Anyone else stopped racing since strava?

I’ve been mountain biking all my life, since being about 5 year old I remember being passionate about my racing, wanting and succeeding in beating my friends around the local block, this passion grew quite quickly, I found myself competing at a high level at all sports I competed in. People would tell me all the time why not turn professional? I think the answer to not turning professional was I would rather give something back to the biking community, and this I did when I set up my own bike skills and coaching school, I set up different courses to suit different levels and abilities in all disciplines of mountain biking.
Coaching and giving others the opportunity to excel in mountain biking as well as me has always kept me well motivated…. However, the past few years has since seen my competitive side shine out again, I competed in a few races and won most of them but I wanted more! and this is when a friend showed me the strava app for my phone, I find it very addictive to the point of becoming obsessed with it, I soon lost interest with racing and why should I when I have all these KOMS 😆
I think strava is a great tool for training, competing and just becoming a better all round mountain biker, lately I’ve just been taking koms from myself! It’s a constant challenge! 😆

trollbikecoaching.co.uk

You sound amazing. One of the things that puts me off Strava is knowing that I could never compete with people at your level. It must be incredible having the talent and ability to turn pro and yet turning down the opportunity to put something back into the biking community.

That said, isn’t racing as much about the occasion and the people and the atmosphere as ticking off KOMs against people who you probably have never met and don’t even know to be real in some cases?

I think, give the choice, I would become a pro racer. Was that the question or have i misunderstood you?

Yeah, i also gave up sex when i discovered internet porn. Why bother wooing a lass when you can knock one out to some racey on line filth?

Yeah, i also gave up sex when i discovered internet porn. Why bother wooing a lass when you can knock one out to some racey on line filth?

Can you give us a link to some of your KOMs so that we can see how poorly we compare to a god like you and whether you cry like a baby when we use virtual epo

I suppose I’m like the ray mears of the biking world!

LOL

Sorry!

Yup, I can sort of see where you’re coming from.

I was in a similar position to you a few years back, I wanted to give something back to biking. So I signed up and created an account on the STW forum so I could offer out all of my useful advice and anecdotes free of charge.

I’ve helped plenty of people along the way, and I think most people now see me as the man who knows what he’s on about.

Then I got Strava. Now I spend most of my time chasing KOMs, rather than giving something back to biking on here.

Love the feeling of getting a KOM though, I’m planning on doing a KOM toure of the country in my KOM van for 2014. I’ve kitted out my Transporter with a turbo trainer and a fan in the back, then I can drive to my sgement of choice, warm up in the van by the side of the road, before going for the KOM.

something you could look into? Although I know it’s not qwuite the same for mtbing, I used to warm upo by watching Cedric Gracia on NWD5.

I think this one might have legs…..

Oddly when you put the OP’s name in strava it says no athlete found.
I was expecting the screen to light up emblazened with gold KOMs, the light radiating off my face like that scene from Pulp Fiction when Vincent opens the briefcase.
So disappointed.

Come on, whose second login is this? This ‘coach’ definitively doesn’t exist… Name must be an anagram of something clever? 😛

DT – is the fan in the back your Mum?

Is this Elbry?

DT – is the fan in the back your Mum?

Unfortunately she works full time so she can’t come with me everywhere. But she makes my packed lunches and has a recovery tea on for when I get home after a hard day chasing KOMs

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

Must be a nightmare buying helmets in the size required to fit a head that big, do you just buy buckets and attach the straps?

tsk ! he’s to fast skilled and cool to wear a lid

His friend, bikeind, will be along in a minute…….

Troll, surely?

Do people actually use strava for training? I thought people just pootle around until they get to a segment then go balls out to get a KOM and be crap again immediately after? am i wrong?

Rich : you need to alter your persona when posting stuff on here if you wish folk to take you seriously/at face value so to speak (or should that be type?…i dunno?….am i digressing here?, or just bored with where i’m going – awww **** it….who really cares anyway…..), it comes across as a tad too much “rad to the max dude i’m a skills coach/mtb supa-guru”, I’ve done skills coaching, got the BC cerificates n’ everythink, also got my smbla wotsits and know of many others who have done similar and also progressed a helluva lot more with their qualifications than i have or wish to do, i did mine for something to do at the time and that’s all very well but i have no wish to constantly bleat on about it.
I’m sure you are a pretty decent sort of person and i’d be happy to head out for a ride wi another guide/skills coach as there is always something we can learn no matter how good/bad we consider our riding to be but lay off the blah….blah….blah a tad and you’ll get on better wi folk on here.

So strava is a constant challenge for you?, big **** deal (and i mean that in the way that i’d say it your face rather than any malice involved), i’d take a closer look at your personality traits and ask why you constantly feel the need to “better” yourself?, i am 100% happy wi myself and my riding, don’t use strava, never will although i’m sure i could claim a few KOM’s on the trails without any hassles 😉 but for the love of god why bother?…..Strava is not accurate, or at least it is open to variables between devices and satellite strength/signal and the GPX file can be easily doctored to show whatever you like.

Thanks to yesterdays perfect N-Easterly wind shoving me in the back whilst straddling the top-tube with my balls i got 52mph on the road bike down a local hill segment that i know other cyclists have “strava’d” at a max of 44mph for the KOM (i know because i work in a bike shop), the file is sitting as a gpx file on my phone at the moment but i’m not going to join up and add it to strava as “what is the point?, i am perfectly content with my riding and who i deem myself to be without the “smoke blowing up arse” stavaites sending me Kudos or suchlike.

‘succeeding in beating my friends around the local block’
‘giving others the opportunity to excel in mountain biking as well as me’
‘competed in a few races and won most of them’
‘lost interest with racing and why should I when I have all these KOMS’
‘I’ve just been taking koms from myself’
‘there’s not much I don’t know in the industry’
‘I’m like the ray mears of the biking world!’

I can offer no greater compliment than to say you are Surf Matt AICMFP.

I’ve just realised – is richmtbguru’s real name Manuel?

I know nothing…

stavaites sending me Kudos or suchlike.

Brilliant, does that happen…really 😀

I had to remove my snot ridden glove to shake the hand of the man whom I’d been locked in racing with Sunday. I could have just texted him ‘Kudos XXX’

great thread, would read again A++++++++++++++

People would tell me all the time why not turn professional?

Just out of interest, were any of these people involved in the running of a professional cycling team ?

oldgit – Member

Brilliant, does that happen…really

GW sent me kudos

Not that Manuel – the one I was thinking of rides a fatbike.

richmtbguru, you made me laugh.
You cast the bait and caught a few fish on this thread.

Very surprised by some of the negative comments! It’s know wonder some of you struggle out on the trails with such a negative mind.. I’ve been in this sport all my life and contributed towards it, I would even go as far as saying I could have even made an impact on it, I’ve taught young up and coming professionals. Jeez I’ve even given friendly constructive advice on here, how the hell is that trolling!!!
Maybe it’s just because I’m a positive person and got far in this industry and made lots of achievements, you should all try being positive, you might start enjoying this sport more! 🙄

Very surprised by some of the negative comments! It’s know wonder some of you struggle out on the trails with such a negative mind.. I’ve been in this sport all my life and contributed towards it, I would even go as far as saying I could have even made an impact on it, I’ve taught young up and coming professionals. Jeez I’ve even given friendly constructive advice on here, how the hell is that trolling!!!
Maybe it’s just because I’m a positive person and got far in this industry and made lots of achievements, you should all try being positive, you might start enjoying this sport more

Can you let us know who you are, just in case i/we ever need to book some skills day, just to make sure i don’t go to such a muppet.

😉