12 good reasons to come and train with John

John has been coming to Mapdec for about a year now. He wrote to us with his thoughts, with the idea that his story might inspire you to come and train with us too. These are John's own words. 

I like to try to keep fit, with, try, being the operative word here.  I work in an office and spend a lot of time sat at a desk drinking coffee which could be used to power rockets.  

I got into road cycling when my first child was born.  It so happened that the Kendal Cycling Club was also being born. I quickly got into cycling with one of the friendliest bunch of people I have come across. 

Over the weeks and months of getting out with the club on a Saturday I was getting stronger, but not as much as I would have liked, as I was unable to ride during the week. I was getting a little frustrated with wet evenings, not being confident enough to go out on longer rides on my own, or simply not being able to fit in a quick blast. I heard about a new venture in Kendal called Mapdec cycle studio.

I got down to the studio initially because Kendal Cycle club were doing a number of coached sessions in conjunction with Mapdec.  I was quickly hooked.  It was so simple, you turn up with your bike, take your back wheel off, put your bike on the turbo trainer, sit on your bike and follow whats on screen infront of you. For me I loved the simplicity and the workout I could get using my bike with minimal faff. Being indoors for around an hour meant that I could get the quick intense fix in an evening I wanted even when it was snowing and icy outside. 

To dispel any myths or issues or thoughts people may have in their heads about getting down to Mapdec:

1. You don't need a fancy bike, you just need a working bike which fits you.  I’ve seen people doing the classes on full on mountain bikes.

2. You don’t need any special equipment to get started.  The only bit of extra kit other than my bike I use is a heart rate monitor, but you don't need this.  Cycle shorts help but that’s nothing special when you're wanting to cycle.

3. You don't need a FTP test to start going along.  The FTP test is useful in the long run to track progress and really target your sessions.

4. There is no one in the classes who is there to judge.  I’ve been in classes with complete beginners ( I was one too ) and in classes with people who are seriously more capable that I will ever be.  The reception from all has only ever been friendly, welcoming and a good laugh.

5. It’s up to you to push yourself; there is always someone in the class who can help if you're struggling with a stat or instruction.

6. Although there is a lot of information on screen available, trust me you will be the only one looking at your data (you tend to get focused in) - once you have been a couple of times you’ll be telling others what the numbers mean.

The plus points for me are

1. It’s on your bike so you get to know your bike better.  You can focus on what your legs are / body is doing without worrying about finding yourself sprawled over the back or front of a car.  I’ve been to spin classes before but I don't find the bikes comfortable, particularly the seats.

2. The sessions give you a great workout giving you insight into how you can improve next time you are out on the road, I found the pedal technique classes improved my comfort and ability week on week.

3. The smart turbo trainers do the gear changing and breaking for you, most sessions I have been to don't require you to change gear at all, they are a serious bit of kit!

4. Classes are generally about an hour including setup time so I can work my evenings around when I want to get some exercise in, this has been a key selling point when talking about exercise with my Wife!

5. The atmosphere is great, friendly and welcoming.

6. Paul, who runs the studio also runs the adjoining bike service centre meaning that there is always a ready supply of kit advice, trial seats etc.

I’ll admit I love tech and I love a good stat.  As I said above I was initially drawn to Mapdec cycle studio to get a bit of coaching from the Kendal Cycling Club coaches, but it quickly became a core part of my cycle training and weekly exercise regime.  The available data allows me to get techie and review my stats, but like I have said above you don't have to worry about the available information if you don't want to!