How to get started on MyWhoosh

A female cyclist riding indoors on MyWhoosh

(Image credit: MyWhoosh)

The rise of indoor cycling means there are more virtual cycling apps than ever, with each platform preaching a similar mantra: community, training, and racing. Not all virtual cycling platforms are created equal, and each one comes with various pros and cons, so finding the right one for you can become a complicated task. One of the newest offerings gaining traction among cyclists is the free-to-use MyWhoosh indoor cycling app.

Launched in 2019 and with its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, MyWhoosh provides a holistic indoor cycling experience that encompasses everything from workouts and free riding through its many realistic worlds to competitive racing, where you can earn significant prize money in the Sunday Race Club. Its partnership with the UCI for the Cycling Esports World Championships has bolstered its reputation as a trusted platform, a contract MyWhoosh has secured until 2026.

However, the big drawcard with MyWhoosh is that it’s free to use with no subscription.

In this article, we’ll explore the details of MyWhoosh, covering everything from how it works and the best way to get started to hardware requirements and understanding what all the numbers mean.

Starting with the basics, you’ll need a modern device to run MyWhoosh. The platform uses the Unreal 4 engine (UE4), which is known for its high-fidelity graphics that require significant processing power and memory. While it’s always worth investing in a powerful laptop or gaming PC to ensure an immersive experience, MyWhoosh has adapted the specifications to ensure a smooth experience on low-end devices, too. The app will automatically adjust its settings depending on your device (many users are running iPads, Apple TV, and on their mobile phones mirrored to a TV), which users can tweak in-game to suit their preferences.

Like most indoor cycling apps, creating an account on MyWhoosh is an easy and intuitive exercise. After downloading the app and installing it on your device, you will be greeted by a screen with a ‘Plus’ icon, requiring you to select and create a new account. You’ll need to input the usual details such as name, surname, email address and gender before receiving an OTP via email to validate your account and login details. Your device should remember you every time you open the app, and present a personalised graphic showing your level, mileage and total riding time.

Clicking your graphic will present another menu asking whether you want to Ride or Run. Selecting Ride will take you to the pairing screen to connect your power source, controllable, cadence, heart rate, virtual steering, and secondary power source. After sorting all your connections (virtual steering and secondary power source are not mandatory), you’ll be directed to the home screen, complete with a navigational layout that controls the entire MyWhoosh experience.

On top is a series of graphics running the length of the screen including your profile (denoted by your name, surname, flag and jersey) a Power Gem and Coin counter (in-game currency to buy kit, components and bicycles), your Wallet (housing in-game Treasure Hunt Winnings), a Device Connection tab, Information tab (update reminders) and the Settings tab denoted by a gear cog. In this tab, you can tweak your equipment, display, sound and graphic preferences, and in-game notification settings.

Below this are eight options complete with corresponding graphics. These options comprise Event and Workout selection, Free Ride and MyBunch 24/7 pace partners, Training Plans, Live Coaching, a personalised Calendar and the Garage. Your FTP (listed in Watts and w/kg) and weight are also displayed. Dominating the right side of the screen is your avatar and bike (clicking on your avatar is a shortcut to the Garage).

Let’s look at these options in more detail.

As the name suggests, Free Ride allows riders to select any world and route and ride at their own intensity and leisure without any restrictions. If you’re a racer, it’s a good way to learn a course and recon various routes, but also gives you the ability to enjoy one of the 87 courses spread over 13 worlds, if they’re available – the worlds are on rotation with five open to ride at any given time.

Like the RoboPacers found on Zwift, MyWhoosh offers a similar experience where you can jump on a group ride with bots at a specific speed and w/kg, to keep a steady tempo and wattage. MyBunch is available 24/7, and these groups differ in intensity by speed and jersey colour. Once you’ve selected a MyBunch group, you will be teleported directly to the group with a 60-second power assist to get up to speed. You can choose from a leisurely pace of 1.4w/kg at 28km/h up to 4.6w/kg at 40km/h.

Available for beginners and experts alike, the MyWhoosh Training Plans are designed around scientific principles that boost FTP (Functional Threshold Power). Various plans are available to improve climbing, sprinting, and endurance, each lasting four weeks and with the possibility of being extended to a 20-week training plan. There are also several individual workouts to try, designed by Tadej Pogačar and his coach, Javier Sola.

The Garage is the creative hub of MyWhoosh. Here you’ll have free rein to design and dress your avatar with jerseys, helmets, socks and shoes – and select your bike and wheels. If you’re after a realistic look, you can tweak your avatar's hair, skin colour and clothing to match your appearance. While the stock equipment is pretty comprehensive, a range of bikes and components can be purchased in-game using MyWhoosh coins.

One of MyWhoosh’s unique selling points is the 13 virtual worlds rendered in exquisite detail. These worlds are accessible in Free Ride, Workout and Event mode. Most worlds have a minimum of seven routes (save for Endurance Climb, Switzerland, Supertri and UCI) and offer a variety of landscapes and routes, including Arabia, Australia, Alula, Belgium, Colombia, California, Endurance Climb, Hudayriat Island, Japan, MyWhoosh World, Switzerland, UCI and Supertri.

Below, we’ll outline the worlds and routes in more detail

To start, it’s worth looking at the top and moving down. The main graphic and most important element is your personal performance metrics, arranged centrally at the top of the screen. This graphic comprises elapsed time, heart rate, power and cadence, followed by speed and distance. When riding in groups or drafting an individual rider, the power readout measured in watts will change from white to green and back to white if you lose the draft.

On the top right is the route mini map, elevation profile and power zone chart colour-coded in grey (Z1), blue (Z2), green (Z3), yellow (Z4) and red (Z5). The map shows your location within the current route, and the profile provides insights into the upcoming elevation changes, allowing you to plan your energy expenditure carefully. This is followed by the rider list showing nearby cyclists (including their w/kg and total distance) and the virtual shifting box. If you wish to hide any of these individual displays, merely tap on them – this is also the case if you want these metrics to become visible again.

1. Calibrate your smart trainer
It goes without saying, but many riders, from beginners to elite, forget to calibrate their smart trainer and equipment. While the newer options, such as the Elite Justo 2, Wahoo Kickr v6 and Tacx Neo 3M, have built-in auto spindown functionality, older models require you to regularly perform a calibration or zero-offset to maintain accuracy across the board. We suggest calibrating your smart trainer every time you move it or change rooms – even if it’s got the auto spindown feature.

2. Invest in a powerful fan
The most important part of indoor training is staying cool on the bike. Unlike outdoor riding, the stationary riding position on the smart trainer means there’s a dearth of moving air, which interrupts and completely inhibits convective heat loss. It also negatively impacts performance and speeds up dehydration. To counter this, we’d suggest a normal electric fan with various modes or investing in a smart fan that uses your heart rate data and in-game speed to slow or speed up air circulation. These include the Elite Aria Interactive Fan and Wahoo Kickr Headwind.

3. Prepare your bottles, nutrition and towel the day before
Often overlooked, on-the-bike nutrition is as important indoors as it is outdoors. While indoor training is convenient, sometimes, when pressed for time, it’s easy to forget your bottle, gels and towel, forcing you to get off the bike mid-ride and ferret around like a headless chicken. It’s worth getting this all sorted the night before.

Aaron was the Tech Editor Cyclingnews between July 2019 and June 2022. He was born and raised in South Africa, where he completed his BA honours at the University of Cape Town before embarking on a career in journalism. Throughout this career, Aaron has spent almost two decades writing about bikes, cars, and anything else with wheels. Prior to joining the Cyclingnews team, his experience spanned a stint as Gear & Digital editor of Bicycling magazine, as well as a time at TopCar as Associate Editor.

Now based in the UK's Surrey Hills, Aaron's life revolves around bikes. He's a competitive racer, Stravaholic, and Zwift enthusiast. He’s twice ridden the Cape Epic, completed the Haute Route Alps, and represented South Africa in the 2022 Zwift eSports World Championships.

Height: 175cm

Weight: 61.5kg

Rides: Cannondale SuperSlice Disc Di2 TT, Cannondale Supersix Evo Dura-Ace Rim, Cannondale Supersix Evo Ultegra Di2 Disc, Trek Procaliber 9.9 MTB

Recommended reading

How to get started on MyWhoosh

What equipment do I need to get started on MyWhoosh?

Where to find and download MyWhoosh

Creating an account, device connection and homescreen interface

How many MyWhoosh worlds are available?

What do all the numbers mean?

Pro tips to maximise your MyWhoosh experience

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