TRUCKEE, Calif. (BRAIN) – While Strava has held the fitness app market in a stranglehold, two former employees teamed up with a former professional cyclist to take a slightly different approach to getting the most out of cyclists, and the company is quickly gaining users.
The Breakaway app was founded last year by Strava alumni Jordan Kobert and Kyle Yugawa and former professional cyclist Christian Vande Velde. The Breakaway is more than an app for cataloging rides and earning praise. It was developed for serious data-driven cyclists and indoor cyclists to analyze performance data, identify strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for improvement.
Over the past few months, The Breakaway has integrated with users of Garmin and the indoor cycling platform Zwift. Strava and Peloton users can also connect. The number of Breakaway users has doubled every month since May and the app is well on its way to growing at this pace, according to company officials.
“Technology is best when it improves what people are already doing,” said Kobert, who was Strava’s head of business development / commerce while Yugawa was Strava’s first mobile developer. “That’s what we’re trying to do at The Breakaway. Not changing your behavior, it’s helping what you’re already doing, meeting you on the platform of your choice, and helping you get better habits and execution.”
The app is available for iOS devices from the Apple App Store and the monthly subscription is $ 7.99. Kobert was among the first handful of Strava users to use the app before mobile, and joined the company in 2011.
“It’s really exciting to see how both groups get involved,” said Kobert of competitive outdoor cyclists and indoor cyclists. “Our goal is for this to be for everyone who wants to improve, everyone who gets on their bike inside or outside and thinks, ‘How am I?'”
Membership enables drivers to:
- Set standards against the standards of other cyclists.
- Compete with 12 power skills and eight game levels.
- Continuously analyze performance goals and highlight personal records.
- Receive tips and training instructions from Vande Velde and coach Ashton Lambie via audio and video provided in the app.
“Strava has cemented its position as a social platform for athletes,” said Kobert, who was with Strava for four years. “It’s amazing and I use it several times a day. We are aimed at people who want to go deeper into improvements, coaching and training. There is room for many solutions because the market is just so big and it’s getting bigger and bigger. We see ourselves as much more than a cycling app. We’ll certainly start with cycling, but our goal is to quickly add other sports and activities. “
Vande Velde, who said his investment in The Breakaway was just his time to make it better, has known Kobert for more than 20 years.
“I’m proud to be part of the founding team and we’ve been working on it together for a while and it’s been a lot of fun,” said Vande Velde. “I never thought it would be so fun or that we had such a great opportunity ahead of us. We have come a long way since the concept, but we are just getting started and have so much planned.” Helping people grow. I’ve been cycling my whole life and now as a retired professional I ride with people of all abilities and see the impact that a little coaching or guidance can have. That’s what attracted me. and what keeps us all going every day. “
The app records power skills: sprinting (under 2 minutes), attacking (2-10 minutes) and climbing (15 minutes-1 hour). Then the strengths and weaknesses of a user are broken down and intervals are recommended.
Kobert said that in the crowded fitness app market, if you offer something that changes people’s lives, you can get members. He said the team succeeded.
“We can have all of the go-to-market plans and acquisition strategies we want, but unless you build something that people love and want to tell their friends about, you haven’t really solved a problem,” said Kobert. “Our focus is on helping people find real improvements. When we do that, we feel confident that we can grow and reach huge audiences.”
