Cape Town – Hi, my name is Steve and I have a confession to make. I use Strava.
Yes, it’s a dangerous addiction, and I am trying to find a way to quit, even though I have been hooked for just a few months.
After several years of refusing the lure of this app for GPS devices that tracks, maps and reports on your outdoor activities, I gave in.
I liked the idea of perusing your route on Google maps after a tough mountain bike ride, or seeing how fast you bombed the DH section at Jonkers, or Tokai. It seemed cool to better your times from previous rides, or compare notes with friends on “segments” of the ride.
It seemed like a reliable way to stay fit – by providing incentive to ride regularly and to push yourself.
Although you can use it for many activities, even swimming, I would only use it for mountain biking, and those rare road rides. I ride my road racer three times a year, and the Cape Town Cycle Tour is one of them. The other two are merely to get into the deeper cadence and long-distance rhythm.
The trouble is that I feel I might be in danger of morphing into a full-blown Strava**hole: “an individual Strava-ing at the expense of common courtesy.” These are the people who come blasting down the mountain screaming at you to get out of the way because they don’t want to lose time on Strava.
In Strava, there are various personal bests and awards, as well as challenges set by other people, to keep you trying too hard when you should be chilling out, enjoying the view and parking off under a tree.
Instead, you want to become King of the Mountain (KOM) even if you swear your time is just against yourself. It drives you to distraction, and some people further than that. A news story online from June 6, 2013 refers:
“A judge in San Francisco has dismissed a lawsuit against Strava brought by the family of William “Kim” Flint, killed when he collided with a car on a downhill stretch of road while apparently trying to reclaim his King of the Mountain (KOM) status on the social networking and ride-tracking site.”
Eish. And you’re getting constant reminders of how much more riding your mates are doing, and how much faster they ride. Is it good to know that you’re 1 246th out of 2 345 people who rode a route?
But in the defence of us middle-markers, I have noticed some dodgy behaviour. I noticed the other day some joker achieved a speed of 120km/h on a downhill segment. The next fastest was 60km/h. “Sometimes people forget to turn their Strava off at the end of the ride. He might have been driving nearby the route in his car,” said a Strava veteran.
So we’re competing against that too.
However, I do enjoy the witty titles people give their rides, especially those who are journalists in their non-Strava life.
The chirps are often a comment on local news. “The End of the Rhodes” a few days ago (for a ride above Rhodes Mem). Another recent ride was titled “Two Okes Marathon”. On the day of a certain pop concert: “If only the wind blew in One Direction. Oh right. It did.”
“Table Bay Bouldervard” for a rocky pedal around Table Mountain. Many references are to the southeaster, which makes life hell on the mountain: “The Wind and the Woolly Ou” or “Bobbing behind boulder-eating Boris, the (south)Easter Bunny”
I might keep it after all, but only for the wordplay. I don’t want to become cranky.
Belle of the Wall
Hawaiian Carissa Moore became the first woman to win the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach three times yesterday. South Africa's Bianca Buitendag unfortunately could not get past Round Four.
Lifeguard Drones
An intriguing use of the drone could render the human lifeguard redundant. A company in Britain has deployed drones fitted with cameras, lights, thermal technology and emergency flotation, which is flown and dropped on to struggling swimmers a lot quicker than humans can get there.
Tie Breaker
The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach hosted the closest final in tour history with Mick Fanning beating 2013 winner Adriano de Souza via Fanning’s highest wave score of the heat (8.17) when their scores were tied.
Weather Tip
Autumn has descended. Both days sees glassy seas with a steady trickle of west swell, possibly reaching waist to shoulder high, puffing gentle SW onshores by afternoon. – Weekend Argus
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Spike is founder of www.wavescape.co.za
Twitter: spike_wavescape