Game Developers, Games of Heart, Promise New Bike Game to Revolutionize the Stationary Biking Experience Forever

More than a bike game, New Mexican developers Brandon Schoen and Rick Urrea of Games of Heart are working to create a revolutionary new way to bike and train. Tour de Rue, the brainchild of Schoen and Urrea, works with the Innovative Technology behind Kinect TM and Google Earth to provide stationary cyclists with an interactive experience, allowing them to explore the world, steering to select routes, and passing landmarks and scenery in real time. The project is being crowd-funded through the popular site, Kickstarter. The Tour de Rue project is looking to raise $20,000 by March 10 in order to finish development.

The idea for Tour de Rue came from the melding of Schoen and Urrea's passion for biking coupled with the experience of using stationary trainers, which, they explain, lead to boredom and often result in slower times with fewer calories burned when compared to training outdoors.

"We saw an opportunity," says Schoen, who is a competitive athlete himself having raced in triathlons around the globe. "The current technology is amazing and yet no one was using it to help improve the biker's experience. Outdoor training is fun, but has its drawbacks, such as bad weather, poor conditions, and dangerous drivers. But indoor training isn't the solution either - it's monotonous."

With the visionary leadership of Urrea and the tech experience of Schoen, the two started to develop Tour de Rue in hopes of changing not just the biking experience of avid cyclists, but also attracting new riders who for one reason or another always turned away from biking.

"The more people we can get biking, the healthier we will be. You don't have to be an extreme athlete to use Tour De Rue. It's accessible and beneficial for everyone," states Schoen. "If you are competitive, your times will improve. If you bike as a hobby, you will love the experience of seeing the world any time of the day, in any condition. If you are a parent, you will love seeing your kids getting off the sofa to ride their bikes and in the safety of your own home. Everyone wins here."

The $20,000 the team is looking to raise will go towards final development of the game, such as professional design, complete testing including beta response, final programming and an overall improved user experience. If the money is raised in time, the game will be available for anyone to purchase and enjoy by early summer of this year.

To learn more about Tour de Rue and to help fund the project, go to Kickstarter's Tour de Rue page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1135252897/tour-de-rue-its-a-better-way-to-bike).