Another DVD review: Epic Rides San Diego: long

Epic Rides is another entry into the DVD/downloadable virtual training rides world. I tried out the Epic San Diego DVD. In this DVD there is a group of 3 riders out on the hills outside of San Diego. The scenery is beautiful and is shot from both a vehicle and a helmet cam. Sometimes you're in front of the riders, sometimes with them and sometimes behind. Occasionally you just see the view off the side of the road. The picture quality is excellent. You actually feel like you're riding with them. On some of the fast, curving downhills I actually found myself leaning from side to side.

On the screen, along with the ride itself, is a ride profile showing the inclines and declines of the ride and where you are along the way. It's marked off in 5 minute segments, so you have a clear picture of how long you've been going and how long you have to go. There's also a ride timer and a numerical inclinometer that shows the average climb for that segment. When you get to an uphill, a small chime goes off and the word "climb" appears in the upper right corner of the screen. This disappears when the climb is over.

The ride itself starts off with a 5 minute warm up, followed by 2 long climbs. The first is about 15 minutes, the second is 25 minutes. They're separated by about a 2 minute descent. The remainder of the ride is a series of short uphills and longer descents, with a 5 minute cool down at the end. The DVD is divided into 3 rides: the full ride which is 1hr 30min, the middle, which is 1 hr and consists of the 2 long hills but less of the short ones, and a 45 minute ride, which cuts out the shorter of the long hills and part of the shorter hills.

There is no voice coaching on the Epic DVDs. You're free to choose how you want to ride. The music, which I thought fit very well, falls into the techno category.

Here's the url: http://epicplanet.tv/ You can see what the screen looks like with the profile of the ride on it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this DVD. I like the choice of 3 lengths for one price. The quality is excellent for picture, sound, and the information you get on the screen. I'm sure I'll be going to this ride on those snowy days when I want to ride the hills.