Cycling

I have spent a few months analysing the format of the run files created by the Tacx i-Magic trainer, from both the originally supplied ('green') software and the newer ('blue') Fortius software.

Finally, I have now added details of the NetAthlon RAW and NAP/N2P files.

This was originally driven by the desire to write a small piece of software to compare rides, to try help me with my training and improve my performance in the VCF Leagues. It can be downloaded from the software page.

Many thanks to Steven Frank, Klaus Kanski, wildspitze and Mike Hanson for their contributions, corrections and help.

Original Green Software

This provides three virtual terrains: Capricorn (flat plus hills), Sipscape (undulating) and the Velodrome (painful).

Also included is the Catalyst software which can be programmed by the user to provide a varied training experience.

All the programs produce a 'run file' which details the riders performance. For the virtual terrains these end with a '.im' extension, and the Catalyst program produces files with a '.ca' extension.

Newer Blue Software

The new blue software is that supplied with Tacx's newest VR trainer the Fortius. They have made it available for the i-Magic.

Like the original green software, it has virtual terrains: Atlantis (a seaside town and it's environs), Callisto (tracks through the countryside) and Olympus (an Alpine like setting). There is also an optional Velodrome terrain available at extra cost, which I have no experience of as I'm not a velodrome fan and the cost is quite high.

A new version of Catalyst is also included.

The run files produced end in '.imf' for the virtual worlds and '.caf' for Catalyst.

Real Life Video

Available separately to complement the i-Magic and Fortius trainers, are the Real Life Videos (RLVs).

These are DVDs which allow the cyclist to follow a video of a route at their own pace. The video will alter it's playback speed to match the rider's speed.

RLV runs are recorded in the '.caf' Catalyst format.

There is an additional '.rlv' file which contains information about the RLV (but not the actual video).

Analyser

The green and blue software packages both include a program called Analyser. This basically allows performance data from the run files to be viewed.

The 'blue' Analyser can read run files from both the green and blue software. The 'green' Analyser can only load run files from the original software.