REGINA -- With racing currently postponed until July 6, the Saskatchewan Cycling Association (SCA) has developed a new virtual race program to give cyclists a way of racing in groups.

“It’s an online series to keep motivation high in COVID-19 times,” says Russell Down, the SCA provincial head coach.

15 year old Carson Ritter has been road racing for three years and is used to training outside at this time of year, “I’d be going on a lot more outdoor rides and I’d be riding with my coach a lot more and my friends more.”

The Canadian Junior Virtual Cycling Series is a pilot road race program which has the support for Cycling Canada, and was started in Saskatchewan. The virtual cycling series has addressed a gap which isn’t able to be fulfilled in the pandemic.

Normally in road cycling, there’s drafting, meaning cyclists hover behind another cyclist to preserve energy. There’s team strategy and there are crashes.

“They can all race together under one app platform at the same time and we’re going to be able to determine a Champion at the end of it,” says SCA executive director Sarah Honeysett.

The idea was born in the winter, so racers could train indoors when the temperature dropped. It started by involving more racers from Manitoba, but turned into a nation-wide race this past weekend, with 36 participants from across Canada.

“It’s really cool to race the top people in Canada because I would have to travel all over the country to do that and now I can just do that in my basement,” says Ritter.

“Athletes sharing their ‘pain cave pictures.’ It’s pretty neat to be able to connect the community, I think that’s also really important,” says Down, who was one of the creators of the program.

Normally, cyclists and coaches wouldn’t be able to communicate mid-race, but the virtual system has a radio feature built in.

“You can really talk about exactly what you’re going to do and the exact strategy that you want to play as a team,” says Ritter, who is trying to qualify for the Canada Games in 2021.

Down admits it provides an extra opportunity for coaching in a race.

“We can do in race strategizing and tactics and right there help them make sure they’re making good decisions.”

The simulation increases the drag when cyclists go up a hill, and doesn’t allow them to speed up in a crowd of racers.

“When you get really close to someone, like when you kind of try to ride through them it cuts off your power so it doesn’t let you do that which is cool,” says Ritter.

There are three more races on the pilot program’s schedule, and Honeysett hope this series cycles farther.

“We’re excited to be able to show the rest of the world what Saskatchewan can do with this new innovative technology.”