Silly STRAVA Racing
- Thread starter fossyant
- Start date
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zizou
Veteran
KOM particularly urban ones are so condition dependent - volume of traffic, getting a run through the lights, wind, solo v group, how long the ride is and so on. You've got to be at a certain level to be able to take advantage of favourable conditions but strava palmares can be very misleading as to a persons ability in relation to others.
You get to know the local leaderboards and recognise the names not just from strava but the 'real world' too - i ride with or have raced against a fair chunk. There are a few (like myself
) who go segment hunting in favourable conditions whereas others dont and as a result they languish below on the leaderboards. Stick a number on their back though and it is a different story - a few weeks back I got a 4th in a cat 4 leaderboard - i got this during a race on a climb that i started near the front but got passed by at least 20 riders who i then lost contact with which effectively ended my race. Yet i upload to strava and i'm the 4th fastest time up the hill....the reality was somewhat different and a more accurate reflection would be me trailing on page 2 of the leaderboard.KOM particularly urban ones are so condition dependent - volume of traffic, getting a run through the lights, wind, solo v group, how long the ride is and so on. You've got to be at a certain level to be able to take advantage of favourable conditions but strava palmares can be very misleading as to a persons ability in relation to others.
You get to know the local leaderboards and recognise the names not just from strava but the 'real world' too - i ride with or have raced against a fair chunk. There are a few (like myself
I don't really count most urban sections as "serious". I don't think I've ever even, in all the times I've been there, had a clean run around Regent's Park, for instance. But something like Swain's Lane, 1400 odd entrants, it's man vs hill, I think anyone who is in the top 10 there is a very fit or strong or both fellow.
I don't doubt there are fitter people out there. If I could get into the top 10%, I'd be astonishingly happy (currently 20s off that)
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
har har har! None of my on road KOM's are just me. Maybe a handful of my offroad ones are but that's not my fault that no one else has done it :Psee @gaz for details on how to do this
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
I got 2 KOMS in London where there are more than 2,000 people listed as trying it. Both of them I was motoring it on a light bike.
Mapster1989
Senior Member
- Location
- Sheffield, England
Personally I hate segments which include traffic lights. Encourages RLJ's which is a big no-no.
I like the loooong segments which are 15-20 minutes long on either the flat or an ascent. A small increase in speed results in a big time difference and a bigger jump up the leaderboard. On the short ones I feel you need to put 10x more effort in to just get 2-3s faster.
I like the loooong segments which are 15-20 minutes long on either the flat or an ascent. A small increase in speed results in a big time difference and a bigger jump up the leaderboard. On the short ones I feel you need to put 10x more effort in to just get 2-3s faster.
Kiwiavenger
im a little tea pot
- Location
- Carclaze, St Austell
it just dawned on me that on the KOM i got back, i was 3 seconds slower than a car through a NSL!!! he must have been driving slowly that day 
400bhp
Guru
Agree-hill segments are much more reflective of general ability:
- most people are forced to try up a hill
-if you're going up hills you're more of a serious cyclist therefore there's a natural selection of the fitter cyclists on the segment.
Of course, not discounting the length, gradient and nature of the climb too.
Hip Priest
Veteran
Agreed.
I figure quite highly on a lot of segments round here, but the serious hills bring me back down to earth!
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
*de-activates strava account*
Andrew_P
In between here and there
I agree about hills, the other factor with hills is how often you have been up it. I went up a totally unknown hill and under normal circumstances without Strava I would have been fairly pleased with doing 11.3mph but I was a lowly 47\124 which kind of re-syncs your view.
I am fairly sure I could improve on that just by riding it a few times, I was trying to keep something in reserve as I had no clue where it was going to end as it had a few turns and flat spots. Once ridden you would know that you could either rest or blast on the flatter spots. That being said I had ran out of gears on my compact 11-25 by the top
I am fairly sure I could improve on that just by riding it a few times, I was trying to keep something in reserve as I had no clue where it was going to end as it had a few turns and flat spots. Once ridden you would know that you could either rest or blast on the flatter spots. That being said I had ran out of gears on my compact 11-25 by the top
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Deffo agree in regards to airing on the side of caution, when encountering new hills. A wise tactic... cowardly but wise 
Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
6th place on a fast segment this evening. It felt good but the wind wasnt very helpful.
