Virtual Meets Reality – Zwift Acquires ROUVY as Market Booms

With over a million registered users worldwide (the company has over two million accounts), Zwift is the undisputed leader on the indoor cycling app front. Today Zwift announced that it has acquired ROUVY, arguably the leader on the real-world indoor cycling front. (ROUVY reportedly has over 300,000 subscribers, but that number has grown dramatically over the last year.) While Zwift offers its users gamified virtual worlds, ROUVY has always blended real-world video of routes with virtual racing and training. Today’s announcement, though, means that Zwift will now have a huge foothold on the reality-based side of indoor training.

“This is a major moment for both Zwift and ROUVY”, says Eric Min, Zwift co-founder and CEO. “We have a huge amount of respect for what ROUVY has achieved, developing a fantastic product and growing their global community by demonstrating there is a strong market for real video experiences. ROUVY’s differentiated experience is proof we can be stronger together, and I’m excited to see how this deal will accelerate our mission to make more people, more active, more often.”

According to Min, over the last year the indoor cycling market has grown “at the fastest rate since COVID” – he argues that’s “been driven by the increased affordability and simplicity of ‘Zwift Ready’ smart trainers, which offer compatibility with virtually any bike.”

Today’s announcement means that those who are looking for a different indoor experience to that offered by Zwift will also enjoy that same ease of access. Zwift has confirmed that Zwift Ready trainers and Zwift Ride smart frames will work with ROUVY, “making it easier for new users to get started.”

While ROUVY now comes under the Zwift umbrella, both companies will continue to operate independently. Last year Rouvy acquired competitor FulGaz from IRONMAN, and became the “Official Digital Sports Platform of the global IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon Series.” (It also acquired BKool last July, but retired that app in March.)

“I am really proud of ROUVY and our community,” says Petr Samek, CEO and Founder of ROUVY. “This is a strong validation of what we’ve built with our team and community, connecting indoor and outdoor training through real routes. ROUVY will continue to be the ROUVY you all know and love, with the same team and the same focus on helping riders achieve their cycling goals. For our community, this means we’ll keep building the experience you know, supporting your training all year round. Now, supported by Zwift and the Zwift hardware ecosystem, we have an opportunity to create even more experiences in the world of indoor cycling reality.”

Upsides/ Downsides

Based on today’s announcement, there really aren’t too many downsides for indoor-biking enthusiasts. The two platforms will run independently, so those who prefer a more gamified experience will continue to have Zwift, while those looking for “real routes” can enjoy the ROUVY platform.

One potential perk for Zwift users from the platform could be the addition of IRONMAN courses to Zwift. As Min was quick to point out, ROUVY customers will now enjoy support for Zwift Ready equipment. It will also be interesting to see if, down the road, Zwift comes up with some combination packaging that allows users to bounce back and forth between the two platforms. Of course, there’s not necessarily a lot of interest for that option – but no-doubt the folks at Zwift will come up with some way to measure that demand and react accordingly.

The big news now, though, is that Zwift has taken another step on its way to controlling even more of the indoor riding app market, in essence gaining control of three products that once competed with it – ROUVY, FulGaz and BKool (which, as we noted earlier, was retired earlier this year). That certainly isn’t a harbinger of cheaper prices for consumers in the future, although there still remains lots of alternatives/ competition. TrainingPeaks Virtual, MyWhoosh and TrainerRoad remain in the mix, giving consumers a few different options for their indoor bike training.