INVESTMENT from a North East business means visitors to the new Middlesbrough Sports Village will be among the first in the area to benefit from a revolutionary fitness workout.
WattCycle – owned by Joanne Bannatyne and her business partner former Royal Marines Commando Lee Howe – is opening its second centre at the impressive new complex off Ladgate Lane.
The pair are investing £75,000 into the flagship centre which will form the latest cycling element alongside an Olympic size 250m outdoor velodrome due to open in July.
The £21 million complex threw open its doors to the public at the weekend following a Future Champions launch day, with an array of state-of-the-art facilities set to draw athletes of all ages and abilities from far and wide.
The latest developments also reflect Active Middlesbrough’s support for a range of cycling initiatives, with Middlesbrough Council matching British Cycling’s £500k investment in the velodrome to meet the £1m build cost.
It’s now home to the second WattCycle centre in the region and Joanne and Lee have major expansion plans for the business.
They opened the first WattCycle centre earlier this year at Teesside Industrial Estate, on the outskirts of Ingleby Barwick in Stockton-on-Tees.
WattCycle offers a hard-core aerobic workout using special hi-tech ‘Wattbikes’ and users can complete a highly-effective workout in as little as 15 minutes.
Wattbikes have an advanced operating system, allowing them to tune in to the user, adjusting resistance and speed to meet the fitness level of the person in the saddle.
The bikes are packed with the latest technology that tracks the user’s performance and kicks out an extensive amount of electronic data.
Joanne said: “At WattCycle we believe that fitness should be fun and energetic.
“You don’t have to be a cyclist to use the bikes, they are for everyone, it doesn’t matter whether someone already works out or not.
“Anyone looking to get fit, get in shape or lose weight should try our CrossCycle and spin-style classes.
“The unique combination of functional movements combined with high intensity cycling delivers real results.
“The classes and routines we’ve developed using the bikes mean that everyone, from a complete beginner to a competitive athlete, can get a workout that’s tailored to their individual levels of fitness.”
Other features at Middlesbrough Sports Village include an athletics stadium with 400m track, an indoor 40m athletics track, fitness gym, indoor multi sports court incorporating a show court for basketball, netball, futsal and roller hockey with seating for 300 spectators.
The velodrome and WattCycle centre join the existing 1km cycle circuit, making Middlesbrough Sports Village one of the leading cycling facilities in the country.
Working closely with British Cycling, WattCycle and partner cycling clubs and associations, Active Middlesbrough will deliver cycling programming, outreach activity and events to engage all of Middlesbrough’s communities.
Active Middlesbrough’s vision is to see all sectors of Middlesbrough’s community using the cycling facilities at the Middlesbrough Sports Village for recreational, educational and performance cycling.
British Cycling’s Director of Coaching, Education and Development John Mills said: “British Cycling is very pleased to partner with Middlesbrough Council in supporting this fantastic new cycling facility.
“We are very confident that the new facility will increase the number of opportunities for many more young people and adults in the North East to participate in cycling and help develop the sport in the region even further.
“In recent years, we have made significant progress in delivering new facilities in Derby, York and Knowsley to name just three.
“We will continue to invest in a network of traffic-free cycle sport facilities in order to grow participation in cycling nationwide.”
- For further information on Middlesbrough Sports Village, call 01642 592800, visit middlesbroughsportsvillage.co.uk or the Active Middlesbrough Facebook page at facebook.com/activemiddlesbrough.