Stories of Strava Addiction

mrbenj

I am writing a book about Strava and want to hear stories about Strava use, abuse, obsession, addiction and triumph. The day you got that KOM in a hurricane, the hours you spent pouring over the leaderboards to choose which segment to go for, the small things you do (and don’t do) to feed your Stravaholic behaviour.

You might have a story about yourself, someone you ride with or someone in your club.

If you’ve got something to share then you can send as a private message or email it to stravaholics@gmail.com. I’ll contact you if I think it could be included in the book and will credit you if you wish (or preserve your anonymity!).

Thanks

sloppyschleckonds

Didnt CW do a similar feature on this a few months ago

ben@31

Do we get any royalties ?

thebikeboy16

A book on Strava?

bernithebiker

Doesn't bode well that as a writer you spelt 'poring' wrong, but it's an interesting subject. I know at least 1 Strava user that I am convinced is doping to get KOM's, but obviously can't say anymore than that.....

Hinaultscrapcousin

bernithebiker wrote:

Doesn't bode well that as a writer you spelt 'poring' wrong, but it's an interesting subject. I know at least 1 Strava user that I am convinced is doping to get KOM's, but obviously can't say anymore than that.....

Why can't you say more?



I've recently quit Strava, all I was doing was clicking kudos every night for 20 minutes. I've never used the data and it was just wasting my time.

AK_jnr

Haha the old kudos addicts. I only give kudos if its a decent run/ride. Ive also had plenty of people follow, unfollow, follow as I havent followed them back!!! Idiots.

Hinaultscrapcousin

AK_jnr wrote:

Haha the old kudos addicts. I only give kudos if its a decent run/ride. Ive also had plenty of people follow, unfollow, follow as I havent followed them back!!! Idiots.

I have actually had people point out to me when I haven't given them kudos. That's what killed it off for me.

That and the fact that I don't use the data. Most of my road riding is done on my fixed wheel so it's not very comparable to anything on there and I vary the gear a fair bit to cope with the climbs in the West of Scotland. All the data is on Garmin if I ever do want to use it.

To be fair I'm still on Strava as I use it to find interesting off-road/bike-packing type routes. I just don't upload anything or interact on it anymore.

mrbenj

I have never had people pointing out that I haven't given them kudos. That's a bit extreme!

Hinaultscrapcousin

mrbenJ wrote:

I have never had people pointing out that I haven't given them kudos. That's a bit extreme!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

bernithebiker wrote:

I know at least 1 Strava user that I am convinced is doping to get KOM's, but obviously can't say anymore than that.....

I was reading earlier today that iPhones and Android phones tend to give faster times over Garmin users, something to do with the frequency of GPS "pings" being less on those broad spectrum tech-gadgets.

AK_jnr

Thats probably why I have seen people post the same ride from a phone and Garmin and delete the slower of the two. Lol.

thomasmorris

There is someone near me who creates account under fake names uploading ridiculous fast rides.

Over 40 accounts created (most subsequently deleted by strava).

They've flagged over 80 of my rides, plus many more of other people from the tops of local leader boards.

They obviously follow cycling a lot as they've called themselves J.P and Durianrider in previous incarnations and post comment about electric bikes and veganism etc.

It's not really an issue, only strava after all. I wonder what their motivation is? What are they trying to 'prove'.

The only issue was when they took my profile picture and created an account in my name and commented on other peoples rides with it... seriously odd behaviour.

bernithebiker

thomasmorris wrote:

The only issue was when they took my profile picture and created an account in my name and commented on other peoples rides with it... seriously odd behaviour.

In France, the police take that kind of thing very seriously and would prosecute. I know 1st hand of a similar case close to where I live (in France).

sloppyschleckonds

bernithebiker wrote:

thomasmorris wrote:

The only issue was when they took my profile picture and created an account in my name and commented on other peoples rides with it... seriously odd behaviour.

In France, the police take that kind of thing very seriously and would prosecute. I know 1st hand of a similar case close to where I live (in France).

I think there are also new laws in the UK. Treat it seriously.

thomasmorris

Strava are very good at taking the accounts down, but they tell me the culprit is using new email addresses each time, so it's hard to stop.

The other stuff I wasn't too bothered by, but that was very very weird.

I really wonder why?

They're not doing it in their own name, so it not cheating for the recognition etc.

If they think the people who are top of the leader boards are 'tailwind / motor cheats', but then a lot of flagged rides were done in racing. Or by racers so quite believable.

So the only reasoning I can think of is just for fun / trolling. But it seems like a hell of an effort, creating all the emails and accounts, just to get a rise out of people on the internet, plus most the 'victims' race in the real world so probably don't even care.

Matthewfalle

thebikeboy16 wrote:

A book on Strava?

It's all got so trendy even if the book is shyyyyte he'll make a fortune.

Chapeau for spotting an opportunity is what I say.

lesfirth

A few weeks ago I was a few miles north of Bolton. I was going for a PB on a shortish steep hill when I came across a couple,even older than me, with a tandem and a loaded trailer. The old guy was straining on the front and his female partner was behind ,having a rest from pushing the trailer. I grunted a greeting and carried on at maximum speed ( about walking pace!). The end of this segment gave me a flying start to another so on I went.
Some time later I thought back to the encounter." Why did you not stop and help them, you selfish git?" I think they were following a national cycle route which would lead them to an even steeper hill,a few miles further on. I could have advised them of an easier detour.
The answer to my question ,of course, is STRAVA. I have thought about it several times since and I really regret not stopping but the quest for a better segment time over rides rational thought.

vimfuego

Blame Strava all you want. Bottom line, it doesn't make you do anything. If you act like a d1ck, it's on you & the fact that you prioritise Strava success over common sense. Personal accountability anyone?
Don't get me wrong, I use Strava & I love it, it has a lot of positives, but sheesh, I'm not going to ride past someone who's struggling with a mechanical at the side of the road just because I'm feeling good & fancy moving 3 places up a poxy leader board (the top of which is rammed with fakery anyway).

sloppyschleckonds

vimfuego wrote:

Blame Strava all you want. Bottom line, it doesn't make you do anything. If you act like a d1ck, it's on you & the fact that you prioritise Strava success over common sense. Personal accountability anyone?

Don't sugar coat it vimfuego, say what you think.

rolf_f

Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:

AK_jnr wrote:

Haha the old kudos addicts. I only give kudos if its a decent run/ride. Ive also had plenty of people follow, unfollow, follow as I havent followed them back!!! Idiots.

I have actually had people point out to me when I haven't given them kudos. That's what killed it off for me.

Where's the problem with that? You just say "No, I didn't give you kudos. I thought your ride was sh1t!"

Job done!

vimfuego

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

vimfuego wrote:

Blame Strava all you want. Bottom line, it doesn't make you do anything. If you act like a d1ck, it's on you & the fact that you prioritise Strava success over common sense. Personal accountability anyone?

Don't sugar coat it vimfuego, say what you think.

Didn't mean to rant, but it's like that guy in the US that cycled off the edge of a mountain & killed himself chasing a downhill segment. His family* blamed Strava.
Strava is an app/website. It doesn't put a gun to your head and force you get on your bike and ride beyond your limits** / act like a d1ck. You choose to do that yourself.

* so probably more accurately - lawyers blamed Strava
** well, maybe until it goes all Skynet and attains self-awareness, then we're all doomed ;-)

Tashman

vimfuego wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

vimfuego wrote:

Blame Strava all you want. Bottom line, it doesn't make you do anything. If you act like a d1ck, it's on you & the fact that you prioritise Strava success over common sense. Personal accountability anyone?

Don't sugar coat it vimfuego, say what you think.

Didn't mean to rant, but it's like that guy in the US that cycled off the edge of a mountain & killed himself chasing a downhill segment. His family* blamed Strava.
Strava is an app/website. It doesn't put a gun to your head and force you get on your bike and ride beyond your limits** / act like a d1ck. You choose to do that yourself.

* so probably more accurately - lawyers blamed Strava
** well, maybe until goes all Skynet and attains self-awareness, then we're all doomed ;-)

I have a vision now of someone unable to unclip from an e-bike as it hurtles off a cliff to their doom

thomasmorris

https://www.strava.com/activities/766433956/segments/18764378425

This is a new account, just today. I don't flag the rides, as, well I don't really care.

Seems strange though, some of the rides are obviously driven (like 40 mph for long stretches). But ones like the one linked looked pretty real except a few exception performance on a few segments, if it wasn't for the context of the constantly changing account names, flagging of other rides and trolling comments, it would almost be believable.

thomasmorris

and they've created another fake account of me: https://www.strava.com/athletes/18327001, i reckon they probably read this

edit: account already deleted...

awavey

NitrousOxide wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

I know at least 1 Strava user that I am convinced is doping to get KOM's, but obviously can't say anymore than that.....

I was reading earlier today that iPhones and Android phones tend to give faster times over Garmin users, something to do with the frequency of GPS "pings" being less on those broad spectrum tech-gadgets.

my android phone is rubbish tracking GPS through Strava, it never gave me faster times as such, it always would just add between 10%-20% more distance than Id actually covered, but still give you the real time, so it would look like you were actually going faster, but it was just recording more miles for the same time.

Garmin (when it works) is a lot more accurate, so my times didnt change when I started using it, but my mileage took a hit, and so consequently did the average speed.

but I cant say the leaderboard stuff really bothers me, I know Ill never be near the top or close to taking anyones efforts away, I might occasionally pit myself on segments against people I know, but its just there to record miles and give me a sense of a training record and actually its part of the motivation to get out on the bike, to keep going.

weirdest thing I had the other day though it paired me up with another rider doing the same route, yet I didnt see another rider the whole way. oh and the random kudos I dont understand that at all.

sloppyschleckonds

thomasmorris wrote:

and they've created another fake account of me: https://www.strava.com/athletes/18327001, i reckon they probably read this

edit: account already deleted...

Thats quite scary. Start by contacting Strava and see what data they have on IP addresses etc.
This is bordering on harassment/ stalking and could escalate.

thomasmorris

Yeah, I contacted strava, they delete any account I report to them. They have the IP addresses.

It must be so much effort for them to come up with these rides, register new emails, create new accounts, then one email to strava from me and it's all gone.

Also, they must be running out of rides of mine to flag, as once strava support clears the flag, it can't be flagged again.

So once they flag all the rides with obvious KOMs, they have to go searching for more and more obscure segments and further and further down the leader boards for rides they haven't yet flagged.

bernithebiker

Weird. Strava does strange things to some people, but then so does Facebook, etc. and forums!

I credit Strava with doubling my cycling time about 4 years ago, and I still love using it, but then I'm a bit of a data freak.

The new Windsock thing allows you to see just how much of a tailwind that KOM had...... (Usually quite a lot!)

Hinaultscrapcousin

Rolf F wrote:

Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:

AK_jnr wrote:

Haha the old kudos addicts. I only give kudos if its a decent run/ride. Ive also had plenty of people follow, unfollow, follow as I havent followed them back!!! Idiots.

I have actually had people point out to me when I haven't given them kudos. That's what killed it off for me.

Where's the problem with that? You just say "No, I didn't give you kudos. I thought your ride was sh1t!"

Job done!

I'm considering going back just so I can do this

wandsworth

Recently a guy I've never met, who lives abroad, kept giving me kudos on my commute (a flat 7.5 miles). I looked at his profile and he hardly rides at all and his profile photo looks like some kind of weirdo. It gave me the creeps. So I took my account private so only people who follow me can see it. Why do people do that?