The latest indieVelo update V0.2.39 released March 3, 2024, adds more event description details and camera and neutral zone enhancements.
This week’s release (see below for full details) continues focusing on making indieVelo as easy as possible.
Key headlines include:
Neutral Zone Controls: indieVelo allows anyone to organize a custom event with the option for a paced “Neutral Zone” at the start. Users can now customize it in terms of distance and desired power targets or speeds at the start and end (and the pace will then smoothly change between the two over the distance).
You can use this to create an event with a gentle warm-up at the start, or you can customize it for your own needs. For instance, you could organize a training ride with your own personalized pacer, maintaining your desired power/speed throughout the entire route.
Camera Controls: indieVelo now supports “glancing” of camera views. By holding down one of the hotkeys (0-9) for a second to change the camera angle for a second, the view will change for a few seconds and then automatically revert back.
For example, riders can utilize this feature to quickly glance behind or to the side during a race without pressing multiple keys. Additionally, riders using handcycles and trikes have enhanced cameral angles.
Event Information: When selecting an event to ride, indieVelo now automatically displays more information about the event. For example, the points scored for each position at each arch in a points race or team scratch race or the number of riders out at each location in an elimination race.
It simplifies the event description text for organizers and ensures that riders always have access to the essential event details. Riders can also review this information while waiting in the pen.
As always, there’s a vast number of other additions, improvements, and fixes in the release, covering Performance Verification, trainer hardware support, custom workout compatibility, bot AI, group rides, pack dynamics, new monthly challenges for March, and lots more infrastructure changes to help indieVelo scale up to multiple tens of thousands of simultaneous users.
Note for Mac Bluetooth users: If you find that 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 completely 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!
“Thank you all again for your continued support and encouragement. As indieVelo continues to grow rapidly, your thoughts and ideas drive all these improvements for you, so please let me know if you have any suggestions for anything else you would like to see!”
George Gilbert
Patch Notes – V0.2.39 – Key changes from the last version:
- Added ability to specify Neutral Zone pace with a power range.
- Added ability to hold down camera position hotkeys to glance then revert.
- Added ability to view full event details when in a pen.
- Added ability to remember the last pacebot used.
- Added details of points / eliminations automatically to event descriptions.
- Added new monthly challenges for March.
- Added microservice architecture for server processing.
- Added lots more teams & event brandings.
- Improved performance verification checks when at low speeds.
- Improved performance verification checks in non-competitive rides.
- Improved support for older Tacx / Elite / Saris / CycleOps trainers.
- Improved bot AI when undertaking other riders.
- Improved support for custom workouts created with Xert.
- Improved support for custom workouts that don’t specify their name.
- Improved number of riders that can be joined in a group ride.
- Improved spacing of riders in a pack.
- Improved camera angles when using handcycles or trikes.
- Improved custom event creation configuration UI.
- Improved network protocol versioning system.
- Improved network bandwidth usage.
- Improved network data encryption.
- Improved network heartbeat algorithm.
- Improved exception handling infrastructure.
- Improved memory heap fragmentation.
- Improved memory usage.
- Improved socket layer diagnostics.
- Improved server start-up speed.
- Improved server install / update process.
- Fixed bug with bot AI when using tactical positioning on outside of bends.
- Fixed bug with Neutral Zone being longer than the total event distance.
- Fixed bug with Neutral Zone pacer if they went through finish line.
- Fixed bug with Neutral Zone pacer being displayed as an event entrant.
- Fixed bug with race position indication when in the Neutral Zone.
- Fixed bug with Android recommending to update version when already updated.
- Fixed bug with joining a rider who is spectating.
- Fixed bug with FIT files occasionally not being saved.
- Fixed bug with processing malformed network messages.
- Fixed a bug with riders in an event sometimes being labeled as free riding.
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.
