Why am I not a Strava segment person any more?
 

I just don't feel it any more.

Maybe it was a maturity thing with riding the bike. I am finally realizing that I was just sabotaging possible real gains in fitness by chasing carrots that are at the whims of the wind and the whims of people only out to snag a single 3min long pathway.

I used to go out once or twice a week on my tempo rides and then dip into the segment hunting game. Then after one or two VO2 or neuromuscular efforts have ruined the hopes of a truly productive next high intensity workout. I mean, I'm not fit enough like you all that I can randomly toss out a boat load of watts on a "free ride" day then also go nail some super threshold work the next day.

I think the TT bug finally cured me of it. It's one thing to be fast one direction with the wind for 2 or 3min. Another entirely to have to do an entire 10mi or 25mi loop where you have to go both downwind and downhill and back upwind and uphill.

I get why it is fun for some folks, and it has been fun at times for me. I just ain't feeling it anymore. Not from losing segments to folks, I gain more on random tempo rides on the TT bike downwind without even realizing they exist than I ever lose. But just that the effort to tailor an entire ride around farting around a low Z1 just to get to some stupid ugly road or street then blow my load for just 3min once or twice then turn tail and head home doesn't really appeal to me any more. What I will do is plan a TT simulation race that is a segment for a USAC or USAT race, typically ones that I will NOT get the KOM for. Not even close. Maybe a 3rd or 2nd or 7th, but even then I'm minutes off the 29mph+ KOM folks. But, that's OK. So long as I planned and executed 100% and learned something.

Anyone else there? Maybe I'm growing up. Even with Covid and no racing....I really am not feeling it.

Just make some longer segments, nothing says they have to be "[<3min efforts that blow your load]." Many local segments around here are actual TT race courses.

Time to go for some TT segments! All the top times of the coveted Fiesta Island in San Diego (both long and short loops) are from TTT efforts mostly in racing. My squad has both rn.

Actually exactly what I've been doing. Integrate it into the workout somehow.

I've got segments I made near work in Clayton. One 10mi, some shorter for intervals. I did the Team Spoke TT route recently, and the 10mi of Ebeneezer Ch Rd. TT recently also. I did the PNC hour this year also. I went out to Carborro for the Turkey TT. I did some testing and a sweetspot effort on the Falls Lake road race course. The pavement on that route is stellar these days, they repaved the one road so all 10mi of that loop are butter smooth.

I guess I should shift my Strava segment usage to suit what actually interests me. I'm going to head to the Jordan lake area soon enough. A few there I want to try out. The IOS group ride destroyed the one, so won't sniff a podium for that segment....but it's a good little route. G

I almost got the Team Spoke TT route back into the team members hands. I was a few seconds shy. I can do it. Just hadn't eaten well and it wasn't hot enough outside for some fast air. It was like 60 deg F and dry. Needs to be like 80 deg F and humid.

Heh. Half the reason that I built up a TT bike in the first place was to snag some longer out-and-back segments.

I am for hills mountains, and really just in for my AG (the old af people). There are some fast dudes in this town, and the few times I've gotten KOMs, I get 2 or 3 people telling me they're going to break them, and sadly they can. It sucks knowing there are people out there that look at my profile to find 'easy KOMs to steal'. While I don't usually cry about my age, those guys are 20 years younger, and they're simply faster than me. I'm okay with it, unless someone my age beats me.

how old are you?

For a very short time I found it interesting to look at the segments after a run or ride to see if there were any people I know running or riding in areas I frequent. When I got a Garmin Edge, I enabled the live segments initially. That turned out to be a nuisance/distraction. I'm an old man and have never been competitive so I quickly disabled that feature. I can still look at the segments on Strava later for the little bit of amusement I get from them. But I'm not one of those that has to beat yesterday, I only want to enjoy today.

Not me. I live for the Strava KOMs. I wasn't even going to ride this year, and with no racing it seemed like a perfect time to do that, until a new Cat 4 in town started targeting my KOMs every single week, and it got me motivated to go back and try to get them back.

They have single-handedly gotten me back into my best riding shape in a few years, and I've snagged 84 KOMs and segments since May.

In fact, I cut my ride short and went home yesterday only to find out a teammate had taken a KOM a few minutes down the road with a massive tailwind so I went back out and retook it. Got in my original planned time for the day and felt halfway fast for a few minutes. We had a good laugh. I actually met some of my current teammates through Strava KOM hunting many years back.

It's silly and OCD at times (all the time?), but I really do find it enjoyable to analyze and study and make little tweeks here and there with power, position, equipment, and pacing. I've really changed my position over the years after losing some segments to people putting out significantly less power, and as a result feel like I've gotten much more aerodynamic.

Plus training just gets so downright tedious and monotonous at times; it's good to have a these little mini goals/efforts mid ride some times to keep me looking forward to the ride.

I race in the 45s. Alot of the guys I train with are in their 20s.

My friend who I have ridden with on and off since 1989 just turned 75. He was one of the best climbers in our club 30 years ago and still climbs pretty well.

He was pissed because when you're over 75 they don't put your times in with everyone else and instead you are listed in "75+" or something. He was complaining the other day how some other 75+ rider had smoked his time on a local hilly segment. My other friend pointed out that the other geezer had to be on an e-bike because his time put him in the top 50 or so overall out of thousands of rider times. His ego was soothed, a little.

I get that people go on about youth and speed on the bike.

It still seems to me a lot of it has to do with free time.

Young kids who recover well and use their infinite free time will be fast. So will middle aged guys whose kids left the house already and have built up 5 weeks of vacation at work.

Edge to the recovery of the youth, but often the fastest triathlon and duathlon age group is the 35 to 45 range.

I did a local du and missed the podium due to the birthday bump. I was 34 to be 35 months later. The 35 to 45 AG took 1/2/3 overall in the entire event and in the AG. I would have won the younger AG.

I’m 54. I beat guys in their 20s. I upgraded to 1 at 45.

i.e. you can do it.

Due to fibre type interconversion over time you tend to gain endurance but lose peak power.

You are a hard worker and definitely an outlier.

Thanks for the encouragement! 1's may be a bridge too far but I definitely think I can hit 2 no problem, which is kinda the goal long term. To get to 1, I'd have to get 40 points in legit non Masters races which I think I can get some points cherry picking but not 40.

I'm basically a podium place off of 3, I think. I've been so out of the loop on racing this year; it would be nice if USAC extends the upgrade window from 36 to 48 months since no one really raced this year.

A small pet peeve I have with Strava is that KOMs should have power and HR to be considered, or at least give us the option to only see those. That'll never happen though because it only placates a small amount of users and doesn't help their bottom line.

This reminds me of the quote from Liar Liar about true beauty being on the inside, "that's just something ugly people say." You're just not fast enough, that's why you are giving up on the KOM hunt! lol...kidding, kidding.

Strava can be a lot of fun. KOMs included, but PRs are more important to me, even though those can be wind-aided too depending on the segment. Power numbers never lie though, so that's good.

As for the age/ability thing...I feel like in this sport oftentimes the fastest guys have the most time available to them. Not a 100% fact, definitely outliers, but there is certainly truth to the time to train part of the equation. I'm 38, I'm a 1, and I can compete with the young kids but no doubt it gets harder every year.

You mean ability to filter results by power/HR? ...because KOMs do display power and hr

That's definitely true. There are guys that can just jump on a bike and be fast, in a group ride setting; but when it comes to racing you really need time in the saddle. There's also the the fact that some places are easier than others. I'm sure getting a KOM is much easier in Fargo ND than it is in Boulder or Girona.

Correct, but it would be a lot easier if we could just omit all the other results and just show Power / HR.

I lost the drive for KOM's this season. My strongest season yet, but watching other friends basically plan a ride just to get a KOM, blah. I still go for some if I am out for a ride and the timing works out, but otherwise just go about and do my thing.

How else do you get a KOM?

Genuinely curious. I don't even live in a heavily populated area, but nearly every single KOM worth mentioning is held by a pretty good Cat 1 or 2 (with a select few held by a former TdF jersey wearer). There aren't many KOMs you can just roll through in the middle of a workout and get a crown around here, and again, I'm talking segments with only 200-300 users. They all have to be planned and targeted.

Thanks to the ToC rolling through here every year, we’ve got quite a few KOMs held by world tour riders. Including a road I like to use for intervals. The only way I’m going to be able to get the KOM is for me to hire a UPS truck to draft.

I remember about the time my kid started getting tired of trying to reach KOMs was on fiesta Island. And also when I knew the joy came from the bike, not the boat.
They had won their 8 man rowing a couple hours before and he got no joy from it (which is why we dumped rowing and went back to cycling). So he wanted to do a lap on FI.
He wanted to ride fast and not really be measured and just did a partial Fiesta Island lap. Something with no segments.
https://www.strava.com/activities/533077043

That Fiesta Island ride: https://vimeo.com/185268801

Doge nice, the short and long laps are currently held by my teammate. I contributed to both efforts, but dropped off a bit before he finished the laps. We used to both own the long lap KOM to the same second (me and Kevin), but it was taken. We went back to take it again with a 3 man team last spring, but two of us (me included) over cooked it and couldn't stay with Kev.

Kevin is just total beast, and was on pace with Cory Lockwood at the 2019 SCNCA ITT champs, but flatted on the back straight. We took the SCNCA TTT title the following weekend. I'm not on the same level as your son, but I do have a Cal Bear jersey and it feels good!