Peloton is set to launch a new signature cycling series called “Real Routes,” offering riders an immersive experience where instructors guide you through real-world rides throughout the class plan. At this time, the “Real Routes” signature series appears set to be led by Christian Vande Velde, although others could teach these classes at a later date as well.
The first class, which will be released on Wednesday, October 16th at midnight, will focus on Col du Galibier, a famous section of the Tour de France.
The description for the series reads:
“Join our professional cyclist as he brings his favorite outdoor routes to your indoor bike experience. Whether you’re pedaling through local roads or navigating up famous terrain, this will be a workout you don’t want to miss.”
Like Christian’s Pro-Cyclist rides, this class will be taught in a Power Zone format – and this will not be a PZE style class. The bulk of the workout is alternating between one minute of Zone 5 and four minutes of Zone 4. The ride will wrap up with two minutes of Zone 3 and and two minutes of Zone 5, concluding with an extended five minute cooldown.
Note that unlike Peloton’s scenic content, this class is not limited to hardware device owners; it is simply a class format in which the coach teaches from the studio like a normal class, and talks riders through the experience of that specific route.
For long-time Peloton members, this style might feel familiar. Christian, who returned to Peloton as a guest instructor earlier this year, previously taught some now-purged classes in which he talked riders through real routes he had raced or ridden.
Although “Real Routes” is a new series name, Peloton has dabbled with this concept before. Christine D’Ercole’s “Legendary Climbs” series launched earlier this year and took riders through iconic mountain climbs, and her Haleakala volcano classes are another popular example. Matt Wilpers has also experimented with this format in the past.
The upcoming class with Christian appears to have been recorded back in May, but it is just now being released to Peloton’s on-demand library on October 16. It is currently unclear how often Christian will teach this class type and whether it will expand to other instructors.
Are you looking forward to the first Real Routes ride with Christian?
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It’s Galibier…
Typo fixed, thanks.
So basically it’s just a PZ ride – no different. I’d rather see Christian do a real outdoor ride and we follow him (in a similar style to iFit). Now that would be interesting and fun to do.