Feature Request: Virtual Race Partner (ghost against a previous ride or another rider's GPX)
I'd like to suggest a "virtual partner" feature, similar to what some Garmin devices already offer, but adapted for Karoo.
How it would work:
- You create a route from a previous activity (yours or someone else's) or from a GPX file you've downloaded.
- When you start riding on that route, the timer resets to zero and a virtual rider appears — this represents the person who recorded the original GPX.
- On the map, you see where that virtual rider would currently be, assuming they started at the exact moment your timer hit zero.
- If you stop riding, your activity pauses — and the virtual rider pauses too. Any stopped time from the original ride is also excluded from the virtual rider's pace, so the comparison stays fair (moving time vs. moving time).
- There should be a manual "restart timer" option. This matters because riders often start cold and take a while to find their rhythm — being able to reset the timer once you feel ready to actually race makes the comparison more meaningful.
Why this would be useful:
It would let riders compete against themselves (a previous attempt on the same route) or against a friend's recorded ride — without needing a paid Strava subscription or a third-party extension.
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Hi Ricard,
it's 3-4 months that i am testing an extension that i've built, and that does what i consider a "Pacer for a Ride".
I have made several ways to notify my ride situation in respect to the virtual pacer, and i'm not so sure that i'm on the right path to build something really useful.
Some comments to what you wrote, i respond to every point:
1) yes, this is the start. The second part is that you may want to modify that gpx, to create a pace that is right for you. I have built another tool that i'm testing (also...), that create the pace. But this is another story.
2) you load the gpx, but it is possible that you "enter" in that route in any point, not necessarily at the "start". So, the extension must takes into account this possibility, and reset the time of the pace from where you enter the route
3) this is very personal, but i don't find useful to see the pacer like a point on the map. It could be doable if i am very near the pacer (seconds of difference), but it is difficult to show me and the pacer, if i am minutes away from the pacer. I have tested many ways to show data and the difference between me and the pacer, and the most useful (for me...) is to see a data field of the type [+03:04] or [-02:45], in red or green, that is refreshed every 10 seconds, and that tells me where i am, in respect to the pacer
4) yes and no (for me). I have used the extension doing the Marmotte GranFondo Alpes, and i needed a pace to be sure to pass the gate on Galibier at 15:30, and so before to climb Glandon and Galibier with a certain speed, etc. I had to consider time spent at the refreshment points, because the clock didn't stop. So, my thinking during the GF was "ok, i am [-12:34], so i'm in advance and i can stop a little longer, or i can reduce a little the watts..."
5. yes, i understand the scope, and it's like to "enter" the route not from the start, but from any point of the route.
What do you think ?
Thanks, ciao !
Arnaldo
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