ErgRace Online Community

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Hello

ErgRace Online has officially been rolled-out, but a community group is lacking where people can organise informal races, or organisers of formal races can engage with potential participants.

A new Facebook group has been created as one way to try and get organisers and participants together https://www.facebook.com/groups/313389507002418

It was only created today, and may take a while to get any traction as obviously it needs people to actually organise races!

[Carl Watts]

Just setup a 2000m race last night that I was the organizer and the rower.

Its a bit of a mission unlike RowPro that you just click "Join" and an app to setup rows. You need the persons LogBook number and then manually enter them and there is a long unique number you need to enter before you can join the row that the race organizer needs to send out.

Works really well though but its hard to be both the organizer and a participant rower.

It looks like all the rows also get live streamed so there is a link you can use that will get the boats up on a big screen like your smart TV.

It has potential but you cannot use Ergrace and ErgData at the same time. They need to combine both Apps and have a rolling screen.

I think the best idea would be to have automated rows setup just like the 1min test rows currently are and just click to join one of those. They could have something different starting every minute if they wanted to. Just a mix of distances and times and you just click and join.

Proper organized "Races" would be like the RowPro "Private Rows" where the organizer only adds known entrants.

For general training rows just join something already setup by Concept 2. 30minutes or 10K rows are a popular pick with some actual racing that probably only needs to account for 10% of the rows listed.

Very very easy to use if there is something already setup you can join. You just need the latest Firmware on your PM5 and Bluetooth connection is easy with a Wi-Fi signal strength indicator in the App.

If you call everything a race then basically nobody is going to show up but call it training sessions and it may get some following.

Its an ideal platform to get people racing together from all over the world without getting on a plane however in organized events.

To make any online rowing a success you simply need the numbers using it. The ultimate setup is not the fancy graphics its about it working reliably and having hundreds of users online the whole time. You just want to be able to open the App at any time of the night or day and join at least 6 or 7 other people in a training row.

I'm not a Facebook user and refuse to join it so they probably also need some other medium for communication as well. If you can get peoples mobile number we started a WhatsApp group a while ago for those rowing in a narrow timezone. Works far better for rounding up like minded individuals for a row at short notice or communication before the row starts. I don't see a "Chat Box" in ErgRace like there is in RowPro so communication will be difficult. Basically if your having connection issues or running late the row will go without you.

[Carl Watts]

Did some more of the 1min testing today.

Overall it works pretty well, it needs a few corrections but posted a couple of results. The result gives distance/time and rating for the individuals.

The uptake depends on what C2 organise on it. I suggested they have a prescheduled 30min row leaving every 15 minutes 24/7 because it so easy to join this type of row and 95% of Erg users are not interested in racing. This really doesn't interfere with organized racing events, it just gives Joe Bloggs a chance to get online without getting smoked to try it.

If their intended use for it is the Elite rowers only in that 5% then its not going to get a whole lot of use. Its quite a mission to organise "Races" and I don't see random individuals out there taking the time and then trying to gather the required information like your C2 Logbook ID to manually enter you into every row. Its way to hard compared to RowPro to setup a schedule row and I cannot use ErgData and ErgRace at the same time.

It has great potential, will keep an eye on it but at present I cannot even see anyone even trying the 1min test rows.

Communication is the major issue, you would have to be a Facebook user or get together a WhatsApp rowing group like I have done to round everyone up for even a test row.

Perhaps some other people interested in the 1min test rows that leave every 10 minutes could add their name at the GMT time they are available and it may kick things off. People could PM one another and get logbook ID numbers if they wanted to organise an event.

The whole thing needs an active community with thousands of users or its dead in the water.

This is FREE software that works on a phone you already have so if it doesn't get some form of uptake then there is no hope for anything really.

[Tsnor]

...If you call everything a race then basically nobody is going to show up but call it training sessions and it may get some following.
...

Carl (or anyone),

ErgRace Online says " Individual results are sent to each user’s Concept2 Logbook account "

Have you getting data from any of your trial races ? If so is the information sent to the logbook the same as the information you would have gotten from ErgData (heartrate data, stroke data, ability to download data in CSV format) ?

Do you know if log entries created by ErgRace Online get pushed to Strava, Gramin, Fitbit, etc?

p.s. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SUGGESTION --> call it training sessions and it may get some following.

[Carl Watts]

I just checked but because its only a 1 minute test there is not alot of info in there on the Splits. I didn't use a HR monitor so not sure if it uploads that info but doesn't look like pretty graphs either.

The push to your C2 Logbook is automatic as you would expect because it knows your Logbook number. The entry method is shown as "ErgRace" and its automatically a "Race" Verified row as well.

Stroke count also goes across but it doesn't record your Drag factor like ErgData. ErgData still remains the best for transferring the most data to your Logbook.

Requested that Concept 2 setup some automated 30 minute rows starting at 15 minute intervals that you can jump on and join.

Just looked at my 2000m test row like it would be in a competition result here. I get the understanding from Concept 2 that ErgRace will be pretty much for organized race event only. That would be a bit of a shame really because for 99% of the time it will sit there doing nothing.

https://log.concept2.com/profile/863525/log/54842039

[kevinscott]

Hey Guys,
Just to let you know : we (French Polynesian Rowing Federation) will run in some hours our first online competition, and of course, that is going to be using ErgRace.

we have runned several tests, allowing me to make some videos that can help other users...

You can find all the info here : https://www.fpaviron.com/maohi-erg-race.html

[Carl Watts]

Great to see someone planning on using it.

Sent an E-Mail the other day to C2 suggesting they run a monthly Challenge on it by just having the 30 minute rows already setup so anyone in the world can easily join starting every 15 minutes. Three Leader boards for most total meters, fastest 30min and who completed the most 30min rows in the month.

Obviously the only rows that count are done using ErgRace only, pretty easy to pull those out of your C2 LogBook as they have a separate "ErgRace" field.

[Gwen]

Hi all, I will organise 2 races this Sunday in different times. Pick the one you want or both

Competition date:
Sunday September 26,2021

Start Time:
-500M at 9:00am GMT+10 (Sydney)

- 1000M at 6:00pm GMT+10 ( Sydney)

Competition code:
6953828305

Participant entries will close 5 mins before start

Note: Still practicing this ErgRace App

[Jimmmy]

‍♂ Online live Rowing Club
Join? Ergrace App
For everybody

Dates for Races here
Race-Codes here
Partner for online Training here
Make a date easy

Find us in Telegram App Https://t.me/ErgRace

See you there