Burlington, VT – For cyclists riding indoors there is an exciting new series of virtual ride videos available. epicPLANET.tv has released its first in a series of epicRIDES showing actual over-the-road cycling routes that are both beautiful to see and challenging to ride to.
epicRIDES virtual ride videos are filmed on truly epic cycle routes in scenic locations around the world, using local cyclists as riders. epicRIDES are edited to an original music score and include an on-screen digital dashboard showing terrain profile, ride time, average grade, and suggested training zone. The video’s interface is clean, simple and elegant, so as to not detract from the beautiful scenery in the rides.

“Our idea is to deliver a virtual ride that is an enjoyable, yet challenging experience - without the information overload you find in many of the other cycle training videos,” said epicPLANET.tv Producer/Director, Allen Jones.

All epicRIDES come with downloadable Training Guide with several different workouts that tie in with the video’s dashboard.

epicRIDES virtual ride videos are for use in indoor cycle training at home, for indoor cycling classes, and for major indoor cycling events.

These videos are shot in the wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratio which makes them perfect for wide-screen high definition TV sets. Initial releases will be on DVD, with releases on HD Blu-ray disk coming in the future.

According to Jones, “ As winter takes its grip on the northern climates many serious cyclists turn to indoor cycling to keep their legs and lungs in shape over the long winter months. But after a while, indoor cycling gets boring and tedious. This was the inspiration behind epicRIDES - to give indoor cyclists the opportunity ride to great rides around world while they train. So when an indoor rider needs a break from those hard core training videos they can now take challenging epicRIDES to a place they’ve never been and enjoy what we feel is a virtually amazing experience!”

The first release in this ongoing series is titled, Epic Vermont, and was filmed in the scenic Mad River Valley of central Vermont.

Epic Vermont takes the rider on a 45 minute virtual ride starting in Waitsfield, Vt, and features a major climb over Appalachian Gap, one of the best climbs of the region and a key part of the Vermont Stage Race, takes a fast spin down the back side of the Gap and finishes in the village of Bristol.

Close on the wheel of Epic Vermont will be epicPLANET.tv’s next release Epic Acadia, shot during peak foliage in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. Starting in 2009, epicPLANET.tv will be releasing five epicRIDES annually, beginning with locations in the U.S. and Canada and then venturing forth for epic rides around the world. The preliminary 2009 schedule of epic rides includes, Epic Tucson, Epic Moab, Epic Colorado, Epic Blue Grass, and Epic Minnesota with other rides in development.

Epic Vermont is for sale on the www.epicplanet.tv web site, at Amazon.com and through a number of national and local bicycle retailers for a suggested retail price of $29.95. For those that “get hooked” on the epicRIDES experience (and like to save money as well), epicPLANET.tv will be offering a subscription option that will save subscribers almost 30% off of the retail price as well as put a new epicRIDES video in their mailbox five times a year.

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