Love the Vuelta? Want to ride it? Want to ride it without leaving your house? Want to ride it without leaving your house with the slim chance of winning something that has Skoda’s logo on it? Then good news: La Vuelta Virtual starts on Sunday!
ROUVY is now releasing an immersive 5-stage digital version of the 2021 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, for everyone to join from home. You can compete virtually on the official courses of the 2021 Vuelta, and win prizes from the race’s sponsors.
ROUVY tell us that “Cyclists and fans of all levels can test their abilities and compare themselves to the pros from the World Tour Teams! Athletes have the opportunity to ride in some of the most impressive places of Spain in 1:1 ROUVY’s precise and immersive augmented reality.”
A continuous series of events (and unprecedented access to both real and virtual experiences) on the most exciting routes of La Vuelta will be introduced year-round to the cycling community. These events of different formats will run between August 2021 and April 2022. We just *clenches fist* love events of different formats.
The virtual racing starts in the province of Burgos/Castile and León on the 30km central segment of the Stage 2 between Torresandno to Tordomar, via Villafruela. This flat route covers the middle of the stage, where sprinters will have the opportunity to show who is in form, go for the win, and grab points for the green jersey.
Every day at 17:00 UTC, the international cycling community can compare themselves to the crème de la crème of cycling professionals on the same stage sections in the La Vuelta Virtual Race series. And ROUVY says “To get a feel for what it is to be a pro just for one day, let alone 5 days, is a new experience for anyone that is up for the challenge.”
DATES OF DIGITAL RACES AND PARCOURS:
Aug 15th | Race 1 | STAGE 2 | Villafruela | 30km, 197m elevation
Aug 17th | Race 2 | STAGE 4 | Anquela del Ducado | 35km, 343m el.
Aug 19th | Race 3 | STAGE 6 | Cullera | 20km, 85m el.
Aug 25th | Race 4 | STAGE 11 | Las Lagunillas | 43km, 970m el.
Aug 26th | Race 5 | STAGE 12 | Cordoba | 31km, 997m el.
The stages are running the same day as the pros riding it in the morning. Three different time zones, Asia, Europe and USA, are available with their respective races starting at 20:00 JST / 19:00 CEST / 18:00 PST.
PRIZES
Prizes will be presented by ELITE Cycling, Santini and ŠKODA WeLoveCycling. Prize winners for some valuable prizes from the sponsors will be selected in the random draws; so every participant of the virtual tour races has a chance to win.
Cyclists wishing to participate in the La Vuelta series must have a smart trainer, a bike, and a device capable of using ROUVY, such as a phone, tablet, computer or AppleTV, connected to the Internet. A valid ROUVY account is also required and new riders are offered an additional 14-day free trial to be part of the action.