CYCLING is one of the nation's favourite sports and we just happen to be pretty amazing at it, especially when it comes to having winners in the top races like the Tour de France or the Olympics.

Unsurprisingly, spinning, or any other variation of indoor cycling, has also grown astronomically in popularity over the last few years. This is not just because British people love cycling, but also because gym-goers have found that the classes are an incredible way to lose weight and generally improve fitness.

Here in the Lake District, we have some of the best cycling terrain in the country (as seen when the Tour of Britain passed through) and now we have access to the most high-tech indoor cycling class of all.

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Passionate cyclist Paul Vousden has launched a new class called Mapdec Cycle Works, which he runs from Lakes Cycles in Westmorland Business Park, Kendal.

Mr Vousden, 36, encourages people to bring their own bike along for the class because he believes that a traditional spin bike does not accurately reflect the muscle groups used on the road or trail.

The individual bikes are connected to Tacx smart trainers, which are revolutionary in the evolution of modern day training and fitness as they track your cadence and power through built-in sensors and adjust according to your ability as you put power through the pedals.

Mr Vousden said: "The only other class like this one is in London, so the Lake District is ahead of the majority of the country with this class.

"In the class you will follow virtual training sessions from Zwift or Sufferfest, which create a kind of virtual reality. We turn down the lights and play these videos on the projector which show off footage from roads around the world, which guide your every move to make the most of your time in the saddle. They also have a bit of witty commentary in there to make the class more light-hearted.

"We also do a beginners' class which has the more traditional spinning layout with a music playlist."

Now that the gaming world is moving more and more in the direction of virtual reality, it makes sense that fitness gets a bit of a techie makeover too.

Fitness is now such a huge industry, with the rise of fitness bloggers on Instagram and YouTube, and clean eating chefs becoming more famous than soap stars and singers.

Wearable tech devices such as Fitbits were one of the most in-demand presents in Christmas 2015 and no doubt new fitness devices will be high on people's list for Christmas 2016 too! It is clear that the fitness and tech industries are fusing together more than ever now and Mapdec Cycle Works is embracing the next step in fitness classes.

Mr Vousden, whose main hobby is adventure racing in the Lake District, said: "I first discovered this type of technology when I was in New Zealand. It's huge over there, as well as in Australia and America.

"The class is fantastic for cyclists who are working towards a certain goal or for those who want to avoid dangerous, slippy roads and icy weather in winter.

"I have always been hugely into fitness, I did racing on the bike and canoeing and running so I am really excited about this class and we have had a great reception so far.

"We have only be going for just over a month and we have had loads of support from local cycling clubs and quite a few of the classes have been full."

Cycling for health and fitness

The brand new Mapdec Cycle Works class is pretty serious stuff but Mr Vousden runs beginners classes too. It doesn't matter whether you're cycling indoors or outdoors, the hobby is fantastic for your health and wellbeing. Some of the benefits of choosing cycling as your sport include:

1. Low impact – it causes less strain and injuries than most other forms of exercise.

2. A good muscle workout – cycling uses all of the major muscle groups as you pedal.

3. Easy – unlike some other sports, cycling does not require high levels of physical skill. Most people know how to ride a bike and, once you learn, you don’t forget.

4. Good for strength and stamina – cycling increases stamina, strength and aerobic fitness.

5. As intense as you want – cycling can be done at very low intensity to begin with, if recovering from injury or illness, but can be built up to a demanding physical workout.

6. A fun way to get fit – the adventure and buzz you get from coasting down hills and being outdoors means you are more likely to continue to cycle regularly, compared to other physical activities that keep you indoors or require special times or places.

7. Time-efficient – as a mode of transport, cycling replaces sedentary (sitting) time spent driving motor vehicles or using trams, trains or buses with healthy exercise.

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