Discussion
okgo said:
Well some of them are.
A guy I ride time trials with has the KOM up Sal Colabra in Majorca ahead of loads of pro riders, last time I checked I was quicker than a load of pro's up another climb in Majorca too, I doubt they were going full gas, but the point remains.
Pro's are amazing, but they are not all amazing at everything, as I think David Millar may prove when he likely gets beaten in the Bec Hil climb he has entered thinking he is going to set a new course record.
On his current form he won't make it up the hill. A guy I ride time trials with has the KOM up Sal Colabra in Majorca ahead of loads of pro riders, last time I checked I was quicker than a load of pro's up another climb in Majorca too, I doubt they were going full gas, but the point remains.
Pro's are amazing, but they are not all amazing at everything, as I think David Millar may prove when he likely gets beaten in the Bec Hil climb he has entered thinking he is going to set a new course record.
okgo said:
I don't particularly care, but that is why its annoying for other people. And riding on a shut road in a group of 200 riders is far quicker than any of those alternatives you suggest.
I dunno, I just put in a quicker time from kingston bridge to hampton court on my own than my mate did on ride london in a big group of his clubmates. 
Of course I won't be pointing this out to him next time I see him. No sir.
BMWBen said:
I dunno, I just put in a quicker time from kingston bridge to hampton court on my own than my mate did on ride london in a big group of his clubmates.
Of course I won't be pointing this out to him next time I see him. No sir.
At least you made it over without getting lost. Note to self, if you see a signpost with 'Kingston bridge' on it, chances are it points to Kingston bridge.Of course I won't be pointing this out to him next time I see him. No sir.
yellowjack said:
All I know is that my son has a segment on his ride to college that has Wouter Sybrandy (Team IG-Sigma Sport) sitting in third place overall.
Nice chap, an ex-colleague of mine. I follow him and everywhere he goes he get a dozen or so KOMs. He has 16 pages of KOMs. Nuts!louiebaby said:
Nice chap, an ex-colleague of mine. I follow him and everywhere he goes he get a dozen or so KOMs. He has 16 pages of KOMs. Nuts!
He is a nice guy. Ridden with him a lot recently, certainly seems to be enjoying riding again. Till I beat him the other week that is 
FYI that segment, 265w means he was barely even pedaling, as you can see some random has beaten his time by some margin, so not really like its a problem.
Edited by okgo on Saturday 13th September 19:55
I think it is fantastic to see the pro's times on Strava, gives you something to compare yourself to and feel good (or bad) about, also shows up those who should be pro's
I managed to spin up Kop Hill exactly 1 min and 1 second slower than Alex Dowsett yesterday (and he looked like he was trying!). Alex was a full 29 seconds slower than the KOM holder - a chap who has dozens of pages of KOM's however only seems capable of holding a 16 mph average over 20 mile rides, does not report his H/R or cadence but is capable of holding 400+ watts for miles on end when there is a Strava segment present..........just saying!
I managed to spin up Kop Hill exactly 1 min and 1 second slower than Alex Dowsett yesterday (and he looked like he was trying!). Alex was a full 29 seconds slower than the KOM holder - a chap who has dozens of pages of KOM's however only seems capable of holding a 16 mph average over 20 mile rides, does not report his H/R or cadence but is capable of holding 400+ watts for miles on end when there is a Strava segment present..........just saying!
Re my point about pros. Dowsett was pretty average up Ditchling today and Kwiatowski only beat the KOM by about 15 seconds from a chap in his late thirties (good rider mind) so they're not always totally out of reach, it's just the flatter sections that the bunch will travel so much quicker on the closed roads
okgo said:
Re my point about pros. Dowsett was pretty average up Ditchling today and Kwiatowski only beat the KOM by about 15 seconds from a chap in his late thirties (good rider mind) so they're not always totally out of reach, it's just the flatter sections that the bunch will travel so much quicker on the closed roads
Agree with your original point - they are Pro's racing a race not trying to bag Strava segments!, however one additional thing to bear in mind is that the Pro's had over 100 miles under their legs when they hit the Kop whereas the KOM holder did it 9 miles into a 20 mile ride - even then the results seem pretty optimistic even for the most dedicated and strong weekend warrior! You will never be comparing apples with apples, but as a wet finger in a westerly at least you have an idea of how you stack up(ish)!
Still think the majority of people take Strava far too seriously, use it as a way of monitoring your miles and progress but trying to 'race' with invisible riders will only every result in frustration!
I bagged a KOM last year on a 2/3 mile flat section of road by drafting a motorbike (didn't know there was a segment there but a bike from standstill is fair play right?). A day later the guy I took the KOM from took my time by nearly a minute......wasn't a pro, cycles about 30 miles a week but has pages of KOM's....!
I only use Strava to keep check on my mileage, and to give some suggestions for nice rides to anyone who needs a decent cycling route. I will enter the distance 'challenges', I did one fast ride ( at about 5 in the morning, on a time trial bike), but mostly I don't really worry about segments and KOM's and the like. Life is to short anyway.
Did the Ronde Picardie yesterday. First French sportive for me and it was a hell of an experience. As soon as the horn went it was basically a race! For those that don't know the setup up, it's on closed roads, is mass start and often attracts a fair few French pros.
I'm happy with my time but made the stupid mistake of trying to chase back into a group after my brake stuck at the food stop. Should have just waited for the next group as it pushed me waaay into the red and I didn't really recover.
https://www.strava.com/activities/194377116
I'm happy with my time but made the stupid mistake of trying to chase back into a group after my brake stuck at the food stop. Should have just waited for the next group as it pushed me waaay into the red and I didn't really recover.
https://www.strava.com/activities/194377116
okgo said:
upsidedownmark said:
Over a distance no doubt, as ride london proves - although most strava segments are pretty short.
Still reckon it's delusional if they're thinking they'd be beatable if they weren't riding in a bunch. Each to their own
Well some of them are.Still reckon it's delusional if they're thinking they'd be beatable if they weren't riding in a bunch. Each to their own
A guy I ride time trials with has the KOM up Sal Colabra in Majorca ahead of loads of pro riders, last time I checked I was quicker than a load of pro's up another climb in Majorca too, I doubt they were going full gas, but the point remains.
Pro's are amazing, but they are not all amazing at everything, as I think David Millar may prove when he likely gets beaten in the Bec Hil climb he has entered thinking he is going to set a new course record.
okgo said:
Why its annoying is because the pro's are in a bunch. The speed a bunch can do vs a single rider is a HUGELY different thing.
Yep you feckers ruined all the segments within the Drift Road loop http://www.strava.com/segments/687464
I'm also very much in favour of keeping/having pro times on the leaderboards. I think it'd be great to be able to label (little badge) them as 'pro' in the leaderboards and/or having been set during a 'race'. It wouldn't take much to do and then I guess you'd be able to filter them out if you wanted. They're valid times but more information, more options, can only be a useful thing.
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