Concerned that you are addicted to Strava?

As Lance Armstrong said a long time back, 'It's not about the bike'

I suspect that most cyclists over a certain age will know the story of Lance’s fall from grace, so we won’t go in to that in this blog. Think about it for a moment though and you will realise that Lance was actually correct. It is, indeed, not about the bike but, instead it’s about getting further up those pesky Strava segment leader-boards!

Why not answer these simple ‘7 deadly sins’ questions to find out the truth you already know?

Q1:         After a long ride, hard ride, taxing ride, sportive ride, club ride, commute, trip to Tesco or just a quick evening blast, what is the first thing you do…?

1. Save your ride and upload your statistics to Strava

2. As #1 - but your statistics upload automatically

3. Put bike in shed / garage / front room / team bus

Q2:         Having reunited yourself with the sofa and cursed about the rubbishness of Bluetooth connectivity between your cycle computer and your smart phone, do you then…?

1. Log in to Strava to check for Kudos, even though the activity is still called ‘Morning Ride’, ‘Afternoon Ride’ or ‘Evening Ride’

2. As #1 - but you fill in the descriptions, add pictures and give the ride a ‘proper’ name long before the Kudos arrives

3. Quaff a ½ litre recovery shake

Q3:         While you wait for Kudos to be given, do you…?

1. Start to click on the gazillion Strava segments that you rode through, especially those with hill category designations

2. As #1 – but after you’ve checked the segments with the seductive PB sign

3. Tell your wife / husband / kids / pets / TV / plants / yourself / anyone who happens to be in your house that you have a new PB

Q4:     As family connections are now re-established, you could go and clean your bike or at least lube the chain but do you…?

1. Check your latest segment statistics against the people you follow on Strava

2. Wish you had paid for Strava Summit so you can do #1

3. Clean the bike and oil the chain

Q5:         Safe in the knowledge that your latest deposit of digital litter is now safely stored with no environmental consequence because it’s in the cloud somewhere** do you…

1. Tweet, Share, Like, Post, Email, WhatsApp, or Message your Strava brilliance because you’re now 1532nd /4567 on the Cote-du-Pointless-50m-bump rather than 1533rd /4566

2. As A – but also compliment yourself on your genius idea of taking your slower mate on the ride, knowing he (or she) has never ridden the Cote-du-Pointless-50m-bump

3. Stretch out those aching muscles

Q6:         Someone asks you if you’re going to sit around in your lycra for the rest of the day, so do you…?

1. Quickly check your Distance, Longest Ride and Climbing statistics in the Club Leaderboard

2. As #1 – but you compare your Last Week statistics, as well as those from This Week, then update your personal spreadsheet because Strava clubs only have 2 weeks’ of Leaderboard information

3. Ditch the lycra

Q7:         The doorbell rings and your partner asks you to answer the door, so do you…?

1. Pretend you didn’t hear, as you’re too busy creating a new Strava segment

2. As #1 – but you genuinely didn’t hear the doorbell because you’re watching a YouTube video on how to create a new segment

3. Jump in the shower

Understand your nswers:

      Mostly 1:             You are a Strava segment junkie

      Mostly 2:             Strava has taken over your life

      Mostly 3:             Unless you are Geraint Thomas, take the quiz again and answer it honestly this time!

Medication for Strava Segment Addicts

There’s no point in denying that leaping up leaderboards, being the king of kudos and pummelling your personal bests has become very important to all of us that use Strava. So, how can you surprise your followers and show real improvements? Here are a few suggestions…

1)      Buy an e-Bike

2)      Spend lots of money on a new bike and hope it has a magical effect

3)      Contact Sportive Cycle Coaching for a personalised training plan