Will roller training one day replace driving on the road? After a training session with the "Fortius Multiplayer", this question no longer seems completely absurd. Apart from the airstream, the device simulates an astonishing amount of what road cycling is all about. With more than 20 filmed routes available on DVD, including classics such as the Tour of Flanders and Milan-San Remo as well as many Alpine passes, you can survive many a rainy weekend on your PC at home. Fascinating: The films do not simply run on the screen, but are linked via the computer to a powerful engine brake, the resistance of which varies depending on the nature of the route. Uphill, the motor brakes, downhill it drives the rear wheel; if the rider pedals faster, the film runs faster in front of him. Also interesting: you can measure your strength against up to five real opponents via the Internet. This works on the filmed tracks and on several virtual tracks: the latter even offer screen views in which the rider has to steer and can crash. The steering commands are transmitted via the steering frame, which fixes the fork.
To ensure that training is not neglected despite all the entertainment, information such as power, heart rate and cadence, speed, distance travelled, distance to the finish and gradient percentages can be read off the edge of the screen and analysed afterwards. During the three weeks in which we used the "Fortius Multiplayer", our initial scepticism quickly gave way to growing enthusiasm. Surprisingly, after just a few minutes, our senses become attuned to the images from the PC and our perception of the real environment fades more and more into the background. The illusion goes so far that the adrenalin rushes into the driver's blood when he crashes on a virtual track.
The only catch of the "Fortius Multiplayer": the price of 1,148 euros including steering frame and one-year licence for internet use. This includes three virtual tracks and a demo version of a real track. DVDs with original tracks cost 29.90 euros each, plus a licence fee of 49.90 euros per year for the Internet option from the second year of use.
PLUS: Realistic driving impression; high entertainment value
MINUS: Expensive; running costs due to licence fees
Reference/Info: Van Bokhoven; phone 07 51/7 69 63 30; www.tacx.nl
(Photo: Daniel Simon)
