The latest indieVelo update, v0.3.8, released August 26th, 2024, adds cutomizable configuration modes: Spectator, Incognito, & First-Person.
This week’s release of indieVelo (see below for full details) paradoxically focuses on enabling you to see both more and less. With new configuration options, indieVelo continues giving you yet more ways to control how you train to best suit your needs. Headlines include:
Spectator Mode: indieVelo now supports anyone viewing any event as a spectator. Select an event from the “Events” screen in The Hub, then select the “Spectate” option to watch it as it progresses. The mode uses a special in-world camera that you control to change views as you want so you can focus on the riders you want to follow.
In this mode, spectators can give a “Chapeau” to riders who they think have earned the praise, and Team Managers can send Team Chat messages to their team members.
Incognito Mode: indieVelo now supports hiding your real name during free rides or workouts. The feature means that you can now train in anonymity with a randomly generated name for your avatar to display to others. Note, however, that this mode is deliberately unavailable when riding events and prevents you from sending chat messages.
By design, it carefully strikes the right balance between privacy and accountability when interacting with others.
First-Person Mode: indieVelo now supports a configurable height first-person camera. Users can smoothly adjust how high the camera is relative to the bike frame or rider’s eye view. In practice, it determines how much, if any, of your handlebars you can see. Those who prefer not to see them can choose not to, and those who prefer to see them can select precisely how much of them they see.
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 to keep everything running smoothly as indieVelo continues to scale up rapidly.
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!
“Once again, thank you for your ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Every comment is hugely appreciated and makes a real difference in what happens in each release to continue defining the future of virtual sport.“
George Gilbert
Patch Notes – v0.3.8 – Key changes from the last version:
- Added ability for anyone to spectate any event.
- Added incognito mode for free rides and workouts.
- Added ability to adjust first-person camera to show handlebars.
- Added age checks for sending/receiving in-game chat.
- Added option for relative wind direction indicator on minimap.
- Added lots more custom team kits and event banners.
- Improved first-person camera view so as not to show the rider’s body.
- Improved log spam.
- Improved audit logging.
- Improved consistency of log levels.
- Improved API infrastructure.
- Fixed bug with chat permissions when spectating.
- Fixed bug with internationalized translations on avatar menu.
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.
