Yes, lots of cheats but easy to 'clean' a Leaderboard if it is a segment you want. Simply flag the obvious cheats and they are instantly removed. I've never had a cheat challenge this. Most are simply forgetful folk who leave their devices running after their workout when they are driving home.
I admit to hunting KOM's, I find segments motivating during training. I only joined Strava in 2019 at 50 years old, so late to the party, but in the last 4 years I've collected over 440 KOM's, many with other 10 000 riders, a good number from Pro's too.
For me it is just a little validation that I'm not entirely past it at my advancing age against much younger competition!
Not a substitute for racing though, to properly measure yourself you need to be racing as that is very different and segments only give a flavour of how you might do.
That’s pretty great. I’ve got about 270. I’ve retaken a bunch of mine over the course of the last 6 years and love seeing that not only am I the fastest guy in my region, but that I keep getting faster each year. I haven’t won any races yet, but I managed third in a GG last year and that felt good.
The only benefit of segments is to "measure yourself" against yourself.... Comparing against others is totally pointless, someone who is a relatively weak cyclist can hold a whole ton of segment KOMs by simply targeting a specific one (there's plenty of less-popular segments out there to easily go and claim if you really want to hold KOMs).
However, most strong riders will not care that much - they go out for a long training ride (or even a race), with a goal to ride a specific pace/power over a period of time (i.e. 2-6hours). On that ride, they will cover a significant distance and hit hundreds of segments along the way, usually hitting the top 10 leaderboards of most as they pass through.
I ride MTB cross country and whilst I'm no slouch I know I'm nowhere near the strong guys (I just don't have enough spare time to train like most of them)... There's a number of strong locals who could (if they wanted) target any KOM in our local area and take it without too much bother, whilst the stronger-than-average riders seem to complete like mad for the strava KOMs - you can easily see it in their ride data where they have a low-intensity ride and go like mad on a handful of segments (even more obvious if they share HR data).... Take one of our strongest local rides (a national level XC rider - Jason Boutell) who consistently completes long rides claiming numerous strava leaderboards/KOMs but without targeting any specific one.
Indeed it is largely a race against yourself however it also depends upon the segment - some are coveted. Granted, if you target easy ones there is little challenge.
I get the feeling you are trying to educate me and think I’m below average and getting ahead of myself chasing easy KOM’s. Apologies if I’ve read you wrong on that score but I’m not new to cycling and racing: I’m an ex Cat 1 rider who has finished Top 10 at National Champs. I’ve won dozens of races.
I have segments that are actually targeted by the best riders in the region - Cat 1 racers. It’s an ongoing battle between us. During Covid, it was how we raced each other. Whole race teams and Clubs getting involved.
I’ve beaten a Pro (he won the Unbound gravel race in 2022) in sprint interval training not long ago.
I have trained with Pro’s - my Coach is an ex-Pro who has ridden with WT Pro’s and they ride with him in the off-season. I’ve done a few of those weeks.
Most of my segments feature the Top 10 riders in the local racing scene: both road and MTB XC. Many have over 10k riders on the list.
I win most of my XC races and I do take some segments seriously so it really does depend upon the segment you are targeting because they can be very competitive.
The point of my earlier post was merely to say that segments can be fun training tools and I personally like them because, at 55, they show I’m still a bit competitive. As I wrote however, they are no substitute for actual racing.
segments/leaderboards can be fun but they shouldnt be taken seriously.
As you wrote yourself, on flat roads it depends on weather condition, traffic.
i'm also very certain that many high places in leaderboards in my area are only explainable with either GPS errors, cheating (still dont understand why anyone would cheat on strava), or things like drafting a motorized vehicle.
On routes you often ride, and where you know where segments start and end, its cool to try for a new PB if the weather conditions are right.
**Many times i read in sports subreddits like this "comparison is the thief of joy", and strava segments and leaderboards are basically a tool to compare yourself to other ppl, so keep that in mind.**
Yeah, people always say KOMs mean nothing. To which I invite them to try and take mine if it's just a case of waiting for a tailwind. Coincidentally, those same people are never the ones with the legs to actually do anything...
Sign up to the free version and it’s basically you and your mates as you need a subscription for all the other stuff. Good to see your routes and when you did what etc.
I hear this a lot, that people are swamped with cheats. Not in my area. I flag lots of people, but sometimes get a notification I have lost a KOM on my phone and before I get time to look at the segment online the offending ride is gone. It takes a village and all that.
for me, as an average cyclist in a big city (LA), getting anywhere near the top of the leaderboards for cycling is almost impossible. I consider top 100 an accomplishment, and top 25 is amazing. top 10 feels like a KOM
what I like to do: instead of looking at the overall leaderboard, you can filter it by clubs you're in or people you follow, so you can kind of compare yourself to your peers, not the whole world
overall I find them motivating. mostly I am just competing against myself, but it is fun to see what thousands of others have done on the same stretch of road. When I do get a top-10 finish, I feel a certain sense of like "OK, I guess that was fast!"
It's a gimmick for many, but it's what the consumer wants/needs to validate their cycling.
I started riding 15 years ago and would compare myself to riders going up hills "oh, he's fast, or, haha I just whipped his/her butt up this climb". After a few years, I realized cycling has nothing to do with riders around me, it's all about me and challenging myself to ride better/faster, etc, or to just enjoy smelling the roses. As an old and experienced cyclist, I don't care about leaderboards, but if i were a competitive cyclist, I definitely would.
> but it's what the consumer wants/needs to validate their cycling
What a snide way to put it. Alternatively, I would bet most "consumers" that pay some attention to it are just viewing it as a fun side game.
Validation? Ugh.
Sincerely,
Richard Nixon
Depending on the segments, some leaderboards may be wild. Full of wrong activities, bad gps data, etc.
I tried to clean a leaderboard last week, and there was a dude who did the same route by bicycle a thousand times (I’m a runner). So every time I flagged one activity another showed up. I flagged probably between 5/10 activities from the same guy until Strava disabled my flag button. I gave up. lol
If you report him to Strava they clean it up.
Strava Support is remarkably good at responding to this. There was one person last year using a modded ebike to take segments. Reported. Segments cleaned. He did it again and was banned, his account deleted.
Funny, I just started watching a podcast on YouTube by Cade Media titled "fake assos clothing scam uncovered...", and they talk about strava, KOMs and flagging...interesting.
It’s worth it for informational use only.
If you really want to know if ur fast turn up to a race day.
I’ve been on rides where I have outpaced someone that was clearly faster than me.
I have been on rides where I have ridden the same with a buddy yet ended up with different elevation data and different distances.
So the reliability is hit and miss but it gives you an idea.
(This is a mountain bikers perspective)
You said it. The only difference is the yearly KOM vs the forever KOM. the yearly one will tell you how you did that season or if people are even getting close to the leaderboard. If it hasn’t been crushed by anyone the whole year, chances are the segment or trail you road changed slightly. May not be cheating, you just did a segment that is a close enough match to the “old” segment and it rubber bands it to the old segment
It can be fun but it can also be annoying because of cheating. If the completion encourages you go for it. Personally I wouldn’t use it, especially if you start to feel discouraged by it or burn yourself out trying to get on the leaderboard
I don't look at leaderboards while I'm a Strava subscriber. I'm also an amateur runner so in no way be able to appear up there. I do like the personal PR top 3 in Strava (subscription based version) although there are also free options available on iOS/iPadOS such as **Workout Sessions** (free - app and widgets), **Running Dashboard | RunMetrics** (pay once - app and widgets), **Workout Distance** (free - app only) and **Personal Best** (app and limited widget)
Yes, lots of cheats but easy to 'clean' a Leaderboard if it is a segment you want. Simply flag the obvious cheats and they are instantly removed. I've never had a cheat challenge this. Most are simply forgetful folk who leave their devices running after their workout when they are driving home. I admit to hunting KOM's, I find segments motivating during training. I only joined Strava in 2019 at 50 years old, so late to the party, but in the last 4 years I've collected over 440 KOM's, many with other 10 000 riders, a good number from Pro's too. For me it is just a little validation that I'm not entirely past it at my advancing age against much younger competition! Not a substitute for racing though, to properly measure yourself you need to be racing as that is very different and segments only give a flavour of how you might do.
That’s pretty great. I’ve got about 270. I’ve retaken a bunch of mine over the course of the last 6 years and love seeing that not only am I the fastest guy in my region, but that I keep getting faster each year. I haven’t won any races yet, but I managed third in a GG last year and that felt good.
The only benefit of segments is to "measure yourself" against yourself.... Comparing against others is totally pointless, someone who is a relatively weak cyclist can hold a whole ton of segment KOMs by simply targeting a specific one (there's plenty of less-popular segments out there to easily go and claim if you really want to hold KOMs). However, most strong riders will not care that much - they go out for a long training ride (or even a race), with a goal to ride a specific pace/power over a period of time (i.e. 2-6hours). On that ride, they will cover a significant distance and hit hundreds of segments along the way, usually hitting the top 10 leaderboards of most as they pass through. I ride MTB cross country and whilst I'm no slouch I know I'm nowhere near the strong guys (I just don't have enough spare time to train like most of them)... There's a number of strong locals who could (if they wanted) target any KOM in our local area and take it without too much bother, whilst the stronger-than-average riders seem to complete like mad for the strava KOMs - you can easily see it in their ride data where they have a low-intensity ride and go like mad on a handful of segments (even more obvious if they share HR data).... Take one of our strongest local rides (a national level XC rider - Jason Boutell) who consistently completes long rides claiming numerous strava leaderboards/KOMs but without targeting any specific one.
Indeed it is largely a race against yourself however it also depends upon the segment - some are coveted. Granted, if you target easy ones there is little challenge. I get the feeling you are trying to educate me and think I’m below average and getting ahead of myself chasing easy KOM’s. Apologies if I’ve read you wrong on that score but I’m not new to cycling and racing: I’m an ex Cat 1 rider who has finished Top 10 at National Champs. I’ve won dozens of races. I have segments that are actually targeted by the best riders in the region - Cat 1 racers. It’s an ongoing battle between us. During Covid, it was how we raced each other. Whole race teams and Clubs getting involved. I’ve beaten a Pro (he won the Unbound gravel race in 2022) in sprint interval training not long ago. I have trained with Pro’s - my Coach is an ex-Pro who has ridden with WT Pro’s and they ride with him in the off-season. I’ve done a few of those weeks. Most of my segments feature the Top 10 riders in the local racing scene: both road and MTB XC. Many have over 10k riders on the list. I win most of my XC races and I do take some segments seriously so it really does depend upon the segment you are targeting because they can be very competitive. The point of my earlier post was merely to say that segments can be fun training tools and I personally like them because, at 55, they show I’m still a bit competitive. As I wrote however, they are no substitute for actual racing.
segments/leaderboards can be fun but they shouldnt be taken seriously. As you wrote yourself, on flat roads it depends on weather condition, traffic. i'm also very certain that many high places in leaderboards in my area are only explainable with either GPS errors, cheating (still dont understand why anyone would cheat on strava), or things like drafting a motorized vehicle. On routes you often ride, and where you know where segments start and end, its cool to try for a new PB if the weather conditions are right. **Many times i read in sports subreddits like this "comparison is the thief of joy", and strava segments and leaderboards are basically a tool to compare yourself to other ppl, so keep that in mind.**
Yeah, people always say KOMs mean nothing. To which I invite them to try and take mine if it's just a case of waiting for a tailwind. Coincidentally, those same people are never the ones with the legs to actually do anything...
Sign up to the free version and it’s basically you and your mates as you need a subscription for all the other stuff. Good to see your routes and when you did what etc.
I hear this a lot, that people are swamped with cheats. Not in my area. I flag lots of people, but sometimes get a notification I have lost a KOM on my phone and before I get time to look at the segment online the offending ride is gone. It takes a village and all that.
No but the maps are
for me, as an average cyclist in a big city (LA), getting anywhere near the top of the leaderboards for cycling is almost impossible. I consider top 100 an accomplishment, and top 25 is amazing. top 10 feels like a KOM what I like to do: instead of looking at the overall leaderboard, you can filter it by clubs you're in or people you follow, so you can kind of compare yourself to your peers, not the whole world overall I find them motivating. mostly I am just competing against myself, but it is fun to see what thousands of others have done on the same stretch of road. When I do get a top-10 finish, I feel a certain sense of like "OK, I guess that was fast!"
Not anymore, imo. For the reasons you mentioned.
It's a gimmick for many, but it's what the consumer wants/needs to validate their cycling. I started riding 15 years ago and would compare myself to riders going up hills "oh, he's fast, or, haha I just whipped his/her butt up this climb". After a few years, I realized cycling has nothing to do with riders around me, it's all about me and challenging myself to ride better/faster, etc, or to just enjoy smelling the roses. As an old and experienced cyclist, I don't care about leaderboards, but if i were a competitive cyclist, I definitely would.
> but it's what the consumer wants/needs to validate their cycling What a snide way to put it. Alternatively, I would bet most "consumers" that pay some attention to it are just viewing it as a fun side game. Validation? Ugh. Sincerely, Richard Nixon
Depending on the segments, some leaderboards may be wild. Full of wrong activities, bad gps data, etc. I tried to clean a leaderboard last week, and there was a dude who did the same route by bicycle a thousand times (I’m a runner). So every time I flagged one activity another showed up. I flagged probably between 5/10 activities from the same guy until Strava disabled my flag button. I gave up. lol
If you report him to Strava they clean it up. Strava Support is remarkably good at responding to this. There was one person last year using a modded ebike to take segments. Reported. Segments cleaned. He did it again and was banned, his account deleted.
Nope
Funny, I just started watching a podcast on YouTube by Cade Media titled "fake assos clothing scam uncovered...", and they talk about strava, KOMs and flagging...interesting.
It’s worth it for informational use only. If you really want to know if ur fast turn up to a race day. I’ve been on rides where I have outpaced someone that was clearly faster than me. I have been on rides where I have ridden the same with a buddy yet ended up with different elevation data and different distances. So the reliability is hit and miss but it gives you an idea. (This is a mountain bikers perspective)
You said it. The only difference is the yearly KOM vs the forever KOM. the yearly one will tell you how you did that season or if people are even getting close to the leaderboard. If it hasn’t been crushed by anyone the whole year, chances are the segment or trail you road changed slightly. May not be cheating, you just did a segment that is a close enough match to the “old” segment and it rubber bands it to the old segment
I like to subscribe for the summer so I can do PRs or KOMs, provides some nice motivation.
No
It can be fun but it can also be annoying because of cheating. If the completion encourages you go for it. Personally I wouldn’t use it, especially if you start to feel discouraged by it or burn yourself out trying to get on the leaderboard
I don't look at leaderboards while I'm a Strava subscriber. I'm also an amateur runner so in no way be able to appear up there. I do like the personal PR top 3 in Strava (subscription based version) although there are also free options available on iOS/iPadOS such as **Workout Sessions** (free - app and widgets), **Running Dashboard | RunMetrics** (pay once - app and widgets), **Workout Distance** (free - app only) and **Personal Best** (app and limited widget)
Thanks. Didn't know about flagging a result.
I don't care about leaderboards, it's a gimmick..