Ironman acquires FulGaz cycling app, setting the stage for new training app

After a long winter of Ironman digital racing, the company has decided to “expand its offerings to the quickly evolving worldwide connected fitness community” through the acquisition of the indoor virtual cycling app, FulGaz.

“The acquisition of FulGaz marks a milestone for The Ironman Group as we continue our growth and movement into the connected fitness space,” said Andrew Messick, President and Chief Executive Officer for The Ironman Group. “We are uniquely suited to provide athletes a 360-degree experience using the innovations Mike (Clucas – the founder of Fulgaz) and his team have created within FulGaz’s high-quality virtual riding technology. FulGaz’s emphasis on providing high-quality augmented reality experiences aligns with our connected fitness strategy and goals. We believe this acquisition will set us up for long-term success as we work to integrate this versatile platform into our portfolio of digital offerings.”

Ironman has a contract with Rouvy for content and on-line racing, but that deal will expire at the end of the year, at which point we can expect FulGaz to host the Ironman courses.

Related: Ironman announces VR series with 70.3 worlds qualifying slots

According to a story posted on dcrainmaker.com today, Ironman is also planning a new training app that will include the FulGaz race course videos (both bike and run), but also more detailed information that will help athletes prepare for race day – wind conditions, position of aid stations, etc. According to the story, Ironman doesn’t intend for the new app to offer training programs so as “to not step on the toes of their Ironman University coaches and their coaching businesses.”

The new Ironman training app probably won’t be available until next summer at the earliest, but for now Ironman athletes can look forward to the opportunity to check out race courses online through the FulGaz platform. FulGaz users can also look forward to enhancements of the platform thanks to the support from Ironman.

“FulGaz prides itself on the quality of our rides and the community we have built. For some time now, we have been looking for a way to expand FulGaz while keeping our focus firmly on those who matter the most to us—our community of athletes,” says Fulgaz founder Clucas, who now becomes the Vice President of Digital Sports for the Ironman Group. “Becoming part of The Ironman Group allows our team to continue to develop our product to the next level with the backing of a global partner that provides access to amazing events and passionate communities of athletes. Together, we will continue to capture the best rides from around the globe and offer the best indoor riding experience available. By joining The Ironman Group, we are uniquely positioned to expand our current offerings to existing FulGaz users while changing the way multi-sport athletes train. For me personally, this is an opportunity to leverage my years of high-level triathlon and cycling coaching experience to help The Ironman Group expand its digital offerings and achieve its goals.”