Virtual Tour of Flanders

The Tour of Flanders, a classic outdoor cycling event that opens the cycling season, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a suitable replacement was created in its place, intended to offer people some solace during this lockdown period during which most recreational activities were suspended. This paper explains how the team managed to create an exciting mixed-reality (MR) racing event within a short period of time, given the limits of all social distance rules. It provides insights into how the real riders raced through a virtual landscape and how the viewers got to see this at home. This cloud-based production was performed exclusively with standard office IT equipment and well-known internet technologies. From idea to execution, the clock was ticking: the entire project was to be completed within a matter of days
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