Riders on ROUVY can now talk to each other before, during, and after rides, thanks to three new features: In-Ride Chat, Clubs, and Communities. ROUVY is an indoor cycling app that pairs a smart trainer with video of real-world routes, letting users ride courses from around the world without leaving home.
Until now, riders on a ROUVY route could see other riders’ avatars but had no way to communicate with them. The new features add direct interaction, both within a rider’s existing network and across the wider user base.
In-Ride Chat lets riders hold live conversations while riding a route. It works through either the Companion App or the AR App, and can be turned off when a rider wants to focus.
Clubs are dedicated spaces for groups of riders to talk and compete. Each Club includes a weekly leaderboard, a club chat, and a discussion feed. Clubs can be open for anyone to join or private by invitation, and hold up to 30 members. They can be found through the AR App, the Companion App, or the Rider Portal.
Communities are larger groups built around brands, event series, or shared goals — for example, riders training for an IRONMAN race, or fans of the Lidl-Trek and Team Visma | Lease a Bike teams. All Communities are open to join. Discussion feeds can be open to all members or limited to curated posts. Each Community has an Owner and can add Curators. Communities are discoverable through the same three channels as Clubs.
ROUVY partners Lidl-Trek and Team Visma | Lease a Bike are among the organizations creating Communities.
“Cycling always was and will be a social activity, and it was about time that we brought that major aspect to ROUVY,” said Marek-Martin Matyska, VP of Product at ROUVY.
The features follow the release of Companion App 2.0, which lets users track outdoor activities alongside indoor training as part of a combined fitness score. ROUVY offers a free 7-day trial, with monthly and yearly plans available in single, duo, and group options.
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