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 dirt roads of the popular gravel event based in Northumberland, UK, a first in taking a real-world gravel event virtual.
Dirty Reiver is one of the UK's leading gravel cycling events, with a 200km course taking in the stunning trails and gravel roads of Kielder Forest.
Sections of the course, including the start-finish area, will be replicated on RGT Cycling's virtual platform, offering riders from all around the world the chance to experience the event.
In what RGT are claiming is a world first (although Zwift may disagree), riders' speed will be impacted by the nature of the road surface being ridden - "providing a truly enhanced feel when switching from road to gravel."
It'll be interesting to see how this compares to Zwift's Jungle circuit, where transitioning from tarmac to dirt noticeably affects speed and lends advantage to gravel and MTBs over road rigs.
RGT continue, "Alongside the innovative ride feedback, riders 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 complete 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.
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