I’m new to the strava thing. The problem is it’s telling me I’m 2nd on a king of the mountain stage.
It’s right on my doorstep and I know I can get 1st place. It’s all it can think of and the only ride I want to do.
I need to break the cycle( no pun intended)
Please help.

Get the KOM and think you are a god. Then die a thousand deaths as someone beats you back down. Try again and fail. Cry. 🙂

It’s too late. It’s got you. Your future rides will now revolve around segments, wind direction and leader boards. Good fun though.

This is why i love strava.. only thing 90% of people think of the same thing and its wrong as all your do now is smash that section and your get really good time and the rest of the ride would suffer..

need to try and aim for an all round good time over distance

Two options;

1) Report the segment as dangerous and have it deleted

2) Set up a proper privacy zone if it really is on your doorstep. You won’t be on the leader board then as you’ll be excluded because it’s hidden.

Recording it on a phone instead of a GPS usually knocks a few seconds off…………

Do what I do. Ride slowly enough that you’re never near the top of any leaderboard and then you won’t worry about it.

(A mate of mine might be able to get you an e-bike to demo, if you wanna really go and smash it)…. 😀

Or use “digital EPO” for strava … 😉

The urge to chase a single KOM will probably pass (unless you are properly odd) it makes cycling pretty dull after a while, do you really want to be riding the same loop over and over? beating yourself up for not being the fastest person on that one stretch or head off and explore and ride some varied loops a bit more?

I did briefly snag a KOM on my commute route and was all pleased until I poked about and realised the fella in 2nd place had posted his time on the return leg of a 100+ mile run while I had only done 8 or so miles before the same segment, that sort of puts you in your place TBH, I “beat” a stranger by a few seconds in a pretend race, but he would quite clearly piss all over my chips in a real world comparison…

There are a lot of segments in my area where 400+ riders have logged a time and for the majority of them I find that I am at best top 1/3rd more often in the middle of the table, I’m OK with that, I’m pretty pleased when a “PR” or two pops up after a ride, as this indicates a bit of steady, sustainable improvement, I look at my overall times and Avg speeds for the same routes rather than wrecking myself chasing one short section of a ride at the expense of enjoying or benefitting the next 25 miles or so…

Strava (or any of the other similar apps/websites) is a pretty useful training tool, the Segment chasing/KOM thing has become a disproportionate USP for some though (or downside depending on your POV), and the system actually allows you to do other, far more useful things in terms of setting training goals, measuring and charting your progress etc…

KOMs aren’t that important and very few people are all that impressed… You’ll get over it

Wrong time of year for this nonsense. Wait for a dry spell with a 25mph tailwind, drive to the start of the segment, nail it, then head home with a satisfied feeling.

New to strava? Well best chase everything until you OWN the local patch.

Then get many ‘uh-oh’ emails, give up chasing all the segments and just get out and enjoy riding whilst using strava as a proper training tool and for finding new trails.

I set a segment a while ago, then about 10 people rode it slower than me so I had a KOM without knowing it. Then some ****er knocked almost 2 mins off a 10 min climb..!

I’m going to train specifially for this and treat it like a race. Sad? No, I’m doing it for a laugh – might as well train for something 🙂

For me it’s the perfect time of year, I’m in cyprus. The weather is perfect, sounds like a good grin. I’m not fixed on this one there are loads around. Unfortunately most are on the road. Need to find the mountain bikers.
Keep the free therapy comming.

I probably am proper odd, but I’ve found Strava has relieved some of the dullness from my cycling – having ridden the same roads for 20 odd years it’s hard to find something new, and I’ve actually ended up riding different routes which would make no sense if it wasn’t for the Strava segment I’m after. No particular need to ride the same loop over and over to chase a KOM – just fit it into a ride, though to be honest I’ve generally got the KOM on segments I’ve targeted first or second go.

This. 8) I understand this does not make me a riding god – plenty of people round here who can beat me, but careful selection of wind direction does at least give me some bragging rights. I think all my KOMs are on road – used to have an off-road one, but that was on a unicycle (and have now lost it)!

I think my Strava epiphany came one evening last summer, pootling round my local trails I stopped to chat with a fellow cyclist I know well at a junction of a couple of bridleways (TBH I was having a cigar as well) and these six blokes pulled up on CX bikes, my friend and I said hello and were ignored. They appeared to be consulting a garmin with great interest, then I realised that their conversation was along the lines of “there are two segments down there, we’ll get them first” the sad bastards were resorting to team tactics to get KOMs.

At that point strava simply became a training and data logging tool, I take pride in the fact I can manage the ave speeds and distances I do (30 miles +) on a 20kg, 6″ travel full suss AM rig, most of the KOMs are held by people 20 yrs younger and machines less than half the weight on very short runs, as has been said

I’m pretty pleased when a “PR” or two pops up after a ride, as this indicates a bit of steady, sustainable improvement,

Nuff said

I’m pretty pleased when a “PR” or two pops up after a ride, as this indicates a bit of steady, sustainable improvement,

Most likely just means more favourable conditions, especially off-road.

I’m more worried about PR’s than KOM’s and mainly use strava to roughly see how I compare with other riders and log rides. I’ve had and lost KOM’s but don’t bother chasing them as nomatter how fast you are there is always somebody out there that’s faster 😉

I was always quite cynical about Strava. I thought it was all about being relentlessly and pointlessly competitive and I was sort of right because you can use it like that if you’re wired that way.

But what I actually like about it now is that I can follow what my mates are up to wherever they are in the world – last summer, for example, a friend was in the Alps for six weeks and I could see that she was reeling off classic alpine cols in a sort of virtual climbing orgy.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get the occasional ego kick from getting a good time on a particular segment or an inadvertent KOM, not many of those, trust me, but I don’t take it very seriously and it’s essentially meaningless and harmless unless you choose to make it otherwise.

My personal take is not to let it change the way I ride unless I want it to. So when I did the Rapha Festive 500 thing, I still rode mostly hills rather than seeking out long, flat rides which meant 10,800m of climbing.

I also like the absurdity of it all. I’m currently second on a completely inconsequential little kick climb on a disused railway trail. It’s so short that GPS error would be enough to make the difference and I know it, but at some point I fully intend to land the KOM, maybe. But I won’t lose any sleep over it if I don’t.

Uh oh…

Why only chase one, plan a route taking in as many segments as possible and chase them all down. Go to Veloviewer, upload everything and get a comparison score on all your activities for any given time period. Find out how good you really are where you ride. Winner

the sad bastards were resorting to team tactics to get KOMs.

That’s blindingly ultra common. Even some of the muppets in my own club do that. get a guy to lead them up/out then go for it.
There’s a small group that travel around the Aylesbury area with a back up vehicle. I tried one of their segments that needed a 36mph average, I peaked at about 28mph and faded, so you’d need a wheel for some I guess.

Find out how good you really are where you ride. Winner

But you don’t. You only really find out how you compare to other Strava users who have ridden that specific segment. And then you still don’t know how you compare as some may be pushing it and others may be cruising. And conditions play a big part in times. And then there’s GPS errors, corner cutting, etc.

If you want to know how good you really are then go racing.

Edit: and what oldgit said. Problem with Strava is that you don’t know how you compare as you don’t know the conditions that the other times were set (chain gang etc.) Proper racing is a more level playing field.

imho i think strava is a great tool to check progress of your own riding and see where you are on segments or routes against your previous rides. last spring i was 4kg lighter and flying placing high on segments and even taking a good number of KOM’s.
Now after a relaxed period on the bike and a good feed and drink over xmas i find myself over my riding weight and trying to get fit again. Now i know i’m not near the level i was last spring/summer but using strava i can tell that i am fitter and faster than i was this time last year.
I guess everyone’s need for strava will be different.
As for the KOM thing i don’t think there is anything wrong with having a go at a segment and if you get a KOM its a bonus but i don’t agree with taking it easy all the way round a route then giving it rock all on a segment. I also think its great to sit top of the leader board but this means everyone else is gonna try knock you off the top.

Jim, BWD, am I’m agreement and realise I may sound like a bit of a Strava grinch. Do use it and do enjoy sharing rides and following friends rides. Is just a bit of fun though.

Strava is ok for monitoring progress but really too many variables. A decent repeatable power based field test on the turbo is a much better way to go about it.

I’ll admit it, I’ve had a Strava induced crash. Chasing a time down the tourettes leap side of Phillips park. Im sure it would have happened sooner or later anyway due to a lack of jumping skills and the fact my mates are faster than me. If you’re competitive anyway its probably safer than when we all used to barrel down something squeezing past by cutting corners 😉

Commute (road) segments are fun though for a beasting when the lights are favourable.

Oh and its a double edged sword when your injured, its like riding by proxy!

A decent repeatable power based field test on the turbo is a much better way to go about it

Far less fun though 🙂 and besides that doesn’t take technical ability into consideration.

Strava keeps me honest on my commutes by making me side to my personal targets hungover or not.
And I did have a bit of a battle with a coworker on one short sprint segment that made for a few interesting weeks.

That sort of thing used to be known as interval training – especially if as steve suggests you have several segments lined up on a ride. I find it far easier to push myself hard doing that than doing an official interval training session and the physiological result is much the same.

I have a GPS logger – so Strava is something I look at after I’ve got home, had a wash, had tea and then remembered to charge it back up. Any PRs etc are all a bonus. I’m far too rubbish to be chasing KOMs – in fact I was relieved when one I had fell to someone better as it was embarrassing to be KOM on a climb where I’d had to walk a short section!

It’s all just a bit of fun, but best of all is finding new routes when you see where other members of your Strava Club are riding.

“please help”, okay, take off the app & never use it again.

I’ve only recently got a phone that can run strava, just had a check and most of the local loop I do is covered in segments, but weirdly all the boring bits labelled as “climb” and “decent” in opposite directions and none of them involve the fun drops and technical corners…

Might set one for one of my fave bits which involved a quick sprint over an old Victorian bridge over a river which then blindly drops about 20 feet (can be rolled down or dropped into depending on speed) set up a “bimbler cam” and live off the you’ve been framed royalties 😆

Will be interested to see how I rate in the rankings as never had it running whilst doing this ride, won’t lose any sleep over it as I was well in the bottom quarter at afan 😳

I use it to track progress and in competition with mates, for fun. In fact the most hotly contested segments are on the work commute… For fun.
What is very useful though is the explore function. I live in a place I don’t know so well, with pretty poor maps (for cycling) and little or no published routes (Bergen, Norway), so I use it to look for new routes and get time estimates for longer rides.
You could also check out who that fit girl is that you keep passing, if you’re a weirdo stalker 😉

Disappointed RichMTBGuru isn’t on this thread.

I only really ride one road route – it’s an oval shape on the map so overall it’s mostly immune from wind effects. The only times I now look at are for the whole 25mile loop. I’ve ridden it often in both directions and so I’ve been wind-assisted on pretty much every possible segment.
… and still I have zero KoMs 😀

I do take a GPS with me when we night-ride off road but I never have a bloody clue where we are and just try to keep up with my mate who has the satmap (thanks Jon!). There’s only one segment that I’d recognise as such when we’re actually on it and that’s waaay out of my reach for getting the record.

I like strava though – lets me see where I’ve been and how little riding I do

I only started riding a year and a half ago. After turning 40 I decided to commute nearly 12 miles each way to work. I was a steady plodder and took 50 odd minutes. Heard about this Strava thing from people at work who I would consider very good riders. I started to hit 2 or 3 segments each way and eventually started taking the KOM’s. If it hadn’t been for strava I would probably never got any fitter/faster. The change in pace and recovery knowing you have to go flat out in another mile or so is great. I now have great camaraderie with work cyclist and a much greater fitness. I take the sprints with a pinch of salt but quite a few of my KOM are 20 or 25 minute segments. Anyone who beats me on these deserve them and just makes me train better