CJ C

So I get a PR on a strava segment only to be 424th out of 670. WTH!!!

Okay I know I am slow, and know i am fat, but dang Strava why you gotta hurt a brothas feelings?

https://app.strava.com/activities/11642473#201596990

Mithrandir

Heh.

I think I'm one of the only people in Buffalo who attempts hills. Seriously, I'm like 2nd or 3rd place (out of 2 or 3) on nearly every hill segment around me, and my times don't come anywhere near what the people on bikeforums claim they can do on similar gradients.

Mr. Beanz

I don't worry about strava too much. I figure most the riders there are there for a reason, cause they are bad ass!


Also, being consistent for 15 straight years on the bike, I know the cycle of being in form. I can be in shape for a couple years then slack for 2 or 3. Rinse and repeat. I see other riders ahead of me on many segments and it doesn't bother me much because I know they are in good form. But when I am in good form, they won't be near me. On events they finish an hour behind my best but on Strava, they are ahead of me. To me, the big day matters more than everyday riding. Just waiting for my cycle to begin...........again.

I'm behind my buds on Strava but watch what happens when I have a reason get back into form. No hurt feelings here!

Big Pete 1982

LOL! You didn't get the "Whoa! You're kind of a big deal" email from them?

I have the same feelings about it. I've set a personal record on a hill where when I got to the top I felt like I crushed it! Then I get home and see that I'm dead last on the leader board

It can be motivational as well though. If I'm within striking distance of the next time, you can be damn sure next time I ride that hill I'm trying to move up the ranks, even if only to second from last!

Big Pete 1982

Maybe you should do some more hill climbing!

Mr. Beanz

Oh I will! I plan on doing another timed event in May or June with 10,000 or 12,000 ft (century) . I'll be climbing about 30-40,000 ft per month starting in Oct.

As usual, when I plan on one of these events, my training rides start with 3,000 -5000 all year, once or twice per weeek, then end up at 7500 ft right before the event. I'll drop 30- 40 lbs and I'll be singing "You can't touch this" when I'm out for a ride.

TrojanHorse

I keep hearing about this Future Beanz... when is he coming out of his shell?

As for Strava - yeah, I get it. Clydes are the slow guys up the hill, but I'm OK with it.

Here's me at Red Rock Canyon in Vegas: 558th / 602
Here's me going up GMR (local mountain) 1276th / 1528

I do really enjoy being able to see tangible signs of progress though, and Strava is great for that. With my previous tracking efforts, I could see my overall average speed but that's so dependent on traffic etc it's hard to judge. Strava is much more discrete.

ChrisM2097

I know the feeling. A few months ago, I really pushed myself on this little 1.2 mile segment near my house, just to see how I rank.

https://app.strava.com/rides/6692074#124964198

207 out of 477. That certainly didn't make my day.

But then sometimes it makes me feel good (usually only on the very small segments). This one is less than 1/10th of a mile, and I ended up ranking 39/650.

https://app.strava.com/rides/11677759#202217357

There are lots of very strong riders around these parts (SF Bay Area).

Brando_T.

Guys, it's all about the PRs.

I'd like to be able to only track those.

vesteroid

I don't care about the segments, I just want this silly program to give me my elevation....it's always the lowest of garmin connect, and traininpeaks.

Mithrandir

Compare wattage. Often I find that someone who went 2x faster than me had lower wattage than myself. That tells me I'd be faster if I weighed less. Makes me feel good and makes me want to lose more weight.

CJ C

The PR's are huge motivation. I like the segments as you can see progress, unlike garmin where if i miss a few lights get caught in traffic my progress isnt as measurable.

I wish they can combine garmin connect and strava into one awesome data beast. I use garmin for the granule level of data and strava for the segment progress, the social aspect, and finding segment routes.

Its just being at the bottom of most segments is a tough pill to swallow, even when i get 8 PR's in one ride.

Subrian

Thanks Horse. Who do you think is 602? I've made so many people happy on Strava.

volosong

Slower than ya. On GMR, I'm 1397/1528

Subrian

Volo, you're one of my heroes in our area.

TrojanHorse

Nice! I see you're 603 today - somebody beat us both. That's a nice scenic route though, I'm sure lots of people stop to ogle the rocks on the way up.

chasm54

One has to remember that not everyone who rides these segments is trying to set a fast time, or even knows it's a segment. I am the slowest person recorded on any number of routes close to my home, but a lot of the time I'm just riding around. On the other hand, I am apparently a KOM on a nearby climb; thinking back to the ride in question, I don't think I even registered that it was a hill! So all things considered, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Chaco

This is part of the reason I shelled out the $ for premium -- I can see the leaderboard for my age group, as well as clydes. That usually makes me feel much better.
Now, what Strava really needs is the ability to combine age group + weight class -- that would make a HUGE difference!

wfournier

Yeah when I first started using Strava I was all about trying to move up the standings but I decided I'd rather have fun lol. Looking at their power calculations (no idea how accurate they are) is more fun for me. Like in this case: https://app.strava.com/segments/664389

I put out more power than everyone except for the guy in second and am dead last. I need to lose weight lol.

patmeback

I did the same thing for the same reason! I have been know to jot down the people above me in the 45-54 category and then compare them to the people ahead of me in the 200+ category. How sick is this... I am actually looking forward to next year when I'll be 55 so I can get out of this 45-54 category and I can be the young stud again.

Pat

Beachgrad05

I have a question about Strava.

It puts "achievements" down for your rides. On my metric I got a trophy next to one section indicating 7th... 7th compared to what? When I look at the segment I am not 7th no matter what I look at and it can't be my 7th best time for that segment because I have never ridden that segment before....

Mr. Beanz

Past and future Beanz! Like I said, it's all cycles. Every so often I get an urge to kick some arse so I get into shape. Be ready come next year. I will be turning 50 just before Breathless Agony and Big Bear. Perfect time to show what I still got after all these years. My gate to the shack times will be down to 55 minutes, maybe 50 if I concentrate on the shack without the village. I did 56 minutes to the shack on a ride to the village so I wasn't going all out. Right now I'm at about 260 so I've got lots of room for improvement.

You better train cause I'm coming after you!


2005 Beanz...225 lbs


2009 Beanz....228 lbs

GMR51509 by mrbeanz1, on Flickr

ChargerDawg

you are worried about the difference between 52 seconds and 1:39... essentially a sprint...

I would look elsewhere and for a more reasonable timed route..

Big Pete 1982

Some segments have a leader board that ranks your time against other people who rode the same segment. When you are looking at the ride summary, click on the name of the segment and it should bring you to the leader board.

TrojanHorse

My guess is that they're ranking you against women. Unfortunately, there's no way to sort by women.

Congratulations.