Who’s targetted a KOM as a long term training goal?

I have two I’m after – not for the bragging rights, but simply as something to work towards in lieu of an actual race.

Me, I have quite a few.

CX’er – One long flat NCN route near me I use as a flat chat sprint interval. So it seems does another 2 fellas with whom I’m swapping the lead. It shifts up in roughly 5sec incriments so we’re all on it, and having a laugh no doubt about it too (well I am)
I have others, mainly climbing in the South Downs on the Bridleways up near Owlesbury where again I’m sparring with another bloke.. and two over Steep Marsh.

Roadie – there are loads, mainly I’m playing catchup with a lot of fast lads but during the winter I focus on climbing and one particular 1.2k winding single lane road I’m 3rd, gone from 50th when I started (March last year) so all in all I’ve gained 45sec’s and from 65th, only another 15 to go on this particular climb. Thing is it’s hard, hard to know where to make any gains without taking PED’s 😆

Stravas good for training IMO.

Flat sprints.. they are insane near me because a) there are a lot of good roadies around here, it seems and b) I swear a lot of people are doing them in groups or led out by others. Doesn’t seem feasible any other way! Although if it’s trails on the CX that might be easier 🙂

I’m 2nd on my main one by a fair margin, but I know I’ll easily grab it if I loose some weight. The other one I have starts off on a popular climb but I’ve always extended it which apparently most people don’t do, so there aren’t many takers for the whole thing.

I have a weekly goal of 2,000m climbing and 6hrs ride time.

There are a few segments that I’m aiming to get top 10 on, one of my favourites is held by a certain Mr Sam Hill so I have to be realistic about my chances of nabbing the KOM.

On the road, I’ve been creeping up the top 10 on a couple of local segments while on others the goal is not to slip out of top 10.

There’s usually one or two guys significantly quicker at the top anyway. A girl in one case.

As well as the notification informing that you have lost a KOM or CR, I think it would also be good to receive one when relegated out of the top ten for a segment.

No time to race due to work/family but find Strava very motivating as a next best option.

mainly climbing in the South Downs

Good luck with that, there are some hellishly fast people around! Including one guy who I swear must be on a jet bike.

Running also very competitive around where I live, including many of the lycra mums at the primary school who are scarily competitive. If the lycra mums can’t motivate you, what can?

As well as the notification informing that you have lost a KOM or CR, I think it would also be good to receive one when relegated out of the top ten for a segment.

Agreed. Plus another for when you have the KOM and someone is repeatedly trying to pinch it.

Well as bad as starva can be and how people look at it I do find it great for motivational purposes as I only started mountain biking seriously 2 years ago and started the strava shenanigans this February and achieved over 40 KOM’s this year, and thats the best motivational tool ever.

And all achieved on my Spesh Enduro, there is a few which I’ve lost due to the local whippets on the CX bikes but that only gives me a target to get them back, some are just impractical due to my bike but I still give it a go anyway.

I’m probably fitter now than when I was in my 20’s ! and I’m fast approaching 48 … but I don’t half friccin ache after a good sesh on the bike the following day 😥

It’s always a laff to try to nick KOMs!
Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly cheeky, I’ll go out with the sole aim of nicking a few KOMs of individual people!!

Am I bad?!

DrP

^ i do/did that, well in my earlier Strava days, i targeted one person, over a couple of months a couple of years ago, the dummy spit fall out was great 😆 someone faster always comes along though

Hill climbs yes.

Everything else, not as a training goal, but i will somethimes think ‘I want that segment!’ and push all out on a fairly average ride to see how i go.
Got to get back into training really, been slack since July.

Hmm, the KOM on one of my local target climbs (I’m top ten and not far off the fastest time) is held by a certain Paul Oldham. Another local KOM is held by Tom Moses.

Might have trouble getting those two 😆

caspian – Member

mainly climbing in the South Downs

Good luck with that, there are some hellishly fast people around! Including one guy who I swear must be on a jet bike.[/quote]

Indeed, I am however very realistic in my expectations. If you look around at the leaderboards for the routes/segments round my way you find a lot of “names” right up there, but then why not it’s kinda expected. For sure some are in their 20’s, super fit and invariably riding for a team of some sort.

I take it a bit of fun, training mindset though.

CX’er’s a bit easier IMO for bagging some KOM’s. For the fact that a lot of routes/segments are created by MTB types, these tend to be easy to top on the CX’er. Occasionally I’m leading for a week or so on certain sections then I see I’ve lost it and take a peek and I can tell another CX’ers been over the route.. Fine, I like that.

There was a lad at the start of the year who was localish who was on a mission by trying to get all the local KOM’s close to me and that then started the 1st competitive starva streak in me ! after months of stealing each others KOM’s he backed off ! never ever met the lad but ever now and then he shows up an appearance 😮

CX’er – One long flat NCN route near me I use as a flat chat sprint interval.

‘racing’ on an NCN, burn the heretic!! 😆

I managed to take a KOM off a roadie once, I was driving at the time and had forgotten to turn it off – took a barrage of abuse before I could correct it! Some people have of lot of their self esteem tied up in their Strava profile.

I used to care a lot about time on my MTB, but even with a Garmin or the latest iPhone (which has very good GPS I’m told) I still manage to get times on sections I’ve never ridden, I’m top 10% on the pump track at BPW, I’ve never set tyre on it. So I can’t get too upset about being 1s off my mates time for this section or that, it’s just not accurate enough.

As for KOMs off-road, I had one once, for about a week on an 11s section, then it was a 10s section. based on GPS with an accuracy of what – 5 metres? There were about 30 times on it, the others have 6000-10000 times on them and they’re usually topped by someone who rides for Mojo, or races World Cups or in the EWS, I’m happy being top 10% in with the plodders.

http://labs.strava.com/achievement-map

Most of the road ones around here are held by James Wilson (ex Elite, now Cat 1).

The rest and the MTB ones are held by Phil Pearce:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/points?person_id=15182&d=7&year=2015

I’m happy with top 10s. I’ve only got one KOM and that’s a 55 minute loop that starts at the back gate of my office. I know all the other 20 people who’ve done it.

Thats a handy link there jam bo 😀

I occassionally go KOM hunting but that tends to be weather dependent. For training goals i have a couple of climbs i use as fitness test and encouragement to lose weight. Its pretty good seeing the trend on the ‘your recent efforts’ plot getting better and more consistent over time.

Nice link Jambo, cheers

I find getting KOMs or getting in Top ten very motivating for me.

I don’t however train so wouldn’t expect to get better times through training. Any gains are just from trying harder for a specific segment.

I like a good battle over a KOM, I had a chap come and take several off me, so I deliberately targeted his for a couple of weeks taking them all back and then some.

Bit of banter “challenge accepted” type stuff. Follow each other now, and comment / kudos on rides when they are particularly good. All virtual, never met the guy.

Road KOMs I find need a tail wind or a group pull these days, to get anywhere near. Now I have a power meter it is interesting to compare the power data vs elapsed time.

Just checked, I am now 3rd on my local climb, some git’s posted up a 4.45.. I thought 5.05 was going to be tough to beat, my time’s 5.37.

I like a good battle over a KOM, I had a chap come and take several off me, so I deliberately targeted his for a couple of weeks taking them all back and then some.

Bit of banter “challenge accepted” type stuff. Follow each other now, and comment / kudos on rides when they are particularly good. All virtual, never met the guy.

Sounds like that turned out well.

Conversely: I moved to a new area, took a KOM on a local hill, tried to join the local cycling club on Strava and found out that they’d all blocked me! Best part is seeing some of them during the school run and they STILL won’t speak to me two years on!

It’s like Mean Girls on EPO

I misread the title as Strava Goats.

You can only imagine how disappointed I am.

I was chasing a top 10 and had to get sub 44min.
managed 44.30 and hit 14th which i was happy with but i know there is more to give. goals help 🙂

Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly cheeky, I’ll go out with the sole aim of nicking a few KOMs of individual people!!

I did that last year – my friend was training for the BHF SDW 100.

I got fit trying beat him, he trained harder every time his phone beeped to tell him he’d been robbed. Win Win!

Just checked, I am now 3rd on my local climb, some git’s posted up a 4.45.. I thought 5.05 was going to be tough to beat, my time’s 5.37.

Sorry MG 🙁 but the first rule of Strava, is if your targeting a Kom don’t give out to much information Lol.
Nice little climb, v.tough though, probably why not many people do it.

Is that you at the top? Impressed if so, if not – you should try 🙂 I don’t care who knows it anyway – it’s this one:

https://www.strava.com/segments/10516955

Properly challenging to do fast. Steep at first, then a boggy section then a sustained bit, annoyingly rocky all the way through.

Not many people in those woods though, which is a shame cos it makes a great inclusion on a Cardiff loop.

EDIT lol it is you..

Flicking through taxi25’s KOMs… let’s just say there are some challenges there.. now where’s my bike…?

It was tricky Mg, I didn’t even clean it, spun the rear wheel on the last steep rocky bit before the mud, ran it up a few yards so I didn’t loose much time. As you say lot’s of good riding in those woods, always some new bits to discover.
Fill your boots with my kom’s they’re there to be shot down………..if you can 😀

I can’t now. But I will be back, fitter, stronger, leaner…

Maybe. Ooh, cake.

Anyway, glad to know you were trying 🙂

I use one hill to measure my progress.

https://www.strava.com/segments/1053029

Currently in shared 8th place need to lose 6seconds, but can’t see that happening ever. I don’t think I’ll even beat my own PB on it now.

but shared 8th out of 2093 on the segment has been a massive improvement to where i was at the beginning of the year.

Jan 2ms ish
Feb 1m:50s
Mar 1m:40s
Arp-Jul 1m:30s ish
Sep 1m:10s

Good link jam bo! Didn’t know about that feature of Strava. A nice reminder I’ve got no KOMs which are worth really shouting about 🙂

It be nicer if they expanded it a little to top tens. I’d have a few more then…

I went extremely hard at a descent near here to get the top of the leaderboard. I’m 1s faster than Patrick Schelling from IAM Cycling which will do me as I think to get much more I’ll run the risk of dumping it down the cliffside when I run out of skill. Most importantly, as KOM, I’m faster than anyone I know down it too 🙂

I’d like to see that feature adapted to include segments where I’m in the top 1 or 2 per cent

Sometimes a 15th on one segment is way more impressive than a KOM elsewhere.

I like to beat my own times but I’m never normally bothered about KOMS. Except… this one. Where I’m now 1 second outside of a 4:40 descent and it will be mine, oh yes. It will be mine. I wouldn’t pay it any attention normally but it’s on my local loop so it’s good to have something that makes me absolutely thrash it.

@ bikebouy – what are those two segments in Steep Marsh? Just out of interest…

There are a couple of off-road climbs that I use as a barometer of fitness – a schlep up to the top of Butser Hill, the Shoulder of Mutton climb and another near Froxfield, all in Hampshire. It’s always pleasing to see the graph with a few month’s worth of effort showing improvement. But, as noted, there’s always one or two people at the top with that impossible extra 1mph. I aim for top five on my goals and that’s hard enough. I definitely find Strava motivational.