The Giro d’Italia Virtual hosted by BKOOL, an indoor cycling project developed by RCS Sport in collaboration with BKOOL, will kick off on October 15th. The virtual event offers cycling fans the opportunity to experience multiple stages of the Corsa Rosa from home.
Participants ride their own bike through a high-definition video simulation with an avatar and 3D elements developed by BKOOL… ‘for an immersive indoor cycling experience never seen before.’
Three rounds
The Giro d’Italia Virtual hosted by BKOOL is made up of three separate rounds, running from October to May 2022:
- Grande Partenza – Part 1 (from 15th October to 2nd January);
- Grande Partenza – Part 2 (from 14th January to 3rd April); and
- Grande Arrivo (from 6th to 29th May), which takes place simultaneously with the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
The first round to be tackled will be the opening stage of the 2021 Grande Partenza, with four routes in total that partially follow the official stages of the real-world pro cyclist event in May:
- Stage 1 – Torino TISSOT ITT: 8.3 km / 14 m+
- Stage 2 – Verbania – Al pe Motta: 8.7 km / 630 m+
- Stage 3 – Perugia – Montalcino: 25 km / 540 m+
- Stage 4 – Milan TISSOT ITT: 25 km / 13 m+
In addition to enjoying the opportunity to ride on the same routes as professional cyclists, participants will be able to earn points on each stage they ride. By registering for a round, participants will receive their first point. From then on, each completed stage adds another point (+1) and, for completing the round, participants will receive two points (+2).
The third and final round, Grande Arrivo, in addition to awarding double points, takes into account the points obtained in any of the Grande Partenza rounds.
Points accumulated from the event will give participants the chance to win official Giro d’Italia jerseys and products, invitations to the Giro d’Italia and other leading Italian races, accessories such as shoes, helmets, glasses or cycling clothes… and subscriptions to both the next Giro d’Italia Virtual and BKOOL.
