Ben Sloot

Some evenings, the sound of heavy breathing and a hamster wheel rises from my basement. I’m a fair weather cyclist, and I’ve moved my bike to a trainer inside.

I’ve never been a gamer, save for some Goldeneye in middle school, and a bit of college Madden instead of class. However, my rides inside this season have been less mind-numbing thanks to the game pictured above.

I learned two things staring at a screen while pedaling a stationary bike.

• I still have a bit of the competitive spirit brought out unexpectedly by virtual racing
• I was half assing my time on the bike before, both inside and out

Meanwhile my riding outfit in today’s ride included a green sprinters jersey, some Bavarian socks and shoes earned on a recent October ‘pretzelfest ride’ and a backwards hat for completing registration on my phone.

It’s not all just fun and video games; it’s playing dress up too.