Ride On Player One

If you couldn't tell by now, I love to ride my bike. But it's not the only thing I love to do. I really love to read. There was a period of time where I wasn't reading much of anything, though. And that just wasn't good for my soul. So this year I made a resolution to start reading again. My goal was one book a month. I was on track but March came around and I got behind. I'm confident I'll catch up, though. I'm currently reading A Wrinkle in Time. I've been struggling with reading it consistently not because I don't like it but because I'm in the mood for something else. What that something else is, I'm not sure. But, I'm going to force myself to stick with it because I want to see the movie that just came out, and one of the things I like to do is read a book and then watch the movie. That's one of the reasons I picked "Ready Player One" for my February read. The movie is being released in theaters this week. The book takes place in a dark and grim 2044. Climate change and war have ravaged the earth. The 1% got richer while most of the world became poorer. Resources are scarce and the future looks bleak. Technology, however, has advanced to the point where most people reside in a virtual reality called the Oasis. The creator of the Oasis dies and creates a virtual scavenger hunt for an Easter Egg hidden within the Oasis. The person to find the egg wins control of the company that owns the Oasis, thus making this person the most powerful and richest person on Earth. The book follows a boy through his journey to find this Easter Egg. I thought it was a good book. It's heavy on nostalgia, as basically everything 80's is back in style in the year 2044, so if you were an 80's kid or teenager, you'll get a kick out of all the references. It's a fun book to read. There are so many fascinating themes and questions to explore about living in a virtual world while the real world crumbles around you. The author doesn't really wax philosophical on any of it, but it does make you think: If people had made an effort into making the real world better rather than retreating into a virtual world, would the world have deteriorated as much as it did? Another theme that had me thinking were personal connections made in the virtual world. Are those connections as real as connections made in-real-life? Is it possible to have both a vibrant virtual life and a thriving reality? I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately as I feel like it sometimes mirrors some aspects of my own life, particularly cycling.

99% of my winter riding is done indoors, and most of that indoor riding is done on a game called Zwift. I think I've explained it before, but I'll give a quick refresher. Zwift is a virtual cycling game in which you ride virtual roads on a virtual bike with an avatar. Your avatar is propelled by you - the real you is at home on a bike that is hooked up to a trainer. The amount of power you put out on the bike, measured in watts, determines how fast you will go in this virtual setting. It's really an amazing game. A heavy component of Zwift is that it's a social game. As you ride, there are other riders around that you can see and interact with (to a degree). These are people just like you, riding in their home. You can send a general message, which everyone on the road can see, or you can send a direct message to just one person. You can cheer people on in the form of "Ride-ons". These are blue thumbs-up icons that appear over your head, then disappear into your avatar's jersey pockets. You can see who gave you the ride-on. It's a nice way to let someone know you see the work they are doing and are encouraging them. Again, it's a very social thing. There are group rides, where people join up to ride at a certain time to ride a certain route together. It's loads of fun. In my opinion, group rides are the best thing about Zwift. There's just something really cool about doing a ride with people that enjoy doing the same thing you do. You ride, you chat, you meet some really cool people. It's fun and it's a great workout. It's like doing a group ride outdoors, except without having to worry about cars. And because people are naturally competitive, there are races in Zwift as well. Racing in Zwift has become quite a thing - last year CVR kicked off live events with real prizes for racing in Zwift. Another event organizer, KISS, in conjunction with Zwift, are hosting a live racing event as well. There's a big Zwift community online on Facebook. When I say it's a thing, I mean it. People take it very seriously. Some people have committed to riding only on Zwift, no more outdoor riding for them. There's a Zwift Anti-Doping Agency. Yes, people cheat in these virtual races. Pros use it to train. People have won professional cycling contracts through Zwift. So yes, Zwift is a Thing.

It's definitely been a thing for me. I've completed the Zwift Academy two years in a row now. I lead a group ride. I competed in two CVR events that utilized Zwift for racing. I founded a virtual cycling team with four other women. I have made friends within the community. So I'm invested in this online world. As I was reading Ready Player One, I felt like there were parallels between my online-cycling world and this book about people invested so heavily in a virtual reality. There's the obvious parallel - virtual realities that closely mimic real life but are a game, or can be used as a game. But as I read the book, I started realizing that the investment into the game in Ready Player One was similar to the investment people have made into this virtual cycling world. In the book, corporations are desperate to have control over this virtual world, because it would mean access and control over the vast majority of the world's population. Why? Well, because people invested in this world - time, money, information, you name it. People invest in Zwift; there's the subscription fee you have to pay, but then there is also the investment in equipment, and time to do group rides, races, etc. There's also an emotional investment. When I started cycling, I was desperately searching for a women's cycling community. I found one online through Zwift. I met some amazing women and became part of a women's virtual cycling community that I love dearly. I am Facebook friends with some of these women. I consider some of them to be in-real-life friends, as well. I care about them, and love seeing what they are up to with their families and friends, even though I've never met some of them. During my race in CVR, I noticed that some of the people who attended my group ride gave me ride-ons or sent me cheers. Recently, a prominent and talented racer became ill. The community banded together to send her get-well gifts, words of encouragement and even coordinated rides to show her that we all cared and wanted her to get well. See? Investment. We are invested in each other and in the community. Don't mistake me; I'm not trying to describe some sort of online utopia where everyone loves each other and sings kumbaya as we cruise around on virtual bikes. There are definitely personality clashes. Some people don't care for each other, while others are downright hostile to one another. There can certainly be an ugly side to this online virtual world. I mean, come on, it's the internet. The internet is a troll's playground, and you can certainly find them playing on Zwift. Luckily, most people are decent people that just like to ride bikes.

But how much do we really know about each other? This is something that's explored in Ready Player One, as well. In the book, the protagonist has friends that he made online. He's never met these people in real life and has only seen their avatars. At one point, the protagonist admits that his friends could be vastly different from how they present themselves online. They could be lying about who they are, who knows? That's part of the lure of the internet, right? You can be whoever you want to be, to a degree. It's like that on the Oasis - you can make your avatar look and be however you want. As close or as far away from reality as you desire. Zwift is similar. You don't have to ride under your real name, although you should put your real weight and height (otherwise you are cheating). So if you're riding with someone on Zwift, you don't really know who they are. They could be anyone. Facebook helps a bit with that, in that if they are part of the Zwift community Facebook groups, you have some sort of idea of who they are. Or do you? Because no one misrepresents themselves on Facebook, right? This is a conundrum that is as old as the internet itself. Chat rooms, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ (yeah, I know, I'm dating myself)...this issue of identity is not new to anyone who's been on the Internet, and it's not likely to go away. It's happened before, and is an issue now, of people pretending to be someone they are not or pretending to be capable of being as fast and strong as they show in-game. It's just a game, right? Who cares? Yes, it is just a game. But increasingly, there are higher stakes, like monetary prizes that are dependent on people being honest. In the grand scheme of things, does it make a difference? No. This is probably the best example of a First World problem that I can think of. And yet, to a large group of people, it does matter. For one, it's a security issue. Anonymity on the internet is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can help protect you. On the other hand, people use it to troll or stalk. There has been at least one verified instance of someone using Zwift (in conjunction with other social media platforms) to stalk someone. Another reason why it matters is because it is relatively easy for people to have influence over Zwifters that could be harmful. Is that coach you found on Facebook properly trained? How do you know if you are taking nutrition advice from a registered dietitian or a sports nutritionist and not someone with a bogus education from places like The Colgan Institute? Are you getting medical advice from someone with a medical degree from Wikipedia? Influence over our training and diet can directly affect our health; it matters if someone is pretending to be something they are not.

This isn't a call for a witch hunt or to say that everyone out there is either cheating, lying or completely crazy (or all of the above). Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, right? And other times, that weird feeling you get about someone is right. We should all be smart. I hope by now we're all savvy enough to know not to give out personal information that could be used to harm us. In thinking about it, though, I've probably given more information about myself than I should. You get comfortable and think you're in a safe space with like-minded people. We take people at face-value and believe in what they are telling us. It's so easy to become complacent and to let your guard down because the connections we make, although virtual, are real. It's part of what makes the Zwift community so great, but is also ripe for exploitation. This isn't a Zwift-only phenomenon, and I'm sure they're very aware that these issues exist within the community. Zwift is full of brilliant people. They made this awesome virtual cycling (and now running) paradise, right? So I'm sure they'll do what they can to make their product, and the community that has grown around their product, a safe place for their users. In the meantime, I'll remain vigilant, but also enjoy the real connections I have been fortunate to make in my virtual cycling world.