Strava is giving me an inferiority complex

iclestu

Ok - so I know im not a 'real' cyclist.

Im overweight and have chosen both real bikes I have bought based on comfort and load carrying ability. With that said, ive been at this a couple of years now and i commute a fair distance. Why is it that I am so far off the pace in Strava? I carry 'luggage' (laptop, lock, shirts, etc) in my panniers and ride a tourer whereas my fellow stravites probably ride carbon bling weighing half a pennyweight but still....

I am under no illusion I wont ever get any KOMs but im soooooo far of the pace its depressing!

6th overall (rank last by a country mile!) here:

http://app.strava.com/segments/965559

and, frankly, im just proud as hell to make it up this one without stopping for a breather:

http://app.strava.com/segments/798726

(incidentally the first of these is a cat 4 climb and the latter uncategorised but the latter is FAR more difficult, i can pretty much pootle up the cat 4 at my own pace. Go figure)

Why am i so shit?! I know im never gonna be actually fast but really - 2 mins slower than anyone else up that first segment!? really!?

Ho Hum, always said I wasnt gonna get into racing or trying for speed - just happy at my own pace....

(so why am i so frustrated!?)

raymondo60

Ditch the strava buddy, and enoy your cycling for what it is. You're probably measuring yourself against committed roadies many of whom are club members and racers. We are what we are - relax and enjoy.

Topaxci

Agreed, otherwise do what I've done and create some of your own private segments for your commute route. Then you're only competing against yourself. Nice and easy to gauge any improvement then, without getting frustated by seeing everyone elses sprint performances.

twist83

Don't worry about it. I think you would surprise yourself when pitted agaisnt mortals rather than what could be as has been said serious roadies etc.

However I love Strava and while I am not minutes off some segments I am a fair way off locally. I quite like the challenge of trying to beat a Segment and it keeps me motivated and makes me push myself.

My Landlord/Neighbour cycles as well and we compete up certain climbs. Last night I was 2 seconds off him on one that was frustrating.

jonginge

As said above, don't worry about it. There's always somebody quicker.

I quite like the 'My Results' feature in the segment view. It shows my progress (or lack of)

dhope

Ahhhhhahahahah, you're sooooo slowwwwww. MTFU!

Seriously though, wouldn't worry about it, the KOMs tend to be club riders in good weather, kind traffic, no red lights, easing off on half the commute and nailing it for that segment on a nice carbon road bike with no luggage. All the rest is just improving on your own times.

bobtbuilder

No need to create your own segments. Just change the results from "All" to "My results" and you have a way of testing yourself against your own historic performance. Setting your own PB is hugely rewarding.

notsoblue

There will always be someone quicker, don't worry about it

vermin

You've invested in Strava => you're a competitive sort
You're concerned about being slow => you'll work to get faster

Rising up the boards from the bottom is a lot more fun than getting stuck near(ish) the top and training for 6 months in the hope of knocking a second off your times!

As others have said, filter out your own performances.

iclestu

Yeah. Think thats the problem really. Pre-strava I was happy pootling along watching the scenery but post strava i know im slow and i WANT to be fast! :evil:

How much of this is the bike? If i rode an uberlight out and out road bike how much difference would it make?

I only just got the dawes, too early to be thinking n+1!!!!!

How much difference would it make to lose the rack and have some lighter wheels? (Hmmm is this n +1/2 !!?)

iclestu

bobtbuilder wrote:

No need to create your own segments. Just change the results from "All" to "My results" and you have a way of testing yourself against your own historic performance. Setting your own PB is hugely rewarding.

Yeah, i do look at this and agree a pb is a good feeling! :-)

Paul E

Only carbon on my bike is the fork and the bars, I like strava as I know I can see my improvment over time esp like yesterday when I got a series of PR's, I did have one KOM briefly but now it's a couple of seconds out of reach for now.

il_principe

iclestu wrote:

How much of this is the bike? If i rode an uberlight out and out road bike how much difference would it make?

I only just got the dawes, too early to be thinking n+1!!!!!

How much difference would it make to lose the rack and have some lighter wheels? (Hmmm is this n +1/2 !!?)

You said that you are overweight. Rather than thinking new bike you should be thinking about getting fitter and dropping some lbs. That'll make a world of difference.

Paul E

Il Principe wrote:

iclestu wrote:

How much of this is the bike? If i rode an uberlight out and out road bike how much difference would it make?

I only just got the dawes, too early to be thinking n+1!!!!!

How much difference would it make to lose the rack and have some lighter wheels? (Hmmm is this n +1/2 !!?)

You said that you are overweight. Rather than thinking new bike you should be thinking about getting fitter and dropping some lbs. That'll make a world of difference.

I agree completely, my times are coming down as I am dropping the weight I put on after 2 months without much time on the bike and it's not all down to my fitness coming back as the two hills I do ont he way home are getting a lot easier.

iclestu

Il Principe wrote:

iclestu wrote:

How much of this is the bike? If i rode an uberlight out and out road bike how much difference would it make?

I only just got the dawes, too early to be thinking n+1!!!!!

How much difference would it make to lose the rack and have some lighter wheels? (Hmmm is this n +1/2 !!?)

You said that you are overweight. Rather than thinking new bike you should be thinking about getting fitter and dropping some lbs. That'll make a world of difference.

Yeah, there IS that!

Spoilsport!

roger_merriman

meh i'm clocked on most of the segments the Olympic road/TT will use, assuming some of them do, and are allowed to upload should see some silly times.

snooks

I've stopped using Strava. Yep I enjoyed doing well and earning achievements, even a KOM [cough]briefly[/cough] but a lot of it in town is dependant on traffic, lights and wind direction.

I also came to the conclusion it was doing me more harm than good. I have a back injury and racing myself would cause it to flare up, meaning I would be off my bike for a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to get it into my head not to push myself by racing everyone including myself.

Though now that upper/lower Thames street is light free going west...NO, NO NO! :twisted:

stuj15

snooks wrote:

Though now that upper/lower Thames street is light free going west...NO, NO NO! :twisted:

Too tempting to resist isn't it.

Paul E

stuj15 wrote:

snooks wrote:

Though now that upper/lower Thames street is light free going west...NO, NO NO! :twisted:

Too tempting to resist isn't it.

That is a very very good point, I could always detour over tower bridge to bring that segment into play next week!

snooks

stuj15 wrote:

snooks wrote:

Though now that upper/lower Thames street is light free going west...NO, NO NO! :twisted:

Too tempting to resist isn't it.

It's nice to know the lights at the bottom aren't going to change, and in the morning on the way in there has been less traffic so I can hoof it down the road, not the manholed and lumpy "cycle lane"