Cycling enthusiasts keep active during COVID-19 lockdown thanks to App developer
TO help his community during the COVID-19 outbreak a technology expert has put his skills to good use to enable people to keep fit and active during the lockdown.
John Jones has developed an App which enables cyclists to keep on track with their training programmes while staying within government and public health regulations.
The Mapdec App allows cycle enthusiasts to stay in touch with their coaches and keep the wheels of their fitness programmes turning from home.
John, who lives in Kendal in Cumbria, is a software development manager for award-winning company Createc, which creates technologies to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.
When the country went into lockdown John wanted to also put his skills to good use to help his local community.
Working at the weekend and evenings, John set about developing an App which would mean his local cycling coaching centre could continue to operate.
The Mapdec App allows coaches to set bespoke fitness and training programmes which cyclists can follow and interact with in a virtual environment.
John, a keen cyclist, said: “When the country went into lockdown I thought these fantastic cycling coaches we have in the local area, who do such an amazing job for so many people, are not going to be able to carry on doing their work as they can not just move their desk.
“I thought that would be bad on so many levels. It’s their livelihoods at stake. And also while we are all dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak it’s so important for all of us to do what we can to stay healthy and keep fit and active.
“I wanted to come up with a solution which would mean the coaches would be able to carry on working and the cycling community would be able to stay together and have the inspiration and mentoring they need to keep active with their programmes.
“It’s really important for people’s motivation and physical and mental health and well-being to be able to carry on with their exercise routines during lockdown.
“And there’s a real community in cycling that I wanted to be able to keep together. We are social beings who like to interact with each other, and we also need that mental relief of being to be able to exercise. The App is a way of achieving that.
“The App helps people with their one permitted cycle a day. But there’s also lots of fitness exercises that people are able to do at home during lockdown. We wanted to make sure that was all easily available in the App as well.
“I wanted to make it really easy to use. It’s about agile coaching, getting the maximum value out from the minimum you put in,” said John who moved to Kendal in 2010 and joined Cockermouth-based Createc after working for law firm BLM in Manchester.
Like many of his colleagues at Createc, where several of the team members enjoy active lifestyles as runners, cyclists and swimmers, John has always been interested in health and fitness.
Canadian-born John, 38, swam for Ipswich when he was younger. He got into road cycling when he sold his motorbike when family came along. He and wife Naomi, a teacher at Heron Hill School in Kendal, have two children six-year-old Clara and two-year-old Hugh, who are also using Joe Wicks’ daily TV exercise sessions to keep active.
Paul Vousden, who runs Mapdec Cycle Works in Kendal, is full of praise for the way John has devoted so much of his spare time to help the business survive the lockdown - and keep the cycling community together in a virtual environment.
“John has been fantastic. He responded so quickly to the situation and used his skills and expertise to come up with a solution to keep the cycling community together,” said Paul.
“It’s amazing what he has achieved in such a short time and the support he continues to give at all hours of the day to keep enhancing the App and help our coaches and cyclists.”
The App, which can be downloaded by cyclists anywhere, has three different groups for three different abilities - beginner, advanced, and youth group (aged 14-19), with missions and goals set in every section to help cyclists follow a training programme bespoke to them.
There are also a range of exercise routines to follow including squats, deadlifts, kettlebells, and yoga, all tailored to help build strength, mobility, fitness and endurance.
Cyclists are also able to interact with Mapdec’s ten dedicated, and vastly experienced, cycling coaches in secure areas within the App to help them maintain their training routines and be able to set new missions and goals.
Paul said: “We are indebted to John for giving up his time. We really appreciate the support which has played such a vital role in enabling us to stay operating during the lockdown.”
Mapdec Cycle Works, which uses data-driven bespoke training programmes for its 100 members and 350 users, is at the centre of the cycling community in South Lakes with strong links to Kendal Cycle Club which has in the region of 700 members.
The Mapdec App, which is free to download, is available to anyone anywhere in the world who is interested in cycling and staying fit and healthy.
Photos: (please note all photos are archive photos taken prior to social distancing regulations)
John Jones, software development manager for award-winning company Createc, who has devised an App to help cyclists stay active during the COVID-19 lockdown.
John Jones taking part in the Tour de Staveley cycling event in Cumbria in July last year.
John Jones (right) with Paul Vousden of Mapdec Cycle Works, Kendal, Cumbria. John has produced the Mapdec App to help its ten coaches keep its cycle members on track with their training programmes during the coronavirus lockdown.
Paul Vousden, owner of Mapdec
Cycle Works, Kendal, Cumbria being joined by riders for a nine-day challenge of high intensity workouts.
View of Mapdec Cycle Works’ ‘bring your own bike’ cycling studio Kendal, Cumbria, where the screens display all a cyclist’s power, heart-rate and speed stats.
Mapdec Cycle Works’ strength studio in Kendal, Cumbria now adapted to film live video content where a coach is teaching a complex movement using a shoe for balance.
A cyclist focused on their dashboard of data at Mapdec
Cycle Works, Kendal, Cumbria
Editor’s notes
Based in Cockermouth, with offices in Oxford, Createc works in the civil nuclear, oil and gas, construction, engineering, medical, aerospace, rail, defence and security sectors.
The Createc team is a diverse mix of technical experts from fields such as Computer Vision, Robotics, Nuclear Measurement and Optics, with an agile engineering team that can efficiently build prototype systems and develop them into full products.
The Cumbrian company is widely recognised in the nuclear industry for its success in innovation and problem solving. It has pioneered some of the latest technology which is being deployed around the world to provide accurate, and readily-available, radiological information
Createc, which has expanded to employ 29 people,
is the only business in Cumbria, and one of only four in the North-West, which holds two different Queen’s Awards, having received the award for both International Trade and Innovation.
Createc has also won awards for innovation from The Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET), The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
This press release is issued on behalf of Createc by 32West. For further information, or to request interview opportunities, please contact Jonathan Lee 07444 022038 jonathan@32west.co.uk
