August 07, 2005

By: Ingrid Kelly
Website: http://www.1st-in-fitness.com

Real time racing with members across town or around the world

Strap on your helmet and meet your friends at the starting line – Web Racing, the Web’s first real time bike racing takes cardiovascular training to a whole new level. Available only on FitnessHeaven.com, Web Racing allows real competition on indoor fitness equipment over the Internet.

Web Racing isn’t confined to bike racing, either. Members can compete using treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair step machines, even wheelchair trainers.

"For years, there have been exercise bikes, treadmills and rowing machines that permitted users to race a computerized opponent," said Paris Roussos, FitnessHeaven director of vision development and integration. "But our Web Racing is the first system that allows actual racing with real opponents." Web Racing is available exclusively to Gold level members of FitnessHeaven.com.

To race, members sign on to FitnessHeaven.com’s Web Racing Lobby Server, select the type of equipment being used and select a course (bicycle race, foot race, wheelchair race, rowing race, etc.). Other members that have selected the same course are then put into a "race." A countdown runs on the screen and the racers are off. A real-time virtual representation of the racers’ activity is displayed on the monitor. When a racer pedals (or rows, steps, or runs) faster, the assigned virtual racer’s activity is duplicated online. The racing action is three-dimensional and realistic – racers can even take advantage of drafting (riding in the wake of another rider) before exerting that extra burst of speed to pass opponents.

"Competition is a great motivator," continued Roussos. "The challenge of a real race makes you work harder and hang in there longer. The result is a better workout."

To participate in the excitement of Web Racing, a few simple components are required: a licensed copy of NetAthlon™ , the software that runs Web Racing (a $99 value, free with Gold membership and including one cycling course); a PC with an available serial or USB port; a PC-interactive fitness machine; and Internet connectivity at 28K or higher. Many available exercise machines are already equipped for PC-interactivity. For those that are not, an easy-to-install retrofit kit is available through FitnessHeaven.com at a nominal cost. Additional courses can be purchased with prices ranging from $9.95 to $24.95.

Web Racing was invented by Dr. Ken Burres MD, CEO of FitCentric Technologies, a company focusing on state-of-the-art on-line athletic training systems.

A variety of courses keep members coming back for more. Almost any type of terrain is available, including an intense mountain trail course, an Olympic velodrome, a BMX course, even a 6-mile course on the lunar surface. Treadmill courses and rowing courses, including Boston’s Charles River, are available. And all courses are equipped with the realistic sounds of cheers from crowds in the stands, opponents closing in, or even the hum of electricity generators on a lunar colony. An optional virtual reality headset completely immerses racers into the action.

Gold membership on FitnessHeaven.com is $6.95 per month or $35 per year pre-paid. Gold membership allows access to personalized Online Diets, the Virtual Trainer,

Ask the Experts priority (an interactive function that invites visitors to ask a featured expert any question in the areas of health, fitness and wellness), Personalized Workouts with videos and Nutritional Analysis.

Author Notes:

Ingrid Kelly contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.1st-in-fitness.com.  A source of information and helpful tips on various types of fitness equipment.