If you lack motivation on the trainer, don’t worry. At BKOOL we make it easy for you to spice up your training in the simulator with Ghosts and Bots. These two innovative tools can give you the extra push you need for your sessions on the trainer, since they allow you to compete against other cyclists (or even yourself) any time. Read on to learn more!
BKOOL Ghosts: how to race against yourself
A ghost is basically a replay of another user who has already done the route. The ghost acts exactly the same way as the original rider did in their previous attempt. A ghost can be yourself or another rider on the platform – anyone who’s ridden and saved a ride on the same route.
A Ghost can serve as a reference and motivation to match or improve your time on a particular route. You just want to make sure the rider you’re using for the ghost (which could be yourself in a previous session on the same route) doesn’t get away from you, so hold that wheel!
To compete against your previous time on the same route, just log in to Bkool.com and go to > MY ACTIVITY > History. Once there, click on the name of the session you want to repeat and, when the session details appear, click on DUPLICATE.
After this, the session will appear in the list of scheduled sessions, where you will have to click on edit. On the left side select “show my times” and user “me”. This will show the time you recorded from that session. Now click on the option that appears with your time and it will be added as a Ghost in your scheduled session.
How to compete against another rider’s Ghost
This time, access the route you want to ride by clicking on the name of the route in SESSIONS. Once at the route, click on “CONFIGURE”.
You’ll see the result with the number of ghosts available for that route. In the left bar you can filter for various parameters such as the result, the level, or even limit the search to friends.
Once you select the ghost you want to compete against, the session will appear in your scheduled sessions. When you access the session, the ghost will appear in a translucent blue color.
It’s recommended to use ghosts created after September 2019, because we made an improvement in speed calculation then. Ghosts created before September 2019 might not behave accurately as a result.
Bots in BKOOL: compete against virtual cyclists
Bots are virtual riders you can compete against by adding them to your session from the “CONFIGURE” tab. Include bots in your programmed sessions to make them more interesting and enjoyable. BKOOL currently has five different families of Bots. Each of them has a different competition personality, and all of them are adapted to your level.
These are the five families of Bots available on our platform:
- Diesel family (Bean Diesel and Rachel Diesel): The Diesels are unflappable. They pace themselves, going a bit harder on climbs and resting during descents. They don´t care who they’re around. They’re perfect to maintain a constant pace, but a bit boring as competitors.
- Spurrer family (Jack Spurrer and Calamity Spurrer): The Spurrers have a reputation for being restless. They get irritated and offended easily. If they see you nearby they get antsy and will do anything to pass you. This takes a toll, so they often run out of energy before they reach the finish line. Take advantage of this!
- Smart family (Max Smart and Ada Smart): The Smarts are renowned strategists. If you want to go up against a clever opponent, they won’t let you down. They’re very tough. They wear you down throughout the whole route, without any rest. They’re the toughest challenge, but it’s really satisfying when you pass them at the finish line!
- Hills family (Benny Hills and Risha Hills): The Hills are great climbers. They specialize in alpine stages, and are the standard of excellence on hills. If you ride with them, try to get a gap on the flat stretches; because when it starts to get steep, it may be too late to catch them.
- Lapdog family: (Terry Lapdog and Minnie Lapdog): The Lapdogs are good riding partners. They’re perfect if you’re looking for a companion more than a competitor. They’ll acompany you the whole way, helping you however they can and waiting for you if you lag behind.
Keep riding. At BKOOL we’ll continue working to make your simulations more and more real. Try it FREE for 30 days!
