Breaking a sweat in a virtual world with RA Sports software

When temperatures plummet, warm weather isn't the only thing that's blown away by the icy winds. The winter months can be a challenge for people trying to stick to a fitness program. Unable to ride their bikes and run outside, many simply give up.

Bruce Winkler, however, sees it differently.

"We're now just coming into our season," Winkler said. "Our main market is all about the indoors."

Winkler is the main force behind RA Sports, a virtual fitness software company in Madison. Harnessing the interactive elements of the fast-paced video-game world and applying them to the fitness world, RA Sports develops products that simulate the experience of racing, running and rowing, right in your living room.

"One of the last avenues of real opportunity is the experiential market," Winkler said. "People are very interested in having a sensory experience."

That's what they get with RA Sports' NetAthlon software. By attaching sensors to a stationary bicycle, rowing machine or treadmill, users can connect their training equipment to their computer and race ¡ª solo, against computer-generated characters or online against up to 16 racers in other cities ¡ª on virtual courses displayed on a computer or television screen. As the rider, rower or runner moves, the software monitors speed and steering. By adding software modules, a user can create pacers based on individual best race times and training goals.

The story of RA Sports is something of a salvage operation. The virtual-fitness software was developed more than 10 years ago by Dr. Ken Burres, a California neurosurgeon. Winkler first discovered it at a Games for Health conference in Madison two years ago. A search led him to FitCentric, a company struggling to overcome software compatibility problems and how to market its product.

Winkler, a veteran strategic innovation designer who has worked with clients such as Trek, Pepsi and UW-Madison, saw a golden opportunity. Pairing with Ivjot Kohli, a recent UW-Madison School of Business graduate, and Steve Bunes, a Chicago-based consultant, he purchased the rights to FitCentric's products.

Now, RA Sports' client base has expanded to include customers in the United States, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. There is a NetAthlon display at the Epcot theme park in Florida's Walt Disney World.

The product line has expanded beyond the hard-core crowd. Winkler and his partners have discovered that childhood obesity is a target for their technology. The pediatric fitness clinic at UW Health Sports Medicine uses it to help motivate children to use stationary bikes as part of an ongoing fitness program.

While the average user might be impressed by the chance to run a virtual race, the serious racing crowd appreciates that the software can track everything from heart rate and speed to power and distance.

"It gives you the Holy Grail of data management," said Carl Gulbrandson, national sales manager of Kinetic, an East Coast company that manufactures a device that converts a racing bike into a stationary bike. Last June, Kinetic used the software to create a virtual version of the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minneapolis, and more than 1,000 people hopped on bicycles for a test ride.

"Plus, it feels realistic," Gulbrandson said. "Indoor cycling is not as exciting as outdoor cycling ¡ª there's no change of scenery. Anything you can use to give yourself a mental or motivational stimulation on your indoor routine is a positive."

For serious racers, the online component is also a plus. Like the experience of gamers who play multiplayer online games and log on at specific times to participate in virtual battles, the online function of the WebRacing software provides both competition and added incentive.

"It gives you a sense of accountability," Winkler said. "Your friends expect to find you in the lobby when it's time for a race to begin."

Winkler said that U.S. military personnel in Iraq, Germany and South Korea are using the WebRacing feature as well, some to keep fit and some to take virtual bike rides with their faraway families.

The basic NetAthlon software package (including WebRacing) retails for $110, with sensors adding an additional $100. Older fitness equipment requires the use of sensors.

While RA Sports' technical support and sales functions are in Madison, the company's server is in Chicago and its software programmers are in Austin, Texas.

"We're virtual fitness, but we're also a virtual company," Winkler said.

RA Sports plans to add more features to its software package, including a steering module that will let bikers and runners go off-road rather than just sticking to the path. Winkler said he imagines a time when the software might mesh with GPS technology to allow users to bike their favorite paths in reality, then import them into the virtual world.

"There's an old saw in the fitness industry that it takes about 63 days for your fitness machine to turn into a hanger for your dry cleaning," Winkler said. "Our goal is to push that out. People want to be fit, but it's a tough thing to do. The software makes it a little more intuitive and enjoyable."

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