Is this cheating?

[grellboy]

Only been on Strava a couple of weeks and just bagged my first KOM - out of 360. Now whilst my fellow Strivers ( Stravettes?) may be in awe of my newfound prowess, I know it was almost solely achieved due to my shameless manipulation of the wind conditions. There is a north facing straight segment nearby and with a strong southerly blowing all day, my "KOM" is actually just a product of my careful studying of the weather forecast and the cynical
realisation that the wind would do most of the work for me! So I wondered, do fellow CCers think this is a shameful way of bagging achievements? Or are there people out there who think this is an admirable method: in the finest traditions of the Grand Tours, using any underhand method possible to achieve your target?

 

[Mugshot]

No KOM has ever been set with a head wind.

 

[G3CWI]

Not cheating. Probably just how the previous KOM was achieved.

 

[GlenBen]

My own view, the wind is the same for anyone.

 

[13 rider]

All fair to me . It's not like I'd use the wind to beat say @Supersuperleeds strava segment time

 

[summerdays]

I felt guilty the day I got one in the same sort of conditions.... I'd been battling the wind all day and noticed that it was likely to be behind me on the way home so took a route along a road I already held the 2nd place to get my QOM. As someone pointed out ... I had been out riding in it for a couple of hours already at that point!

 

[Nebulous]

When it is a segment which has been done many times the cards need to fall right to get anywhere near the leaderboard. Or you need to be a pro. One of my best ones I have done over 100 times. Another of my best ones was (maybe slightly unwisely) drafting a bus.

As long as you aren't on a motorised vehicle I think its all fair game.

 

[Gert Lush]

My best one, 5th place on a hill. Only 16 people have tried!

Sadly, I was higher up but a couple of really strong cyclists from work saw it on Strava and went out and beat it..

 

[grellboy]

My best one, 5th place on a hill. Only 16 people have tried!

Sadly, I was higher up but a couple of really strong cyclists from work saw it on Strava and went out and beat it..

Do what I did then. Not sure how helpful headwind would be on a hill, so instead find a segment made up of a nice straight flat, wait for a horrendous wind blowing up it and then fly to the top of the leaderboard. Cheats often prosper!

 

[Gert Lush]

Do what I did then. Not sure how helpful headwind would be on a hill, so instead find a segment made up of a nice straight flat, wait for a horrendous wind blowing up it and then fly to the top of the leaderboard. Cheats often prosper!

I had a lovely tail wind the other week and was flying down a road but I had to stop and wait behind a car and that ruined my time. I couldn't be bothered to go back round again and have another go.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Most of the fast segment times on Strava are set from within a race peleton, or by riders out on group rides.

A solo KOM, regardless of weather conditions should be commended.



Graham

 

[Supersuperleeds]

All fair to me . It's not like I'd use the wind to beat say @Supersuperleeds strava segment time

Anyone above me is automatically classed as a cheat.

 

[steveindenmark]

Not cheating at all. Taking full use of the conditions. Sensible planning.

 

[nickyboy]

All's fair in love, war and strava.

My best time (by far) of a run into Glossop (I'm about 12th out of 3,000) came as a result of me drafting a double decker bus.

...and I could have easily gone faster if the bus driver had got his foot down a bit

 

[cyberknight]

Sounds like one of the few i have , set with a howling tailwind , its the only way i will ever set a KOM , apart from the segment i created of my full commute minus home and work points