Smashometer wearable eliminates expensive hardware to provide an accessible entry into interactive virtual cycling fitness.
The virtual cycling community will remember Frank Garcia, Smash Founder and Inventor, as the live-hosted online esports pioneer behind CVR (Cycligent Virtual Racing).
The CVR World Cup League attracted Zwift’s top-level talent competing for the global CVR World Cup invitation. The event series with locations worldwide awarded an unprecedented $100,000 in cash and prizes during the 2018 season. The top-level production and top-shelf sponsorship were on the way to fueling a phenomenon and elevating a new breed of cycling esports stars such as Lionel Vujasin.
When Zwift’s cooperation dwindled, he broke off to form CVRcade in 2019, which became CADEsport. That’s when things got a bit off track. Still, Garcia never lost his dedication and vision to discover a way to bring the virtues of virtual cycling to a broader audience at a significantly lower start-up cost.
Enter the fitness gaming app Smash Your Fitness, which is launching November 15th, 2024, from the virtual sports team Smash Cycling headed by Garcia.
Hardcore virtual cyclists and cycling esports purists, this isn’t for you. But if you’re interested in diving into the indoor cycling world without investing in much extra equipment, keep reading.
The newest entry to the indoor cycling market aims to make indoor cycling fitness fun with immersive worlds, diverse gaming modes—ranging from workouts and tours to races—and interactive options designed to engage everyone from casual gamers to seasoned endurance athletes.
Smash Your Fitness’ rich, immersive worlds include futuristic sci-fi landscapes and natural maps inspired by real locations like Paris, Dublin, and St. George, Utah. To cross the finish line first in this digital fitness domain, you must master the physics and physiology of cycling, from slowing your avatar for corners to managing stamina for completing rides, races, or workouts.
Players can pedal alongside others worldwide, join paced group rides led by virtual leaders, or compete head-to-head with live audio chat. The platform also offers a vast library of pre-made workouts ranging from 5 minutes to several hours. For those seeking personalized guidance, Smash features Coach Cy, an AI-powered trainer that crafts customized workouts tailored to a rider’s fitness goals and recent riding history.
“With Smash, when you move, your avatar moves—it’s that simple,” explains Garcia.
That’s because you don’t need expensive equipment such as a smart trainer or smart bike to start Smashing. All you need to hurdle the barrier of entry into this virtual cycling world is the Smashometer and any stationary bike (or a bike on a trainer).
The Smashometer is a small, rechargeable wearable that you strap to your ankle that transmits leg speed to the game via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
Instead of focusing on a rider’s aerobic power, the Smashometer measures leg speed and translates it into in-game speed. A similar algorithm applies to riders using smart trainers. By equalizing all participants, competition hinges on the rider’s ability to manage in-game stamina—displayed on-screen—and avoid crashes.
With Smash, riders must manage their speed carefully, slowing their pedaling in corners to maintain maximum speed without crashing. Riders can steer using their phone, keyboard inputs, or smart bike controls. Alternatively, they can enable auto-steering and focus solely on pedaling, pacing, and collecting points!
“Whether you’re looking for a fun way to get off the couch and be more active, want easy-to-follow structured workouts to help reach fitness goals, or live for the thrill of competition, Smash has a mode that’s right for you,” says Garcia about his new app’s egalitarian invitation to the oft-daunting virtual cycling onboarding process.
In a uniquely inclusive indoor virtual group exercise approach, Smash Your Fitness equalizes the fitness of all avatars, leveling the playing field regardless of real-world strength. This design ensures a challenging and engaging workout for riders of all levels, allowing newcomers to compete with seasoned athletes. The focus shifts to gaming skills like turning, braking, and strategically using power-ups, fostering an intrinsic sense of fair play.
With an extensive library of immersive worlds, structured workouts, and on-demand competitions, the new fitness gaming app is a viable option for the user who wants a low-cost start in virtual cycling, a portable solution when traveling, or for school-based youth fitness programs.
Stay tuned for the Smash mobile app for iOS and Android, which is coming soon!
The concept is interesting. The application requires significant development to reach the level of the more established offerings. However, it fills a void that prohibits many casual indoor cyclists from entering the virtual space. And any opportunity to bring physical fitness opportunities to more people is a good thing.
Smash Your Fitness is available soon from Amazon and smashyourfitness.com. The new app costs $9.99/month for a monthly subscription to the game. Or, users can buy a Smashometer bundle for $49.99, which includes a 3-month subscription.
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.
