
I do a lot of indoor riding. Even now with the weather finally improving after a pretty brutal start to Spring. Weekdays usually see me entering the pain cave around 6:30am for an hour or two.
I had been relying almost exclusively on the Sufferfest and Zwift for my virtual rides. I decided to give a couple of others a try. I have really been enjoying BigRingVR.
They do something very clever in that they pair a high definition video source of an actual ride and manage to create an eerily realistic feel. So close to being out on the road. There are now over 200 rides from Europe and the U.S. to choose from.
As Lorraine and I will be touring Norway in a couple of months, I’ve decided to focus my BigRingVR trial period with Norwegian rides.
I took it a bit easier this morning and the map below shows you how the ride follows a stunning part of the country. Although the elevation on this one is nominal — most of the rides have much tougher elevations — all of the ups and downs feel just like the real thing.
These rides make you work.

I spin about 15 – 20 minutes before tackling the actual ride as most of the routes on BigRingVR have pretty steep climbs right from the front. I also take about 5 minutes at the end of the ride to spin out the legs.
These rides are proving to be just as challenging as the Sufferfest and Zwift. Unlike Zwift, which has a strong social element, BigRingVR is more like Sufferfest with a strong focus on solo riding albeit with no formal training overlay.
All three have strengths. After spending several years with the Sufferfest, I am welcoming the variety that BigRingVR brings to virtual cycling. Having the world go by in high definition video creates more of a realistic feel to an indoor session. I download the full videos before launching the ride and I experience a very smooth video feed. BigRingVR also supports streaming.
And, most importantly, BigRingVR uploads to Strava.
If you do a ride and it isn’t uploaded to Strava then it never really happened.
Here is a sample video without the comprehensive dashboard.