Robbed by Strava.

Strava is a GPS based app. which maps your chosen cycling route. When you reach the end of your ride you can save the route data and Strava will then compare your times on many segments with all the riders who’ve previously ridden those segments.

The ultimate accolade is to be King of the Mountains, the fastest ever.

I only started using Strava about 6 weeks ago but I fancy myself for a few local KOM titles. The weather is currently wet and will be for a few more days so I was lucky to get a short, dry period this afternoon when I could ride.

I thought at first that I’d just do a road ride but decided to include a short off road section to have a crack at a Strava segment. My weapon of choice was my Whyte PRST4 full suspension bike. It has a linkage front fork rather than a telescopic and it doesn’t bob like a conventional front end so saves your pedalling energy. The rear suspension is a virtual pivot point which was just about unique in 2004 when it was built but is becoming popular now. With it’s 26″x2.1″ tyres it has low rolling resistance. The perfect bike to attack a climb. I was chasing a time of 2min 21 sec. I paced it well and was just starting to wade through concrete on the last, steeper bit of the climb. Last time I tried it I was close to the time I wanted but when I stopped Strava didn’t. It carried on recording my time. I felt robbed. When the weather turned wetter I wondered if I’d have to wait ’til spring to ride a decent time but on a better bike for the task it felt good today. When I reached the top I carried on downhill to trick Strava into stopping. When I stopped I looked at my stopwatch time. 2min 15 secs. I prepared myself for my coronation as KOM on a pointless segment that not many others have tried.

I got back home to find that I’d lost connection with the satellite during my attempt so again Strava had robbed me of my tiny amount of glory. Pissed off really but there’s always next time.

I only had one goal or aim on this ride but, as you may be able to tell, it got me excited to be out there. It’s a good idea to have some target for every ride. It could be a time or getting through a tricky section without a foot down. Wet weather can add to these challenges so it’s not something to worry about. The straight line heading northeastwards is the bit missing.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1991047206/embed/f38f647a4dff854b927b9d7a970e72d0d18f8794