There are also two event-only world maps, Bologna and Crit City, which can only be accessed via races. Zwift rotates what it calls ‘guest worlds’ on a monthly schedule, which is ideal for anyone who gets bored of riding similar routes. It includes its turn-by-turn modelling of the Alpe d’Huez climb. The platform offers ten different virtual worlds, but only Zwift’s very own virtual world, Watopia, is always open. ZwiftĬross The Sims with cycling and you have Zwift, except instead of building cool houses your avatar rides bicycles.Ĭreated in 2014, Zwift is synonymous with the gamification of cycling and features avatars, racing, socialising and live events.

Apps in this guide:ġ0 of the best cycling training apps 1. These apps can connect to the latest generation of smart trainers and work across multiple platforms, making the experience more authentic and enjoyable than ever.Īnd there are now more to choose from than ever, so here’s Cyclist’s guide to ten digital destinations to help you find the kind of indoor-training environment you’re looking for. They allow us to train for specific events or experience iconic routes without having to get on a plane and several apps also host races, with prizes from upgrades to hard cash up for grabs. Many include exact recreations of famous routes, which mimic everything from gradient to road signs, as well as offering drafting, cornering, varying road surface and even the prospect of collisions.

They offer everything from real-life footage to immersive augmented reality and engaging gamified worlds. When the rain is lashing down and dark evenings are closing in, many of us are now eschewing the outside world and instead opting to climb onto a turbo trainer, plug into a laptop or tablet and explore the digital highways, which have come a long way from the early days of bad video quality, pixelated avatars and mind-numbingly dreary routes.

Best free indoor spin app