Hello
I don’t know what’s already planned for the upcoming New York world, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to implement a long-discussed velodrome to Zwift. Madison Square Garden was a mythical race track, just 2.5 km outside Central Park. There are different possible approaches on how it could look like in Zwift, but this is how I see it:
- There exist multiple (parallel, identical) tracks of 167 m (as long as the original one)
- To avoid crowdedness, it’s only accessible in events
- As it are events, you can also choose to compete in teams of two!
- New in-game moves (such as we can make turns right now):
—> Right-swing: to go higher in the turns and let the others pass you
—> Relay (when riding in teams): both have to click on their relay button (smartphone/laptop). There should be something of timing involved: the better the timing of both riders, the less speed is lost during the swing. - When you’re riding as a team, but are “resting”: you ride at the outside/high part of the track by default (except when the relay is approaching)
- There are lots of possible events: (Track cycling - Wikipedia )
—> Sprint / Pursuit / Points races / Elimination races / Keirin / …
—> The Madison (of course, it’s returning to its origin!)
—> Personal Zwift-world hour records
—> Once a year, the “Six Days of New York” (which ended in 1961) is organized, preferably on the historically-right week. Everyone can participate, in competitions based on time zones and FTP. The finals could even be broadcasted online and the winners could get in-game trophies/jerseys… - The overall world doesn’t get access to the inner circuit, as respect of it as a special track. But there might be an option to ride through the building (and upstairs as in London) to access a glass wall which is positioned at the top of the stands, so that you can look down through it and see an ongoing event on the track itself. In the NY world, you can ride an almost-entire circle behind this glass, but not a complete one, to avoid cyclists from making loops and traffic jams.
- Optionally, even alternative bicycles could be an option, such as tandems or a penny-farthing.
- There could also be some extra achievements, for instance when completing 250/500/1000 consecutive laps.
- The track could be completely in retro-style. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to ride in a black-and-white track, completed with spots and stripes as in old movies, surrounded by old-fashioned music, shouting crowds and some fog (of the smokers in that time) inside a historical velodrome? Get the feeling on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoIUL5QHNXA !
As you can see, lots of ideas.
It’s difficult to agree on all of them, but it’s also difficult to deny the countless opportunities.
Greetings
Lander
