# The QOM problem



## jefmcg (18 May 2014)

There's a real advantage of being a woman on Strava: QOM. There are a lot less women than men on strava, so it's not impossible to be the only woman who has ever done a segment. So, despite being a slow cyclist, I have 30-something QOM at the moment. Which is fun

But there's a downside. For instance, a couple of years ago I did a 80km pootle along the Ruhr on my folder. At the time there were no segments there at all. Apparently people started creating segments, and unbeknownst to me, I became Queen of the Mountain on them. Later on, other women rode the course, and I started receiving humiliating emails "Uh oh! <german name> has stolen your QOM <by several minutes>"

This is my current favourite QOM. I was supposed to be meeting someone I didn't know, but expected to recognise outside Buckingham Palace (no, not the Queen). I wandered around looking for him for quite a while, on foot.


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## young Ed (18 May 2014)

right i am now called Young Edwena! now to go and do some strava segments 
Cheers Ed


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## Steady (18 May 2014)

I get this a lot on certain segments! I don't know whether to feel satisfied with myself or not, I mean I know in reality I'm a slow cyclist but my QOM tells me different right?!


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## sazzaa (18 May 2014)

It's really annoying when you get notifications, is there a way to switch them off? I'd rather not know in real time when my qom has been beaten!


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## Steady (18 May 2014)

sazzaa said:


> It's really annoying when you get notifications, is there a way to switch them off? I'd rather not know in real time when my qom has been beaten!



There is, under setting, email notifications: http://www.strava.com/settings/email


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## Hacienda71 (18 May 2014)

I switched the notifications off but still sometimes get the uh oh message. Pretty rarely though. I like riding hard and get the odd KOM, but not to get onto some silly tit for tat segment snipping so I switched the alerts off.


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## Pat "5mph" (18 May 2014)

Problem? What problem? 
I have a couple of QOM me being the only woman having ridden the segment 
Mind, what about all them that ride without gps?
We are fake queens, me thinks!


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## jefmcg (19 May 2014)

Oh, I found one of the particularly humiliating emails .... *29m 5s!!!!*


> *Uh oh! Anna Fischer just stole your QOM!*
> 
> You just lost your QOM on Hattingen-Bochum by Pavlo to Anna Fischer by *29m 5s*.
> 
> ...


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## helston90 (19 May 2014)

jefmcg said:


> Oh, I found one of the particularly humiliating emails .... *29m 5s!!!!*


Strava tends to think people are going bonkers for each segment- it amused me I was just doing a standard commute and saw someone walking who I needed to stop and speak to, got home updated my strava and where the KOM was something like 1:30 I had a very prompt time of 15 minutes odd.


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## jarlrmai (19 May 2014)

My old commute one segment was used as the sprint finish for an elite road race, where a few of the riders had uploaded the segments. Not a chance.


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## jefmcg (19 May 2014)

helston90 said:


> Strava tends to think people are going bonkers for each segment- it amused me I was just doing a standard commute and saw someone walking who I needed to stop and speak to, got home updated my strava and where the KOM was something like 1:30 I had a very prompt time of 15 minutes odd.


The difference is, if I'd done the same ride, I might have come home and seen "QOM", followed eventually by "Uh oh" email of shame.

(no one creates segments for distances they do at 10kmh)


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## Mo1959 (19 May 2014)

Am I just being petty here? I am a bit miffed at a woman nearby who often does rides on a tandem with her husband and is getting QOM,s due to the extra speed he is generating.


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## jarlrmai (19 May 2014)

Tandems should have their own category, as should group rides.


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## Mo1959 (19 May 2014)

jarlrmai said:


> Tandems should have their own category, as should group rides.


I think riders have been asking for this for a while but I think Strava has said that it would be too complex to adapt the software??

It would certainly give those of us who ride on our own virtually all the time a more level playing field.


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## jefmcg (19 May 2014)

Actually, it looks like they are soliciting support for adding tandems (Elle is a staff member).

Sign up and vote to encourage them to add the facility.

https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/21119597-Support-Tandem-Cycling-on-Strava


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## sheffgirl (19 May 2014)

I used to have 3 QOMs, but now I only have one, and that's on a segment no other woman has done yet.
I want to get back the ones I lost, but 2nd is pretty good I suppose


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## Shadowfax (19 May 2014)

QoMs are mostly are pretty meaningless unless its the fastest time of all I'm 2 secs off one, held by hubby and someone else ! He has promised not to beat it if I get it !


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## Pat "5mph" (19 May 2014)

Shadowfax said:


> QoMs are mostly are pretty meaningless unless its the fastest time of all I'm 2 secs off one, held by hubby and someone else ! He has promised not to beat it if I get it !


Do you believe him?


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## Wobblers (20 May 2014)

Shadowfax said:


> QoMs are mostly are pretty meaningless unless its the fastest time of all I'm 2 secs off one, held by hubby and someone else ! He has promised not to beat it if I get it !



I'd let his tyres down just to be on the safe side!


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## Hill Wimp (20 May 2014)

I'm always QOM in my own kingdom and I don't wear a red spotty top either, it just doesn't suit me


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## RussellZero (20 May 2014)

It would be interesting to know what your veloviewer score is and if that takes gender into account. You get a higher score for finishing eg. 5th out of 1000 people vs finishing 1 out of 5. I dont know if it filters for gender.


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## Shadowfax (20 May 2014)

RussellZero said:


> It would be interesting to know what your veloviewer score is and if that takes gender into account. You get a higher score for finishing eg. 5th out of 1000 people vs finishing 1 out of 5. I dont know if it filters for gender.


 It does indeed but as fewer women do the segments the maxiums are much lower.


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## Shadowfax (20 May 2014)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Do you believe him?


See,now you ve done it !
As Mcwobble suggests nobblin' might be the only answer.


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## Diggs (20 May 2014)

Hill Wimp said:


> I'm always QOM in my own kingdom and I don't wear a red spotty top either, it just doesn't suit me


 Then you need one of these... Orange spots are much more 2014 http://www.provisionclothing.com/womenstour/strava-replica.html


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## Hill Wimp (20 May 2014)

Diggs said:


> Then you need one of these... Orange spots are much more 2014 http://www.provisionclothing.com/womenstour/strava-replica.html


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## mrbikerboy73 (20 May 2014)

Strava is like Facebook in as much as it is great fun if it's used properly. But people can become too obsessed with times and segments and who's the fastest.


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## Shadowfax (20 May 2014)

mrbikerboy73 said:


> Strava is like Facebook in as much as it is great fun if it's used properly. But people can become too obsessed with times and segments and who's the fastest.


 Lol, how many KoMs do you posess exactly ?
Only joshing.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 May 2014)

jefmcg said:


> There's a real advantage of being a woman on Strava: QOM. There are a lot less women than men on strava, so it's not impossible to be the only woman who has ever done a segment. So, despite being a slow cyclist, I have 30-something QOM at the moment. Which is fun
> 
> But there's a downside. For instance, a couple of years ago I did a 80km pootle along the Ruhr on my folder. At the time there were no segments there at all. Apparently people started creating segments, and unbeknownst to me, I became Queen of the Mountain on them. Later on, other women rode the course, and I started receiving humiliating emails "Uh oh! <german name> has stolen your QOM <by several minutes>"
> 
> This is my current favourite QOM. I was supposed to be meeting someone I didn't know, but expected to recognise outside Buckingham Palace (no, not the Queen). I wandered around looking for him for quite a while, on foot.



I got one of those notifications this morning... don't get the emails anymore, turned them off but you still get the strava notification which my phone promptly informed me about when I checked what time it was this morning... like I really needed to know that before I got out of bed! 

(I think I had 37 before this morning..) not that I am counting or anything like that


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## mrbikerboy73 (20 May 2014)

Shadowfax said:


> Lol, how many KoMs do you posess exactly ?
> Only joshing.


I've got two! And if anyone tries to take them from me I will go out there and get them back if it takes me all day. And then I'll tell the world about it on Facebook!


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## hopless500 (20 May 2014)

I've got a few QOM's  but they are gradually being snaffled by others. The latest was someone last week beat my QOM in Siem Reap - I think I might have to go back


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## jefmcg (29 Sep 2014)

jefmcg said:


> This is my current favourite QOM. I was supposed to be meeting someone I didn't know, but expected to recognise outside Buckingham Palace (no, not the Queen). I wandered around looking for him for quite a while, on foot.



And it's finally been taken from me: 0.7km long, and beaten by 12 minutes.


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## Pat "5mph" (30 Sep 2014)

jefmcg said:


> And it's finally been taken from me: 0.7km long, and beaten by 12 minutes.


Condoliances 
Surely you mean 12 seconds?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (30 Sep 2014)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Condoliances
> Surely you mean 12 seconds?


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## Pat "5mph" (30 Sep 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


>


Wot?? Am I being obtuse? 
12 minutes over 0.7 km would mean the new QOM has wings?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (30 Sep 2014)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Wot?? Am I being obtuse?
> 12 minutes over 0.7 km would mean the new QOM has wings?


1 min 16 seconds compared to 13 mins 16 seconds... link is with the quote that she has lost it... although that said, the fastest woman is faster than the fastest man by 12 seconds... with an average of 30.8kph (18.9mph), still not that unfeasible...


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## Pat "5mph" (30 Sep 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> 1 min 16 seconds compared to 13 mins 16 seconds... link is with the quote that she has lost it... although that said, the fastest woman is faster than the fastest man by 12 seconds... with an average of 30.8kph (18.9mph), still not that unfeasible...


Aha, got it!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (30 Sep 2014)

@Pat "5mph" I have 1 or 2 QOM's where I have had lunch in the middle of the segment and have ended up with the QOM simply by being the only woman to have done the segment... usually not knowing I have done it full stop (and often on tour or similar).... strangely I don't mind loosing those ones!


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## summerdays (30 Sep 2014)

I got a 4th today, I was cycling in a pedestrianised area for part of the route so bimbling along! All you would have to do would be go back either first thing or late at night. And it's apparently a Category 4

How do I see how many QOMs I have without going and looking at the specific segments?


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## Pat "5mph" (30 Sep 2014)

I'm the current QOM of the pedestrianized section of our city centre.
It's all downhill, and I rode it at 1am on a Tuesday morning 
Was QOM of a couple of obscure segments that I will probably never ride again.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (30 Sep 2014)

There's a couple of ways. The easiest is by far is through veloviewer which tells you in your signature line option... Otherwise in strava you have to go into your account and look for the CR/something else tab and then count... There are 20 per page, or at least were last time I looked


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## summerdays (30 Sep 2014)

Ah found them I have about 7, most of which I'm the only female or just a couple. I have one where I'm the fastest of about 37, and that one I'm pleased with. I'm sure I had the next segment too at some point so I've obviously lost some.


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## jefmcg (30 Sep 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> 1 min 16 seconds compared to 13 mins 16 seconds... link is with the quote that she has lost it... although that said, the fastest woman is faster than the fastest man by 12 seconds... with an average of 30.8kph (18.9mph), still not that unfeasible...


Thanks.

I arrived at Buck Palace, wandered around on foot for a quarter of an hour looking for the people I was meeting at the fountain. During that time, I managed to circumnavigate the fountain twice (with some back tracking, I'm sure) that won me QOM at 2.9km/h. The 30kph lass managed to take 90% off my time, and thoroughly kicked my butt.

Still, at 2.9kph, I'm still 8 out of 13 overall - so not the only person who forgot to turn off strava.


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## jefmcg (3 Aug 2015)

Got a new stupid QOM yesterday. I tried to run into @vickster who was doing RideLondon. Eventually settled on Esher. Got there and sat and watched the riders for a bit. Got a text that she was in Leatherhead, so settled down with a coffee and cake to wait. Finished, then vickster arrived, so talked to her while she sat down and rested. Filled water bottles etc etc. Finally, when she headed off, I unlocked my bike and headed towards Wimbledon. Despite that, I am now QOM, taking about 6 times longer than the KOM

https://www.strava.com/segments/8908946


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## vickster (3 Aug 2015)

@jefmcg looks like a dead cert for me then at some point


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## summerdays (3 Aug 2015)

vickster said:


> @jefmcg looks like a dead cert for me then at some point


But can you do it and include the cake and coffee


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## vickster (3 Aug 2015)

summerdays said:


> But can you do it and include the cake and coffee


I reckon so yes  I did a 21mph sprint down the Mall yesterday after 92 miles, I'm up for it!


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## jefmcg (4 Aug 2015)

summerdays said:


> But can you do it and include the cake and coffee


Easily. I had 50 minutes of down time. Easily long enough for several coffees and cakes, some beers, a full fry up, sunday roast or some combination of the above. 

Though lingering over the coffee-and-walnut I had at Giro would be a fruitful way to spend those 50 minutes.


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## vickster (4 Aug 2015)

As @jefmcg will attest, I drink coffee rather more quickly than she


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