I find Strava provides me with a lot of motivation - I am a KOM-hunter, no denying it. The different segments help me push harder during training; I'm generally lazy otherwise. I often like to go for a segment nearer the end of a training session. For some segments there is great local rivalry, others are from Pro's who race here that are fun to go for.

Strava is relatively new to me, having returned to cycling at 50, 2 years ago, I only discovered it then. I now have over 250 KOM's but that doesn't mean I'm going to win my first post-Covid race this weekend; while I'm a pretty decent sprinter, there are plenty of very strong riders who have relatively unimpressive-looking Strava rides who win races. For all KOM-hunting is fun, it doesn't mean the guy's with the most are the strongest - too many variables involved in those segments and the only true measure is an actual race. Still, the segments are a nice motivation tool to push harder for some and to measure improvements.