long-duration events.
- Improved handling of joining pen with only a few seconds to go.
- Improved FTP Ramp-Test to work when no cadence sensor is paired.
- Improved on-screen messaging during all FTP tests.
- Improved automated testing of custom workouts.
- Improved menu text when creating a private custom event.
- Improved refresh rate of API authentication.
- Improved server management of events.
- Improved server load balancing.
- Improved login performance.
- Improved database performance.
- Improved disallowed word filter.
- Fixed bug with KICKR Climb / Bike tilt activation.
- Fixed bug with bots going into supertuck downhill in group workouts.
- Fixed bug with nearest player list positions in group workouts.
- Fixed bug with lap validation when creating custom events.
- Fixed bug with refreshing display of connected 3rd party accounts.
- Fixed bug with confetti cannon sometimes not stopping.
- Fixed bug with display of invalid routes.
- Fixed various typos & grammar in menu text.
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.
