Strava: Are you faster than your neighbor?
For many cyclists, comparing their performance with others is a way to stay motivated and gauge their fitness. However, with work, family, and other life commitments, opportunities for comparison can sometimes be rare. Fortunately, a Californian company developed a solution, in the form of a web application called Strava, to allow all cyclists to connect.
What is Strava?
Strava (from the Swedish s’efforcer or to strive ) was created in 2008 by Michael Horvath to offer amateur cyclists friendly competition. It's a free web application where you publish your sports activities, mainly cycling and running. It is compatible with virtually all types of GPS devices (watches, computers, etc.) as well as with your smartphone. You just have to go out and do your favorite activity, come home, and share the content from the device you used. Like many other sites, Strava analyzes your distance, speed, elevation, and provides a map of your route. The interface is aesthetically pleasing and works (most of the time) very well. However, the creators of the site wanted to go a little further than what already existed on the market.
Are you a King?
One of the elements that makes Strava unique is its social function. A user can follow other athletes, give "kudos," the equivalent of Likes on Facebook, and exchange comments. More specifically, the ability to isolate sections of road and create segments is what makes Strava so special. For many, this represents its greatest strength as a training tool. These segments can be a sprint, a climb, a descent, or even just a straight line. As soon as you pass over one of these segments, Strava records your time and ranks you accordingly. For many, knowing they are timed transforms a leisurely Sunday ride into an insane interval session.
Each of these segments becomes a race where participants compete on different days. The winner, the one who records the best time, receives the title of King of the Mountain (KOM) for men and Queen of the Mountain (QOM) for women, even when the elevation gain is negative. If you don't reach the top of a leaderboard (which happens more often than not...), you still get an honorable mention when you break your personal record (PR), allowing you to keep an eye on your performance. Why bother meticulously recording your performance when Strava does it automatically for you?
Plugging in your Garmin once you get home becomes a bit like opening a present; you can be pleasantly surprised... or a little disappointed!
Beyond competitiveness
In addition to its segments, Strava also has other interesting features. Whether it's the ability to follow pro riders (see here Lars Boom's victory in the cobbled stage of the last Tour de France ), discovering a new route for your next ride, or estimating your average power during your last climb up Camillien-Houde, this web application is a good way to increase your fitness while keeping an eye on what your neighbor is doing. And if you need even more, there's a paid Premium version with enough statistics to justify hiring a coach.
Ready to share your stats?
Is this competition a bit childish? I admit it is...
But does it lead to better training? My thighs confirm it does!
And is it fun ? Oh yes!
This spring, grab your bike and your GPS and go hunting for KOMs. Who knows, maybe you're faster than you think. However, if you dethrone a King of the Mountain on a segment, expect them to fiercely defend their title! You've been warned.
Our Bicycles Quilicot Cycling Club on Strava : https://www.strava.com/clubs/123533
Photo credit: Strava