Amusing, but I’m always a bit wary when someone appears that irrational. I do wonder what else might be going on in their lives that they appear to have lost their perspective on something so trivial. 🙂
Amusing, but I’m always a bit wary when someone appears that irrational. I do wonder what else might be going on in their lives that they appear to have lost their perspective on something so trivial.
I notice in the comments that he had apparently done seven “Everests”. That tells me all I need to know.
Sadly Brendan seems to have deleted his account now.
Ah – it was still there as “. .” until a few mins ago.
I’m down to a handful of mainly local obscure KOMs now, so it looks like it’s time to make some enemies and go “deep in the pain cave”. Who shall I pick on – oh – they’re all faster than me 🙁
A lad I know a bit and I’ve ridden with a a couple of time lately seems to target my times (not KOMs, as I’m nkt that quick) off road in the local area. He seesm to go for one or two a ride slowing before them and taking a rest then hitting them.
I’m generally not bothered, I just wish he’d enjoy his riding more.
Public records of performance are there to be broken and seeing other people’s segment times will add some extra motivation for some riders.
If you can’t handle that others will beat your at some time, don’t makes your times and/or segments public. As Chris Rhea sang, “Don’t you ever think no one’s better than you.”
People sometimes create segments that don’t take account that riders could approach the segment start from a different way, which could instantly give other riders a massive speed advantage at the start, which means you have no chance of competing in the game unless you can produce a massive power output compared to others over the latter half of a segment.
I tend to agree that someone who overreacts in the way he has, probably has problems. Hilarious though it is, I’m not sure that the world laughing at him is necessarily a good thing.
A lad I know a bit and I’ve ridden with a a couple of time lately seems to target my times (not KOMs, as I’m nkt that quick) off road in the local area. He seesm to go for one or two a ride slowing before them and taking a rest then hitting them.
Sounds like you’re on the “strava is not a game!” spectrum! 🙂
So if you’re 5th, 8th, 13th whatever, what makes you think he’s targeting your 13th place rather than top ten, or just trying to better his 19th?
Sounds like you are a bit bothered if you’ve gone into his rides and worked out where he’s resting?
People sometimes create segments that don’t take account that riders could approach the segment start from a different way, which could instantly give other riders a massive speed advantage at the start, which means you have no chance of competing in the game unless you can produce a massive power output compared to others over the latter half of a segment.
If your segment’s that short it’s worthless anyway, IMO
case in point is a road segment for which I share the KoM (the other lad deserves it more) on 33 sec.
It’s a downhill s-bend on fairly shoddy tarmac and often wet or gravelly.
I’ve ridden it loads. I don’t smash down it because I’m not stoopid but the day of my best time I had a following wind into the top of it, so I’m nearly 3 seconds up on my “mate” at half way (so he must’ve taken the dodgy second bend pretty bloody hard – kudos, though counselling may be more help). Total bollocks that I’m top* and if somebody bags it I’m not going back for it
My wife and I had a minor, but amusing tit for tat on strava for a while too. She set up a fake male account and took a local KOM. I then took it back. She then took it again….etc. This carried on for a few months. It really is an insignificant nothing of a hill, but was somehow shoehorned into every ride for a while.
Obviously we have grown up now and stopped all this nonsense.
How do you know he’s not? I’ve not gone quite as far as stopping for a complete rest before a segment, but I certainly have gone out on rides where I take most of the ride easy in order to target a couple of segments. Some of the most enjoyable rides I’ve done (and not just because of the “thrill” of chasing KOMs – I usually go fairly hard all ride, so having a reason to ride easy makes a refreshing change).
Not that I get all worked up when people “steal” my KOMs – I have to admit I’m not even sure if I still have any. It is after all just a game, and it’s not compulsory to play by the same rules as anybody else. I couldn’t care less if anybody else thinks targeting segments is a silly thing to do.
Tells you segments that will get you wind assist, which are normally segments travelling north-west because of the prevailing wind in the UK, but currently in Southampton it’s unusually ones heading south-east. 😉
Sad **** Racing Against Virtual Aresholes is what a few of my mates call it. I use it just to track myself getting worse and worse. My aim is to take the last spot on every local segment. I reckon if I can carry on getting in worse shape I’ll have smashed it by 2021
martinhutch – Member
Amusing, but I’m always a bit wary when someone appears that irrational. I do wonder what else might be going on in their lives that they appear to have lost their perspective on something so trivia
local to me though I don’t know him has a decent blog (now shut) with local climbs, good photos and well researched historical stuff – think missed out on riding last year because of some horrible illness – got riding again and then broke a few bones when someone cut across him on a shared path…needs perspective on Strava but yep not been having an easy time of it I reckon
@NoddyEtc – there’s a segment like that near us. It starts from a T-junction in the bottom of a huge dip, the bar of the T is the bigger road with the side road being the column of the T. If you approach the segment from the side road you’ve already been climbing for nearly a Km whereas if you ride along the top of the T then you’ve nearly a KM of fast straight descending to pick up speed (I chicken out at about 70kmh!) and you are halfway up the segment before needing to put in any serious amount of effort. Guess how I rode it to get my PB? 😀
I like Mrs Yak’s style – how long before you realised it was her?
I knew from the start! Brazen tactics indeed.
Don’t worry, as a work-from-home’er, I eventually took advantage of optimum conditions, and properly took it*, thus ensuring the ‘uh oh’ email arrived at her work desk.
Like I said, we have now grown up and stopped all this nonsense. 🙂
* Now someone else has properly taken it. Maybe she does have another secret username…. ?
The only Strava incident I had was when somebody I was following logged a 240km ride averaging 40km/h and taking lots of KOMs. I left a comment asking him if he was in a motor vehicle (which he blatantly was 60km/h up a steep hill..) and that some people might not be happy that he had taken their KOMs. His responde was to call me white trash and then block me 🙄
Stealing my koms 😆 Always use strava to log my rides. During race season I sometimes search for segments that’ll coincide with my training for that day (1min sprints, 4×5 vo2 max, 2×20 ftp etc) sometimes I’ll get a king if the wind is favourable, more often than not I don’t though. But now race season is over I turn into a full on strava whore for two months until I start my winter turbo work in November in readiness for next years season. I’ll look through the rides of the people I follow and if a segment catches my eye I’ll remember it for the next time I go out. It’s always creates a bit of banter between us all and we treat it as it is, a bit of a laugh. If I ever get the uh oh email I always congratulate/give them kudos if it’s legit. One of my friends who I go out riding with once said “You never own a kom, you only borrow them until someone quicker than you takes it”
If you want to get lots of cups on Strava … change sex!
I’m not bitter or anything, but when you do a nice gentle bimble around and get nothing for it and then one of the girls in the party shows you her Strava, which has an endless load of QoMs I do find myself gritting my teeth and muttering “it’s just a game, it’s just a game” under my breath.
Why bother leaving a comment? Just flag it, which instantly removes it from leaderboards and it’s then up to the rider to prove it’s legit.
Linky to the ride, and I’ll do it for you (though I’d be surprised if one of the previous KOMs hadn’t already – some people do take it far too seriously 😉 )