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CADEsport engages your mind, not just your legs, on the turbo
CADEsport gives you great graphics, real world physics and a change from the training game routine
If you’ve got a bit bored of cycle training games which are all about pumping out the watts, but don’t do much to keep your mind active, take a look at CADEsport. Real world cycling is enjoyable because it offers a mental challenge as well as a physical one, which CADEsport looks to replicate in its gameplay.
That starts with a real world physics simulation, for a more realistic ride experience.
Drafting is a crucial part of bunch riding and CADEsport models the effect of following other riders and headwinds and crosswinds on the effort needed to keep with a bunch. You can steer in the game to move around other riders and position yourself optimally in the peloton.
In the real world, taking a corner well will improve your speed and CADEsport mimics the effect of braking into a corner, taking the best line through the bend and accelerating out. It also simulates different ride surfaces, so you need to get your speed right when you hit cobbles, sand or other surfaces.
There are obstacles on CADEsport’s roads too - hit them and you’ll crash, but steer round them and you’ll get an advantage. You can crash out taking a corner too fast or miscalculating a turn off-road too.
The physics doesn’t stop there. You can fine-tune your tyre width, tyre pressure and tread pattern, as well as other bike components, to match the needs of the surface you’ll be riding on.
You can customise the look of your avatar too. Want the look of a climber or sprinter? You can change muscle definition, along with weight, skin and hair colour and facial features. Kit yourself out with clothing and a helmet to suit.
Social side
CADEsport’s graphics are a notch up on many training games, with realistic features like reflections on water surfaces and sunlight through trees, adding another real-world touch to your riding.
If you’re riding with teammates, there’s built-in audio, so you’ve got a race radio to talk with teammates or just chat with other riders either in private or public and you can share and view video.
There’s more opportunity for social interaction, with the option to find people who share your riding interests or who live near you via CADEsport’s recommendations. You can send a friend request using the Nearby Riders List or send emojis. Alternatively, you can just ride with your friends or privately.
If you want help and pacing for your ride, CADEsport also includes bots to provide drafting. Its Turing Bots have a range of riding styles and power outputs, so you can choose a grupetto that’s going at the right speed for you. More bots are on their way, including a follow-along Workout Bot to make workouts more interesting than just looking at stats and bars on the screen.
Different power modes
On some platforms, there’s controversy about riders falsifying their data to give themselves an advantage in competitions. With CADEsport, the standard Pro Power mode automatically adjusts everyone’s power to that of a pro, so that riders of all abilities can ride together. That means that it’s not just about watts but skill and effort, and you don’t need to worry about power meter accuracy or entering your weight or height.
There’s also a Raw Power mode that takes your real power readings, height and weight to mimic the speed you’d ride outdoors and Couch Power which lets you participate without needing to ride. It’s a good way to spectate or to look for new routes to ride.
Huge number of workouts
Riding indoors is about maintaining and improving your fitness and there are thousands of workout routines in CADEsport, developed by expert coaches. It’s easy to create your own workouts too, while coming soon is the CADEsport Workout Wizard, allowing you to build your own tailored training programme.
CADEsport gives you loads of stats, including workout history and data, power zone distribution, heart rate zones, cadence and drafting effect. You can also compete in races and endurance rides on CADEsport with World Cup events this winter.
Special promotional offers in October
An annual subscription to CADEsport is priced at $79.99, after a 14-day free trial period.
If you buy a subscription during October, you’ll get a special in-game kit for your avatar, while the first 100 new subscribers will have their name or gamertag printed on a road in the game.
Software and hardware requirements to run CADEsport are similar to other cycling training apps. You can find more details on the CADEsport website.
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Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.