Today's weather was miserable, so I decided to train indoors. Earlier today, I tried to get Bkool to work with my routes, but no luck. I gave up in frustration. So, I decided to try Zwift. I registered online and downloaded their PC app. I was expecting it to be much more cooperative than Bkool, given all the hype. So, I got all my gear setup in the garage. I was thinking, this will be simple. Just connect the gadgets, startup the software, a click here and there and good to go. Unfortunately, it didn't happen like that. I was having problems getting my trainer to be recognized. I had to unplug and plug the unit many times. It was mostly tinkering and trial and error. After a while, I had to stop and reassess what was going on. So, I tried to contact Zwift, but their chat support wasn't' available. After a few moments, I tried getting the stuff to work. The HR, Cadence and speed sensors worked just fine. I think the problem I was having was that the trainer wasn't amongst the list of compatible trainers in the app. I tried running it in standard trainer mode. That worked, so I tried fiddling with the different smart trainer options. Somehow, I managed to get it to work. I used the "Other trainer" option. The experience was very engaging. I chose the London loop route. There were many people on that ride. (Mostly spread appart, doing their own rides). The simulator starts with you on the side of the road. When you start pedaling, the avatar starts to move. The metrics are updated with respect to the terrain, wattage, cadence, and such. Unfortunately, I did not get any change in resistance from the trainer. It seemed to be stuck in one mode. But, the speed was adjusted according to the conditions. I like how all the metrics are vissible, You can see your wattage per kg, all the standard metrics and such. The simulator is immersive. you can see the various landmarks as you are riding. There are plenty of riders to keep you company and to gauge your efforts relative to others. The app feels more like a video game. The UI is very simple. Just enough to get your equipment setup, choose a route and ride. I spent almost 1:15 hrs in the saddle. Including the time I spent trying to get the gadgets setup. I have to say that I got a good workout. My HR didn't go much above 140BPMs, so I was well within my limits. I did work up quite a sweat.

Edit: The actual ride time was 1:14:46 hrs.