Special treat from Allen Jones at EpicPlanet.tv – 30 minutes of audio from an actual Criterium bike race you can use to add realism to any Race Day profile!
It starts with the Race Director announcing “Cat 4 racers… take your mark, get set, go!!!! Then it ends with the bell lap – simply awesome 🙂
The actual audio is from Allen's latest video; epicRaceDay – Pensacola Stage Race! I had stripped this audio from the 30 minute Criterium race segment, with the idea of adding it to the background of my Race Day Audio PROfile that will be published this weekend.
I've taught a number* of Race Day classes using epicRaceDay – Pensacola Stage Race! and a students have commented that they really enjoyed hearing the actual sounds of a race, over layed with my music. This DVD includes the option to play just the racing sounds. The music system where I teach will play the audio from multiple sources, so I turn up the DVD volume along with the music and off we go!!!!
Then I had an idea. Not everyone has video in their studio to experience this amazing addition to their classes – so why not provide it to our PRO members as an MP3?
So I called Allen to ask his permission to publish this audio as one of our PRO/Podcasts. As you can guess, Allen thought this was a great idea and enthusiastically agreed. So here it is as a direct download (right click – Save As) and it will also show up as an episode of the Podcast.
I left it completely clean, so there's no introduction or anything on the end – just 30 minutes of pure bicycle racing sounds. My suggestion is to burn this to a CD that you can play along with the music from your portable device.
Please let Allen know if this is of value by leaving a comment below.
*I'm teaching this again tomorrow (Saturday 10/20 8:30am) at the Chanhassen Lifetime Fitness. If you're in town I'd love to have you.
Fast forward to the 27:20 mark to hear the finish!
When I visited the Virtual Active studios last fall they showed me the tricks they used to shoot very stable video, over very rocky or bumpy terrain.
But I couldn't tell you because I was sworn to secrecy.
Now they've lifted the veil on some of their techniques and the special technology they use to create the stunningly beautiful HD video for the ICG World Tour DVDs and MyRide+®
The first thought I had when I watched these videos was; “this looks like you're flying…they must have shot this from a helicopter or used some long wires .” But they don't. All the trail scenes are filmed by that big guy running with a “Steady Cam”. Trust me when I say that the gear he's carrying is really heavy – they told me has was a former college running back. They typically have a second person pushing the camera man from behind to help him maintain a steady speed… and keep him from running off a cliff 🙁
Near the end of the video you see the car-mount they use, with the camera man actually sitting on the front. There's a very good reason for this. Cyclists, as they enter a turn, will turn their head to look though/around the corner. You may have watched a virtual ride video where you are climbing a mountain. As the video moves through a switchback you end up looking straight into the mountain, instead of up the road. Road videos shot with a fixed camera (on the hood of the vehicle) create this effect as the camera pans across the corner unnaturally as the car rotates around the turn.
Virtual Active's solution to this is to place the cameraman sitting up front where can he can turn the camera, so the shot follows the turn, just like you would on your bike.
But there are times when it's not possible (or safe) to have someone strapped to the front, like a scene from The Road Warrior. At around the 2:13 point you can see the sophisticated remote control system they developed to allow the producer to “turn” the camera using a game controller, from the safety of the passenger seat.
It's a subtle detail, but it makes an enormous difference in whether you are truly engaged with the video or just distracted by it.
A defining feature of outdoor cycling is the uncertainty of the open road. On a new route, we never know exactly what will happen. The road makes each ride unique, especially since we move so fast and so far.
That visual excitement has been missing from indoor cycling — until now.
The video/indoor cycling combination is currently being explored by a dozen or more businesses in an effort to enhance indoor-cycling workouts. Some videos show an instructor sitting on an indoor cycle, leading a class. Some present a continuous “flow” of road that simulates the view from a bike. This simulated view, called forward-motion video, is presently used by some instructors to punch-up their classes. It can also be accompanied by a voiceover to provide a workout with no instructor, much like the instructor-on-a-bike videos.
Consumer demand for this has been growing for several years and impacts all of us who teach indoor cycling.
Use of video by a well-trained instructor is likely to improve the virtual-cycling experience the most. In considering the addition of video to our classes, let’s remember that Virtual Reality, or virtuality, is not new to indoor cycling. Even without the visuals, we’ve taken our students on simulated rides “outside” the studio since 1995. Creating a ride through guided imagery, words, voice tone, lighting and world music (rather than “workout music”) is the instructor’s job — it’s what makes indoor cycling different from other fitness classes.
Still, adding video sparks worry. Some instructors call it over-stimulation. Some say it’s unnecessary, costly, hard to run. Some are afraid they’ll lose their jobs to it. Still others react to poor video quality, not enough new video being produced, DVDs with the same ride every time, or too much equipment to operate.
I like to return to what we always intended to do in our classes: engage our students in an indoor version of what it’s like to ride a bike. Video can help us do that. Imagine the thrill of powering your bike at 30 mph on a desert road in Arizona, not just in your mind, but big-as-life on a screen. How about dancing on the pedals as the bike floats up the Alpe d’Huez?
Concerns about quality are valid. Most cycling videos on the market are made either by cycling professionals with amateur media skills, or by low-budget producers with semi-professional tools, none of whom have resources for creating the massive library necessary to sustain entertainment over hundreds of sessions. But professionalism and genius can create exciting virtual-cycling adventures.
2012 will introduce technological leaps in production and delivery that will propel virtuality to new levels. We’ll see:
Specialized filming that simulates the way a rider's eyes see the road, e.g., leading into a turn prior to the actual turn of the bike.
Post-production tools to eliminate vibrations and shakiness in the image.
High-def displays, using big-screen projection.
Increased production budgets for greater depth and variety.
Media consoles to make use and non-use of video a flexible and easy instructor choice.
Compelling virtual rides that combine high-quality video and audio with voiceovers by top master instructors.
For decades, Hollywood has created magic though expert filming and post-production. Virtual-cycling can create equally powerful and moving experiences, especially when directed by a trained professional. Rather than being a threat to our jobs, it’s an exciting step forward that will make us better at what we do. I’m eager to pass along what I’m learning about it.
I’m proud to be associated with the industry leaders in this area — Indoorcycling Group and Virtual Active – See a Sample Here.
Next week’s post will cover how we can use cycling video and coach with it effectively.
But the class loved it and you will too, especially at a 50% discount if you purchase it today.
You can use coupon code DEAL at checkout today and receive a 50% off the DVD, digital download or both.
But this isn't just for Black Friday – we are planning to feature a special PRO/Deal of the Week every Friday! Much like Groupon for Indoor Cycling Instructor's, our PRO/Deal of the Week will feature a different product or service, at a substantial discount, every Friday!
Look for more later this weekend…
Epic Red Wing
The Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the neighboring Wisconsin countryside is nationally known for its cycling-friendliness. Now, you can take a virtual tandem training ride in this beautiful area with John and Amy Macgowan and friends, of the internationally renowned Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast and Indoor Cycle Instructor Pro Website.
Take a 50-mile ride along the scenic banks of the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin, separating Minnesota and Wisconsin, on a warm July morning. What better remedy for those cold-weather blues!
This ride has it all–two climbing segments, one endurance segment and one rolling country segment–and offers a balanced workout for indoor cycling classes and home trainers.
Includes our new “Just the Ride” menu option which gives indoor trainers, coaches and instructors a choice of 60 minute and 45 minute versions of the ride to fit their training or class requirements.
Details: Can not be combined with other coupons, discounts or offers. Hurry, there's only 50 copies available at this price.
Last month Amy and I had the privilege to work with producer Allen Jones on an upcoming EpicPlanet.tv Indoor Cycling DVD. This was Allen's first video to feature Tandem bikes. We were joined by our friends Tony and Jean for what was an awesome day of riding along the bluffs of the Mississippi river valley.
Our tandem team at the look out after the "big climb" finish
Am I alone in being conscience of my form on the bike, when teaching a class?
In any given time there maybe 20 – 40 people in front of me and a few, I'm convinced, are continuously critiquing my form. So I always want to demonstrate a nice smooth pedal stroke, head up, relaxed upper-body and a nice flat back indicative of someone with more than just a few miles on a bike. “In here you are a cyclist.” I'll tell my class while I encourage them to “look” the part.
I haven't shared this with Amy, but about 5 miles into filming Epic Red Wing, a future Epic Ride Indoor Cycling DVD this past weekend it hit me; there will be thousands of cyclists, instructors and students who will be watching this video.
That was all it took for me to stay singularly focused on my form, for most of the entire 50 mile ride.
Except for when we crashed… OK, it wasn't really a crash, we tipped over. Well actually just Amy fell off when I couldn't make a very tight turn, on a very steep hill. I got my foot down but unfortunately by the time she realized we weren't going to make it, it was too late. I'm not sure if Allen Jones caught it on film… hopefully he doesn't plan to make a “Funny Epic Rides Bloopers” DVD 🙁
Getting beyond my personal insecurities, being part of the filming was very fun. I need to thank our Tandem friends Jean and Tony for riding with us.
As he spend most of his time behind the camera, I thought it would be fun for you to meet the producer of Epic Rides, Allen Jones.
Do you have an idea for an Epic Ride location? Allen welcomes your suggestions and you can contact him at his websiteepicplanet.tv
