LONDON / TAMPA, March 31, 2020 – IRONMAN today announced a multi-year partnership with ROUVY, an industry leader in virtual cycling. As the Official Virtual Training Partner of IRONMAN, ROUVY will offer up to 35 IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® bike courses on its platform, providing IRONMAN athletes from around the world a virtual riding experience based on existing event courses.
ROUVY’s technology mixes real-world footage with 3D virtual racing. Athletes will experience accurate elevation profiles, as well as real-time Augmented Reality integration through their avatar allowing them to ride real IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 courses anytime, anywhere.
“This partnership is a cornerstone of our virtual racing strategy. ROUVY is an exciting platform for athletes to use to compete in the IRONMAN® Virtual Racing™ Series. The platform will also be an integral part of the IRONMAN VR™ Pro Challenge,” said Matthieu Van Veen, Chief Revenue Officer of The IRONMAN Group. “Riding on ROUVY is as close as virtual cycling gets to being out on the course.”
The first route to be created will be of the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder triathlon, known for its stunning yet challenging bike course in Colorado, United States.
Founded in Vimperk, Czech Republic, ROUVY has quickly become one of the rising stars in the world of virtual training and racing, stunning thousands of athletes with its industry-leading technology and an unprecedented virtual experience.
“We are thrilled that ROUVY is teaming up with IRONMAN to launch the IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series. We have a long-term vision to become the leading global platform for Virtual Cycling and with the IRONMAN partnership that vision comes to reality,” noted Petr Samek, CEO of ROUVY. “Our 1:1 augmented/mixed-reality simulation of the outdoor courses provides highly realistic and entertaining routes for the athletes to explore and race on,” added Samek.
For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.
About The IRONMAN Group
The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, IRONKIDS®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. On March 26, 2020, Wanda Sports Group (Nasdaq: WSG) entered into an agreement to sell The IRONMAN Group to Advance; closing is anticipated in mid-2020. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.