RGT Cycling, the free to use virtual cycling platform has announced a new collaboration with iconic gravel race Dirty Reiver. The partnership will allow riders to take to the gravel roads of the popular off-road event based in Northumberland, UK, a first in taking a real-world gravel event virtual.
Dirty Reiver, Europe’s leading gravel cycling event, offers 200km of stunning trails and gravel roads, sections which will be replicated on RGT Cycling’s virtual platform offering riders from all around the world the chance to experience the event.
The new Dirty Reiver road will enable RGT Cycling users to experience gravel riding from home, with in-app functionality aimed at giving a real-life experience virtually. In a world first, riders will experience real-world impacts on speed, of the road surface being ridden, providing a truly enhanced feel when switching from road to gravel. Alongside the innovative ride feedback, those taking to the trails of Dirty Reiver will experience the scenic riding around the picturesque Kielder Water and Kielder Forest along the route.
RGT Cycling’s Head of Brand and Marketing James Vickers, commented, ‘We aim to present an ever-growing range of real roads on our platform, not limited to on-road courses, so to integrate the trails of Dirty Reiver and bring the event to life virtually is a great addition to RGT Cycling. The addition of gravel to the platform comes as part of an exciting wave of new developments across the RGT Cycling App, and one that will offer a much richer rider experience.’
Lead partners of the new Dirty Reiver RGT Cycling gravel roads are Genesis Bikes, Weldtite and Hunt Wheels, all of whom have visibility in-platform. The new Dirty Reiver experience is the first release of the event’s gravel roads, with more exciting plans for the partnership in the pipeline.
The new announcement comes just days after RGT Cycling launched a completely new look across its App, featuring added race formats including Time Trial and Elimination events, as well as enabling riders to create their own race formats.
Focal Events, organisers of Dirty Reiver, said, ‘Bringing the Dirty Reiver adventure into the virtual world showcases our event and brand partners to athletes all around the world, while adding another dimension to the ride experience. We’re looking forward to enabling our event sponsors, Genesis, Weldtite, and Hunt, to bring a host of exciting gravel events and races to RGT Cycling riders in 2021.
To find out more about riding the virtual routes of Dirty Reiver, visit www.rgtcycling.com
About RGT Cycling
RGT Cycling is a virtual reality cycling simulator that is available for PC, Mac, and Apple TV. It is used in conjunction with iOS and Android Apps and supported training hardware. Users from around the world are able to Go Beyond and connect, ride, race, and train together in a virtual reality that recreates the captivating culture of real-world cycling.
About Dirty Reiver
Dirty Reiver is an off-road cycle challenge, modelled on the Gravel Grinder races of the US Mid West. Almost entirely off-road, it takes riders on a 200km grand tour through Kielder and Wark Forests along the border with Scotland. Variable road surfaces, ever-changing weather and around 3,000m of climbing make for a challenging day in the saddle. www.dirtyreiver.co.uk
