GD that made me laugh .....

love ST

I saw a really amusing one the other day in Zwift. I was in Innsbruck and riding the UCI worlds course. The current top time of the hour was something like 25 minutes. It's a 25km course, with a giant mountain in the way. But this guy somehow managed to average 60kph. I only really get *slightly* annoyed at this because I can usually manage a top-15 on any of those timed segments and I was on track for something like 10th that particular day. I was about to get all pissy and mad about it when I saw the 25:00 time when I stopped myself and laughed. I was about to get mad at someone cheating in a virtual world on something that doesn't matter in the slightest to anyone, even me.

To each their own strategy. I am currently at the beach and have hunted down various Strava segments as it fits into my schedule

Scottish cycling legend Sean Connery addressed this very point in an award-winning documentary about Strava called "The Untouchables." He said, and my memory is a bit hazy, but I think I remember it right, "they put one of your KOM's in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue."

It's always interesting to hear a regional perspective . Some people complain about tailwinds, group rides, motorpacing, targeting a very specific segment, barely questionable GPS, etc... When they are fighting for short (<1:20) or convoluted segments.

Let's not forget that they are called "King of the MOUNTAINS" for a reason. Hills (and singletrack MTB segments) are where Strava segments seem to have the most meaning.

We are all f***ed when e-bikes get more popular. I think there will have to be some sort of social media group dedicated to vouching for segment efforts. I think then I'll stick to steep uphill running segments where it is too steep to bike!

I can't believe this thread hasn't mentioned the recumbent guys destroying KOMs. Or the motorized recumbents.

Few weeks ago I did a 3 person 90 mile ride in all race gear taking 1min pulls to take out KOM's all over our area. A week later, a CAT 1 TT rider went out and took most of the harder ones all by himself. Put us to shame hahaha

It is all relative!

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

The Strava Flyby function is great for seeing when the QOMs are getting pulled by some studs pace lining. However, if they don't upload their ride to hide the fact that they are pace lining, maybe leaving a comment on her QOM such as....

Hey, I was out on a ride and saw you riding with 2 studs. 1 was on a red Wilier and the other was on a green S-Works. Why didn't they upload their rides as well? OH! I GET IT! THEY WERE PACE LINING FOR YOU TO HELP YOU GET THE QOM! Wish I had friends like that."

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The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

And please make sure to post the segment too - I will make the trip and take it from all of you

That! And it's not like it is hard for Strava to distinguish because they have flyovers.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

I love this topic......haha...



I'm not a Cat 1, but I am that "guy". It is what it is, before Strava ever decides to create a "group" or "club" versus "solo" leaderboard it is a bit of an equalizer.

But in the meantime, I'll go out on some 2min and 1min segments that were pacelined by a local team and I'll put on my cyclocross cheapy skinsuit, TT helmet, and take the TT bike out for some destruction. I'll try the longer ones also, but usually the local TT guys already do those.

Some of the comments afterwards are humorous. Sometimes with "flaggings".

Given the TT bike is 20% more power efficient, assuming that's remotely accurate, and that I'm still putting out 90% the power their person pulling is.......TT bike wins.

Typically, not always, typically..........a solo TT rider should be able to be faster than equivalent category racers in a small group. My theory, not fact.

I have one longer one in town that the collegiate team went out and gang banged one night. During a 40k workout recently I got with 10 seconds of an 8+ minute segment alone on the TT bike. Full kit and a single effort and that one's done for.

It hasn't been as often lately. Been super hot and afternoon storms mean I can't venture too far from my house.


Agreed. There's a lot of ass hurt over on Bikeforums about recumbents going out and doing 120w and hitting 30mph for stuff.

On that forum over there they're like an infection nobody wants that constantly bleeds out of its own subforum to insert shitty little comments and replies in the normal forum. Then they get all pissy when folks are like "we don't come piss on your recumbent forum parade, so GTFO." It's almost like the scene from the original F&F "move along pizza boy!".

I really wish they'd moderate that forum better.


People pay money for the "realistic" aspect of the game. Having stuff like that does damage the realism. Butthurt or not. So, it boils down to "I've paid solid money for this" for me.

I didn't pay to see super unrealistic stuff happening in the game. I don't want to see unicorns on bikes flying by at 40mph uphill. That's bullshit. I didn't pay for that.

One solid way they can police that is to ban virtual power from fluids and non-smart trainer setups from the leaderboards. It would make some folks butthurt, but if you can afford $200/year for Zwift you can afford a freaking $300 Tacx wheel on smart trainer. Man/woman up if you want to be on the leaderboard.

In other video game "worlds" people who do that stuff routinely get permanent bans not just from the game, but from the provider's platform.......like Xbox live, etc........

Zwift is a weird microcosm of the cycling world since it is a group of more rabid riders to pay for a virtual platform. So there will be more freakishly strong folks.

This is why I actually feel Strava leaderboards are more legit (barring e-bikes). Zwift lets some pretty heavy riders get away with some speeds and feats I've NEVER seen on a Strava leaderboard by people the same weight. The team I race with on Zwift even posted results the other night from a race they did. Cat C dude threw out 350w for almost an hour at only 3w/kg. My ass that speed/result would happen IRL. It wasn't even Tempus or something, there were hills.

Too much coffee this morning.

No, because not everyone uploads to strava. There's no reason to make it more complicated anyway.

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

This is just me:

If someone creates a segment and holds the KOM or QOM on it they are inviting everyone to try to take it.

If someone holds a KOM, the original invitation still stands. It doesn't matter to me if they are working in a group or not, as long as they aren't riding an ebike, moto pacing or driving a car to get the KOM...more power to them.

Sure sometimes they won't get it, but most of the time it will work because someone else will upload

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

He'll put out 350 to 400 watts and she's doing 118 at the same average mph. She knows she's drafting his power and seems to not care. Lmao...

i hadn't bothered to read this thread as i was like "Strava Etiquette", whatever!
i'm glad i finally did, hilarious stuff and mostly true!

That's true. All of them in that group seem to have loose morals anyway. It would still be funny to leave that comment on her ride though because when people check to see the QOM, most likely they will scroll down and read the comments. Maybe it would be jaw-dropping enough for others to comment. Then, very time she gets a Strava notification she'd have that ride in the back of her mind, wondering if everyone is talking about her cheating ways, making it at least a but unpleasant instead of the pat on the back she was hoping for in getting the QOM ;)

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The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Honestly think it's all fair game unless there's a motor or GPX file doping involved. If going out in a group and targeting specific segments is what motivates people to get on their bike then so be it.

I know a 100kg guy who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of local segments, waits for a windy day, and then heads out in full TT gear to try and set KOMs on a flat or slightly downhill segment with a screaming tailwind. He doesn't race, he doesn't train enough to be competitive if he did race or if he targeted uphill segments or segments on a non wind-assisted day. So that's where he gets his competitive kicks from him, and who am I to criticise?! Maybe if he was riding in dangerously windy conditions, but he's a fairly risk-averse guy who hasn't crashed in the decade I've known him.

Only time I have an issue with KOM/QOM hunting is if people go about it like dickheads. E.g. jumping red lights, endangering other road users, or shouting at people to get out of their way.

She would think about that comment and hold a grudge over it. It wouldn't make her think twice though. She's insecure and will always have some new excuse. When you live and die by the crowns, then usually that person is overcompensating for something else. I'll admit that I've smashed a lot of KOM's only to have someone go out later and usually take it with a hurricane on their back. No sweat though. KOM's aren't important unless you make them important.

A few years back I went out on a ride specifically planned to take as many KOMs as I could, think I got around 10. Even called the ride KOM Hunting, or something like that. A guy I took most of them from was the dad of a couple of my buddies, next time I saw him at a race he jokingly told me he put a bounty on each of my KOMs that I took from him.

Now I only have 1 KOM, oddly not from that ride, and one I didn't even know existed while doing it, but it's over 5 miles long and not really one anyone goes for either. It used to be fun when everything was new, but now you have to have a tailwind and really hammer to get so many of them it's a lot tougher to game it.

I like the competitiveness about it also. Scratch that, I LOVE IT! My favorite 25km ride is relatively straight, and when the conditions are right it is a blast. I've done it at 41.5kph and now hold 6th but that was of course with a hefty tailwind. Today was 39.2kph and I didn't even manage a 3rd best on any of those sections of the 60km ride, even with a pretty nice tailwind. Which gets me to this...
Some things we can't control such as wind or traffic lights (that route has none), but we can control drafting, So that is where I draw my line for what's acceptable in KOM hunting.

That's funny though. I just checked the segment on Strava and could see the leaderboard, but when I went back to see another leaderboard segment I can't see anything. Might be time for me to switch apps now. I wouldn't mind paying cash for a year's subscription, but I don't want them having my credit card number, especially after what happened to Garmin recently.

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The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

I feel you. I live in Boulder area and most if not all segments are owned by pro-cyclists, retired pros or cat1-2 "amateurs" that either live here or train here in the summer. Especially climbing segments, no chance to get even into top 100.

But really puts into perspective of how different you are and pro level athletes.

Perhaps you meant this as an exaggeration but nobody is staying in a normal persons 350-400 watt draft with 118 watts.

That's like 28-30 mph flat ground