Team BKool CycleChat

[inesfra]

Buongiorno a tutti! Sono un nuovo bkooler, anche se credo che uno dei pochi venga dall'Italia.
Due domande: ieri c'è stata una gara organizzata da Bkool che doveva iniziare alle 17:00 di ieri pomeriggio (Gent-Wevelgem-Flanders Classics). Sono entrato nel programma di gara evidenziato in giallo nel simulatore alle 16.55 e invece di rimanere fermo sulla griglia in attesa di iniziare con altri ciclisti (stile Zwift), mi ha praticamente fatto iniziare immediatamente. Lentamente, poi, altri ciclisti si unirono. Ma non iniziamo tutti insieme?
Seconda domanda, l'effetto di scivolare dietro un altro ciclista non funziona per me; a volte l'icona in alto che indica che non mi appare, altre volte mi appare dopo molto tempo che ora ho passato l'altro ciclista davanti a me.
Scusa se non è il posto giusto per porre queste domande, ma ho difficoltà a capire.
In tal caso, mi consiglieresti dove porre queste domande? Grazie.
Il servizio Bkool è molto vago ...

Mod note. I've run the original post through Google translate for the benefit of our members:

Goodmorning everyone! I'm a new bkooler, although I think one of the few is from Italy.
Two questions: yesterday there was a race organized by Bkool that was supposed to start at 17:00 yesterday afternoon (Gent-Wevelgem-Flanders Classics). I entered the race program highlighted in yellow in the simulator at 16.55 and instead of standing still on the grid waiting to start with other cyclists (Zwift style), it practically made me start immediately. Slowly, then, other cyclists joined. But don't we all start together?
Second question, the effect of sliding behind another cyclist doesn't work for me; sometimes the icon at the top indicating that it does not appear to me, other times it appears to me after a long time that I have now passed the other cyclist in front of me.
Sorry if it's not the right place to ask these questions, but I'm having trouble understanding.
If so, would you advise me where to ask these questions? Thank you.
The Bkool service is very vague ...

 

[Brusgaard]

Goodmorning everyone! I'm a new bkooler, although I think one of the few is from Italy.
Two questions: yesterday there was a race organized by Bkool that was supposed to start at 17:00 yesterday afternoon (Gent-Wevelgem-Flanders Classics). I entered the race program highlighted in yellow in the simulator at 16.55 and instead of standing still on the grid waiting to start with other cyclists (Zwift style), it practically made me start immediately. Slowly, then, other cyclists joined. But don't we all start together?
Second question, the effect of sliding behind another cyclist doesn't work for me; sometimes the icon at the top indicating that it does not appear to me, other times it appears to me after a long time that I have now passed the other cyclist in front of me.
Sorry if it's not the right place to ask these questions, but I'm having trouble understanding.
If so, would you advise me where to ask these questions? Thank you.
The Bkool service is very vague ...

Normally the "Featured" rides start warm up at about 16.59 and the actual race 10 minutes later. There everyone waits on the start line until "BKOOL Master" (a bot these days) starts the race.
The Flandern Classics rides are a bit different, as it is an ever ongoing race, which you can join by pressing the button at the top. That may be the reason, that you started right away.. I'm almost certain that you didn't join the 17.00 Featured ride already at 16.55.

The featured rides no longer have the big yellow FEATURED label since version 5 of the simulator, but just a plain white box with "Featured ride" (or something similar) inside it.

Yes, the drafting graphics at the top seems buggy, as I have experienced the same anomalies.

 

[inesfra]

Normally the "Featured" rides start warm up at about 16.59 and the actual race 10 minutes later. There everyone waits on the start line until "BKOOL Master" (a bot these days) starts the race.
The Flandern Classics rides are a bit different, as it is an ever ongoing race, which you can join by pressing the button at the top. That may be the reason, that you started right away.. I'm almost certain that you didn't join the 17.00 Featured ride already at 16.55.

The featured rides no longer have the big yellow FEATURED label since version 5 of the simulator, but just a plain white box with "Featured ride" (or something similar) inside it.

Yes, the drafting graphics at the top seems buggy, as I have experienced the same anomalies.

First of all, I must apologize to all forum participants if my post appeared in my native language. As already done in other foreign forums, I had used Google Translate, and I don't understand what happened and what didn't work in the translation.
@Brusgaard
You were very kind to take time for an answer. I will be very careful, but to me the initial page of the software appears really confusing and absolutely unclear. But it would not be better to highlight, perhaps with an unequivocal highlighted banner, the beginning of a group race!
Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to join these races.
I don't mind Bkool, but it has some really unforgivable flaws. A graphic reinterpretation would be enough to make it more attractive.
I jump from one software to another, using Bkool, Zwift, Onelap, Rouvy, RGT, and all of them have merits; but none that I can define "definitive".
Yes, certainly as Brusgaard says, I did not participate in the group race in which I would have liked to participate. But is it just my fault?
Thanks to all and sorry, you too forum administrators, the inexplicable inconvenience with the language.

 

[Brusgaard]

You were very kind to take time for an answer. I will be very careful, but to me the initial page of the software appears really confusing and absolutely unclear. But it would not be better to highlight, perhaps with an unequivocal highlighted banner, the beginning of a group race!
Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to join these races.
I don't mind Bkool, but it has some really unforgivable flaws. A graphic reinterpretation would be enough to make it more attractive.
I jump from one software to another, using Bkool, Zwift, Onelap, Rouvy, RGT, and all of them have merits; but none that I can define "definitive".
Yes, certainly as Brusgaard says, I did not participate in the group race in which I would have liked to participate. But is it just my fault?
Thanks to all and sorry, you too forum administrators, the inexplicable inconvenience with the language.

Yes, the big yellow FEATURED label worked better, yet some people didn’t see it, as they forgot to Refresh the main screen. As you probably know, anyone can setup a race with a 10 minute countdown, and it is the same feature used by BKOOL themselves.

Back in the day, one of the employees at BKOOL had to be online to start the warmup at the announced time. But that didn’t work 100%, as sometimes they forgot, were sick, late or some other excuse. Then they programmed a bot to start it instead of a human being.

But you can not join a BKOOL race for which the warmup hasn’t started. It is not like on Zwift, where you can join a race/ride half an hour (or more) before it starts, and then just sit in the pen and spin/wait.
So when you login to the BKOOL simulator at 16.58, you won’t see the featured ride, and if you don’t press the Refresh button or go to some sub menu and then return to the main screen, you‘ll never see it.

I presume any software has flaws/bugs. Having done at least 600 races/rides across Zwift and Bkool, I’ve seen my share of bugs come and go (and sometimes return) across the many releases. Some of them should be easy to fix, like the broken message/paint function in Bkool, but still isn’t. The distance bug or the broken fence function in Zwift, are examples of things that used to work, but suddenly doesn’t. The distance bug seems to be fixed now, for most routes, however. They disabled the fence completely for the time being.

But as you say, every simulator/platform offers something special, and there is not one platform to “rule them all” so far. We would like the crisp Full HD videos from BigRing VR, the easy (private) race/league setup from Bkool, the stabilty, polished 3D and number of riders from Zwift and the good workouts/training plans from TrainerRoad/Sufferfest etc. etc.

Only way to get it all, is to subscribe to each of them and hope, that one day there will be 14 days in a week, so you get to use them all and get your money’s worth. Pretty much the same as with the streaming services, where each has their own original content not available elsewhere (well except on some shady internet sites. ).

Don’t be sorry about speaking your native tong, most people on here do. Most of them being from the British Isles, of course helps. 😄 Also, currently people seem a bit scared of anything coming out of Italy.

 

[keithaitch]

Yes, the big yellow FEATURED label worked better, yet some people didn’t see it, as they forgot to Refresh the main screen. As you probably know, anyone can setup a race with a 10 minute countdown, and it is the same feature used by BKOOL themselves.

Back in the day, one of the employees at BKOOL had to be online to start the warmup at the announced time. But that didn’t work 100%, as sometimes they forgot, were sick, late or some other excuse. Then they programmed a bot to start it instead of a human being.

But you can not join a BKOOL race for which the warmup hasn’t started. It is not like on Zwift, where you can join a race/ride half an hour (or more) before it starts, and then just sit in the pen and spin/wait.
So when you login to the BKOOL simulator at 16.58, you won’t see the featured ride, and if you don’t press the Refresh button or go to some sub menu and then return to the main screen, you‘ll never see it.

I presume any software has flaws/bugs. Having done at least 600 races/rides across Zwift and Bkool, I’ve seen my share of bugs come and go (and sometimes return) across the many releases. Some of them should be easy to fix, like the broken message/paint function in Bkool, but still isn’t. The distance bug or the broken fence function in Zwift, are examples of things that used to work, but suddenly doesn’t. The distance bug seems to be fixed now, for most routes, however. They disabled the fence completely for the time being.

But as you say, every simulator/platform offers something special, and there is not one platform to “rule them all” so far. We would like the crisp Full HD videos from BigRing VR, the easy (private) race/league setup from Bkool, the stabilty, polished 3D and number of riders from Zwift and the good workouts/training plans from TrainerRoad/Sufferfest etc. etc.

Only way to get it all, is to subscribe to each of them and hope, that one day there will be 14 days in a week, so you get to use them all and get your money’s worth. Pretty much the same as with the streaming services, where each has their own original content not available elsewhere (well except on some shady internet sites. ).

Don’t be sorry about speaking your native tong, most people on here do. Most of them being from the British Isles, of course helps. 😄 Also, currently people seem a bit scared of anything coming out of Italy.

Brilliant, we are all lucky to know you @Brusgaard

 

[inesfra]

Yes, the big yellow FEATURED label worked better, yet some people didn’t see it, as they forgot to Refresh the main screen. As you probably know, anyone can setup a race with a 10 minute countdown, and it is the same feature used by BKOOL themselves.

Back in the day, one of the employees at BKOOL had to be online to start the warmup at the announced time. But that didn’t work 100%, as sometimes they forgot, were sick, late or some other excuse. Then they programmed a bot to start it instead of a human being.

But you can not join a BKOOL race for which the warmup hasn’t started. It is not like on Zwift, where you can join a race/ride half an hour (or more) before it starts, and then just sit in the pen and spin/wait.
So when you login to the BKOOL simulator at 16.58, you won’t see the featured ride, and if you don’t press the Refresh button or go to some sub menu and then return to the main screen, you‘ll never see it.

I presume any software has flaws/bugs. Having done at least 600 races/rides across Zwift and Bkool, I’ve seen my share of bugs come and go (and sometimes return) across the many releases. Some of them should be easy to fix, like the broken message/paint function in Bkool, but still isn’t. The distance bug or the broken fence function in Zwift, are examples of things that used to work, but suddenly doesn’t. The distance bug seems to be fixed now, for most routes, however. They disabled the fence completely for the time being.

But as you say, every simulator/platform offers something special, and there is not one platform to “rule them all” so far. We would like the crisp Full HD videos from BigRing VR, the easy (private) race/league setup from Bkool, the stabilty, polished 3D and number of riders from Zwift and the good workouts/training plans from TrainerRoad/Sufferfest etc. etc.

Only way to get it all, is to subscribe to each of them and hope, that one day there will be 14 days in a week, so you get to use them all and get your money’s worth. Pretty much the same as with the streaming services, where each has their own original content not available elsewhere (well except on some shady internet sites. ).

Don’t be sorry about speaking your native tong, most people on here do. Most of them being from the British Isles, of course helps. 😄 Also, currently people seem a bit scared of anything coming out of Italy.

I know more now after Brusgaard's post than after various emails to Bkool's assistance service ...
Anyway, although I may appear stupid but it is the translation with Translate that leaves me with doubts, if I understand correctly: the scheduled race starts the athletes' concentration around 16.58, if the start is scheduled at 17. To be sure of see the right event, I have to click the update button. Now, at this point, where should the event appear? I let go of the first line of the screen (to be clear, the one I used erroneously, with the longer elongated rectangles) and go down to the second line, with the smaller rectangles, which are marked with the word "live". After that, how can I understand that it is the official race and not another user who has selected the same and same race, since they use the same and identical method? How do I distinguish the official one?
Everything you say about the various virtual cycling platforms, I subscribe and approve it, as if I had written it. We also await the developments of Veloton (I asked to be a beta tester, but I had no answer ...), but at the moment little or nothing is known about the completion times of the software.
"Also, currently people seem a bit scared of anything coming out of Italy."
Fortunately, I am very far from the countries affected by the infection.

 

[shimceltic]

First of all, I must apologize to all forum participants if my post appeared in my native language. As already done in other foreign forums, I had used Google Translate, and I don't understand what happened and what didn't work in the translation.
@Brusgaard
You were very kind to take time for an answer. I will be very careful, but to me the initial page of the software appears really confusing and absolutely unclear. But it would not be better to highlight, perhaps with an unequivocal highlighted banner, the beginning of a group race!
Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to join these races.
I don't mind Bkool, but it has some really unforgivable flaws. A graphic reinterpretation would be enough to make it more attractive.
I jump from one software to another, using Bkool, Zwift, Onelap, Rouvy, RGT, and all of them have merits; but none that I can define "definitive".
Yes, certainly as Brusgaard says, I did not participate in the group race in which I would have liked to participate. But is it just my fault?
Thanks to all and sorry, you too forum administrators, the inexplicable inconvenience with the language.

You can join our " races" Thursdays and Saturdays. @keithaitch is the big boss who organises.

 

[inesfra]

You can join our " races" Thursdays and Saturdays. @keithaitch is the big boss who organises.

If you accept snails in the group, gladly! Thanks!

I am registered as "Francesco Antonante" on Bkool. Tell me how to do it and when the race is held. Hoping to understand how to participate. Indeed on Zwift it seems easier.

I join you, and if I arrive last I don't care.

Thanks again.👍

 

[Brusgaard]

I know more now after Brusgaard's post than after various emails to Bkool's assistance service ...
Anyway, although I may appear stupid but it is the translation with Translate that leaves me with doubts, if I understand correctly: the scheduled race starts the athletes' concentration around 16.58, if the start is scheduled at 17. To be sure of see the right event, I have to click the update button. Now, at this point, where should the event appear? I let go of the first line of the screen (to be clear, the one I used erroneously, with the longer elongated rectangles) and go down to the second line, with the smaller rectangles, which are marked with the word "live". After that, how can I understand that it is the official race and not another user who has selected the same and same race, since they use the same and identical method? How do I distinguish the official one?
Everything you say about the various virtual cycling platforms, I subscribe and approve it, as if I had written it. We also await the developments of Veloton (I asked to be a beta tester, but I had no answer ...), but at the moment little or nothing is known about the completion times of the software.
"Also, currently people seem a bit scared of anything coming out of Italy."
Fortunately, I am very far from the countries affected by the infection.

To be sure to do the right race, I do this:

1) Do some warmup up on a random route in Bkool or Zwift
2) Go to the main screen of Bkool Simulator after 17.01 (BKOOL’s scheduled time (17.00) is start of warm up)
3) Look for the “Featured” label in the Live section
4) Join the race - and if in doubt go to Cyclists and look for “BKOOL Master”.
5) Continue warmup and with 10-20 seconds to go, I stop pedalling.
6) 0.00001 seconds after the start beep it‘s FULL GAZZ!!!

I’m also far away from Italy, however my boss returned from Piemonte last week. Went to work 2 days before he was sent home, just to be sure he doesn’t infect anyone, should he be infected. 🙂 Luckily he has his own house down there, so probably less at risk than those staying in hotels etc.

 

[inesfra]

To be sure to do the right race, I do this:

1) Do some warmup up on a random route in Bkool or Zwift
2) Go to the main screen of Bkool Simulator after 17.01 (BKOOL’s scheduled time (17.00) is start of warm up)
3) Look for the “Featured” label in the Live section
4) Join the race - and if in doubt go to Cyclists and look for “BKOOL Master”.
5) Continue warmup and with 10-20 seconds to go, I stop pedalling.
6) 0.00001 seconds after the start beep it‘s FULL GAZZ!!!

I’m also far away from Italy, however my boss returned from Piemonte last week. Went to work 2 days before he was sent home, just to be sure he doesn’t infect anyone, should he be infected. 🙂 Luckily he has his own house down there, so probably less at risk than those staying in hotels etc.

This means to speak clearly!
Thank you so much.
I will try it next time.

 

[keithaitch]

I won't be there tonight. First race of the season tomorrow and my age group win from last year to defend. I will happily watch you all suffer, paint encouragement and will be in the team car for @perswe in case of another mechanical.

 

[Brusgaard]

I won't be there tonight. First race of the season tomorrow and my age group win from last year to defend. I will happily watch you all suffer, paint encouragement and will be in the team car for @perswe in case of another mechanical.

I'm also AWOL tonight - have a nice race.

 

[Brusgaard]

If you accept snails in the group, gladly! Thanks!

I am registered as "Francesco Antonante" on Bkool. Tell me how to do it and when the race is held. Hoping to understand how to participate. Indeed on Zwift it seems easier.

I join you, and if I arrive last I don't care.

Thanks again.👍

See you there!

You can see some/most of our previous races on my Youtube channel, and maybe get an idea of, who to follow/beat... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMIuSlmmx2SyDgAng35bJ_w

 

[shimceltic]

I'm awol tonight as I've just lit the pizza oven

 

[BILL S]

I could start it today but I have no idea what the start quirks are these days for example the countdown problems and so on. Anyone riding tonight actually know how to get he race started properly seeing as our main men are not riding?