The latest indieVelo update, v0.3.4, released July 29th, 2024, adds group workout late-join and synchronization, FIT File customization, and event organization updates.
This week’s release of indieVelo (see below for full details) focuses on making it easier to ride your events however and whenever you want. Headlines include:
Late-Join Group Workouts: indieVelo lets anyone join a group workout after it has officially started and will automatically synchronize the workout to the proper position so everyone is still riding together.
The update makes running group workouts on indieVelo incredibly easy. The organizer picks a workout (any workout, including custom and unique sessions or those synchronized daily from TrainingPeaks, etc.), and then anyone joining the event will automatically receive and ride that workout without needing to do anything else—just turn up and ride. And now, they can do that at any time, even if they miss the start!
Event Options: indieVelo now offers a broader range of options for holding events, so you can run them however you want.
The update includes using each rider’s All-Rounder Ranking to determine automatic matchmaking and allocation of pens (perfect for categorizing riders in the first event of a series or league held over multiple different types and lengths of event) or to have events where teams are automatically balanced across all participants to create close and fair racing for all (ideal for club events where lots of people are from the same team but you still want to race against each other in evenly matched teams).
FIT File Uploads: indieVelo enables anyone to update the FIT files directly from their rides and events. The enhancement allows users to rename them with a custom title before uploading them to Strava, etc., or to dismiss the ride and not upload it.
Here’s how to get indieVelo on your AppleTV!
1) Anyone with access to indieVelo on iOS (iPhone/iPad) should now automatically be able to access the AppleTV version too. Simply download TestFlight from the AppStore on your AppleTV, and indieVelo should be there waiting for you to run.
2) Anyone who is a member of the indieVelo Founders Club but doesn’t have access to the Apple versions of indieVelo can email: help@indievelo.com with the email address they use in the AppStore and will receive instructions.
3) Anyone not yet an indieVelo Founders Club member should click here to join, then email me as above.
As usual, there is also a wide range of other additions, improvements, and fixes, mainly focusing on improvements to the AI and UI to keep everything intuitive as indieVelo increases in size and scale.
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, then you shouldn’t have to do anything to get the new version, as indieVelo will just 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
The full patch notes are below!
“Thank you all again for the support and encouragement. With 100% of the indieVelo roadmap determined by your ideas and suggestions, every piece of feedback is incredibly valuable and really makes a difference to the continued improvement of indieVelo each and every week.”
George Gilbert
Patch Notes – v0.3.4 – Key changes from the last version:
- Added ability to late-join a custom group workout.
- Added ability to rename FIT file uploads to use a custom name.
- Added ability to discard rides from being uploaded to connected apps.
- Added ability to allocate pens by using ARR for automatic matchmaking.
- Added ability to ignore existing teams in events.
- Added lots more custom team kits and event banners.
- Improved support for third-party controllers.
- Improved bot AI in long-duration events.
- Improved default names given to FIT file uploads.
- Improved auto-generated descriptions of events in event menu.
- Fixed bug with using virtual gears in free-ride sections of workouts.
- Fixed bug with custom UI display of distance ahead/behind.
- Fixed bug with default sort order of 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.
