Cycling legends and a bikepacker join the bunch

The bots ride as legends

From 1.8.0 on 28 October the bots ride as legends of cycling and triathlon, as a tribute inside the game. Your six riding companions include Eddy Merckx, Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Jan Frodeno and Chrissie Wellington. The two pelotons fill up with Ironman greats and Tour de France winners old and new, a fresh bunch every ride and nobody twice.

Each legend has their own flag and kit colours. The yellow jersey goes to a Tour winner and the polka dots to a climber. Near a peloton the riders list names the four legends closest to you, tagged as bots.

The same release gave every rider their own skin tone, hair colour and beard, visible from far away too.

On 29 October 1.17.0 added a team car that overtakes you now and then: a white estate in the game's navy and gold, with race bikes on the roof. It never comes past at the same moment as the 2CV.

On the drag after the viaduct at 4.6 km, two fans hold up a giant hand-painted banner for the riders coming up. It reads "PAIN IS JUST BREAD IN FRENCH", in English whatever language you play in.

Riding as a woman

The same release let you ride as a woman. Pick it under Your rider in the Shop or during setup; the choice syncs with your account. Other riders see your figure too, and the women legends among the bots now ride as women.

Side view of a female rider in a blue and white kit riding past lavender rows at golden hour — Since 1.17.0 you can ride as a woman, and others see your figure too.

The shop's Your rider tab with a Man or Woman choice and kit colour pickers — Your rider in the Shop: man or woman, and your own kit colours.

KB climbs with you

KB is one of the bots that ride the loop with you. In 1.19.11 he learned the Col du Pain: when you take the turn-off he takes it too, climbs and descends near you, and rejoins the loop with you. The other bots stay on the loop. The climb itself has its own post on the Col du Pain and a full Col du Pain guide.

LTD and smaller pelotons

1.21.0 brought a new rider: LTD, a bikepacking racer on a fully loaded bike. He has a frame bag, a big saddle pack, a dry bag on the bars and a green crisps tube sticking out of his back pocket. He rides alone at a steady ultra pace a bit below the pelotons, and shows by his initials in the riders list while he's near you.

Side view of the LTD rider on a loaded bikepacking bike with bags, riding past sunflowers at golden hour — LTD, the bikepacker, at his steady ultra pace through the sunflowers.

The pelotons got smaller, 16 and 12 riders instead of 20 and 15. The riders that freed up now ride alone or in pairs and threes all round the lap. Over a 40-minute ride, a 400 m stretch with nobody on it became about a third less common, and the longest empty stretch about a fifth shorter.

Riders also stopped sitting behind a slower rider for minutes. They pull out and go round, and a rider being passed doesn't drift into the one passing any more.

Company when nobody's online

Bots fill the road when you ride alone, and you can ride along with any of them, so a quiet evening still has a wheel to follow. When you'd rather ride with real people, the guide to riding with friends and your club shows how. All of it runs in a browser tab; see a cycling game in your browser.

Open Tour du Pain Try the demo, no trainer needed

Legends in the bunch, a team car, KB on the Col and LTD the bikepacker