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Why can't Strava stop motorbike riders nicking KOMs? Plus tech nerd-out with Silca's CEO on the road.cc Podcast

On episode 35 of the road.cc Podcast, we're asking if world's largest social fitness could do more to prevent dangerous activities being uploaded to it...

On episode 35 of the road.cc Podcast, George is joined by myself and our resident record breaker Matt Page to discuss an issue that is less about losing out on Strava leaderboards, and everything to do with preventing danger on our roads.

 

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It all started when Matt noticed some of his own KOMs were getting stolen by Strava users posting rides with absurd average speeds, and top speeds as high as 112mph... and when it came to flagging this to the world's largest social fitness platform, he discovered there was no way of reporting the activity for what it really is: putting other road users in danger.

> Strava KOMS are being hijacked by motorbikers going as fast as 112mph

Should Strava be doing more to stop their platform from being used in this way? Could they even work with local authorities? We discuss what we'd like to see happen, but here's the statement we got back from Strava in the meantime: 

Being part of the Strava community is a commitment to respect: we respect each other, ourselves and the rules. When we all share mutual respect, we all win. Read our community standards here. 

That means that we rely on our global community to help us monitor the integrity of our segments and leaderboards. We ask our athletes to flag anything that doesn’t match our community standards – including mechanical cheating – which will be addressed. 

Strava values sportsmanship and fair play, and we want members of our community to earn spots on the leaderboards through clear and safe competition."

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Part 2 of this episode is also part 2 of Dave's extensive interview with Josh Poertner, CEO of bike accessories and technology maestros Silca, and if it's an epic bike tech nerd-out you're after then you've come to the right place. Find out why Josh thinks 3D printing is "100% without a doubt the future of how everything will be made", hear some predictions on what decade you'll be buying your first 3D-printed bike and eavesdrop on some hardcore tyre pressure chat... 

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Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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23 comments

Avatar
jaymack | 1 year ago
0 likes

Why can't Strava stop KOMs etc. being bagged by those using motorbikes? They don't want to 'cos by doing nothing they get to generate all this free press. 

Avatar
steaders1 | 1 year ago
3 likes

Those of you who are bothered by this are far too hung up with KOM's, just get out and ride it really doesn't matter there are far more important things in life

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to steaders1 | 1 year ago
3 likes
steaders1 wrote:

Those of you who are bothered by this are far too hung up with KOM's, just get out and ride it really doesn't matter there are far more important things in life

Of course there are far more important things in life, that doesn't mean that people can't also have time for less important things. If Strava KOMs exist and people find it motivating to go for them, why shouldn't they be annoyed if the statistics are being rendered meaningless by people cheating on them? I'm sure it's not a major thing for them but I understand why it could be a part of their life and one they don't want messed about. You could say "there are far more important things in life, it doesn't really matter" about virtually any nonprofessional hobby or pursuit, if their hobby is KOM chasing, good luck to them.

(I'm far too old and slow to care about KOMs myself so I'm not bothered either way, I just use Strava as a mileage log)

Avatar
Bigfoz replied to steaders1 | 1 year ago
1 like

 

What sort of eejit puts a GPS trace of themselves doing 112mph on a site anyway? Like the 200mph Audi driver who had every police force in the country looking for him... It's basically an admission of guilt, cops should be all over this.

Avatar
clayfit | 1 year ago
0 likes

It can't be that hard: to get a K/QOM you need power meter data and a heart rate reading. Not dissimilar to the elite levels in Zwift. 

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Roulereo replied to clayfit | 1 year ago
1 like

It's self-enforced by whining ex KOM's in my experience. 

I had a bad mechanical, missus picked me up in the car, bike on the roofracks without remembering to run off my Garmin. The ride home was 60-80 km/hr with a HR around 50-60.

My KOM cups and ride were flagged by the local whiney tosser half an hour after I had got home (auto upload from Garmin). After that the Strava police deleted it, meaning I had to fiddle around to keep the first 80km's of the ride, so didn't bother. 

Honestly if people are complaining about their KOM's etc. they are the issue. 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
5 likes

You're complaining about the fact that your ride got flagged when part of it was in a car and you're calling the person who flagged it a "whiney tosser"? There certainly appears to be a WT in this scenario but...

Avatar
Roulereo replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
0 likes

Thanks for following me around, and I'm sorry I took your KOM. Well done for posting again though. 

I'm not complaining, because whiney types like yourself don't phase me. It's their choice to be boring whiners and they're obviously good at it. The other whiny tosser had lost his KOM for all of 30 minutes or so, enough no doubt for him to post a few times here as well. I'm just pointing out that (insert choice of pronoun here) may have just got on with (their) life.  

Avatar
scimos replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
5 likes

I think the whiney tosser probably got the ping - saw it was 80kmh  had a chuckle, flagged it and then definately did get on with his life, without being scarred by the experience.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
3 likes
Roulereo wrote:

Thanks for following me around

Ah, straight out of Troll 101, post nonsense, get challenged on it, claim your challenger is following you around. Classic, if wearyingly predictable.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
5 likes

Complains about people flagging ride. "I'm not complaining". 

These people don't phase me. "whiny types", "whiny tossers"

Seems there is only one person whining away on here.

Avatar
Roulereo replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
0 likes

And yet here you are...

Case in point WT #2.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
5 likes

So again, pointing out it is ironic you calling others whining tossers whilst whining about it makes me WT#2. As the majority of your posts involved "whining" about the content of this site, do you consider yourself to be "WT Prime"?

 

Avatar
Wingguy replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
7 likes
Roulereo wrote:

I'm not complaining, because whiney types like yourself don't phase me. It's their choice to be boring whiners and they're obviously good at it. The other whiny tosser had lost his KOM for all of 30 minutes or so, enough no doubt for him to post a few times here as well. I'm just pointing out that (insert choice of pronoun here) may have just got on with (their) life.  

That's you not complaining? I'd hate to see how miserable and self pitying you get when you are complaining about something!

Just curious, how long ago did this flagged car ride take place, and how much longer will it be until you are able to get on with your life?

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Roulereo replied to Wingguy | 1 year ago
0 likes

Now look at the trolls posting these comments...

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Sniffer replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
4 likes
Roulereo wrote:

Now look at the trolls posting these comments...

Are you whining about other users of the site?

Lots of whining going on today.

Avatar
Ynotmi replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
3 likes
Roulereo wrote:

My KOM cups and ride were flagged by the local whiney tosser half an hour after I had got home (auto upload from Garmin). After that the Strava police deleted it, meaning I had to fiddle around to keep the first 80km's of the ride, so didn't bother. 

Quote Strava:

"Being part of the Strava community is a commitment to respect: we respect each other, ourselves and the rules. When we all share mutual respect, we all win. 

That means that we rely on our global community to help us monitor the integrity of our segments and leaderboards. We ask our athletes to flag anything that doesn’t match our community standards – including mechanical cheating – which will be addressed."

Seems to me "the local whiney tosser" was doing exactly what Strava expect from their community.

Presumably if you have any respect for the Strava community you would have deleted the car ride home anyway? Why would  you want to spoil it for others?

 

Avatar
Hirsute replied to Ynotmi | 1 year ago
0 likes

Don't you have to do something in the first place to get it on strava ?

 

Avatar
Ynotmi replied to Hirsute | 1 year ago
0 likes
hirsute wrote:

Don't you have to do something in the first place to get it on strava ?

 

In this case, Roulereo recorded his car ride home (in error)

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Hirsute replied to Ynotmi | 1 year ago
0 likes

I know but not what I asked. It can't be that automated for an upload ?

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Ynotmi replied to Hirsute | 1 year ago
1 like

Yes, when I finish an activity on my garmin device, it automatically uploads to Strava

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Hirsute replied to Ynotmi | 1 year ago
0 likes

So at the point to finish it, it must have obvious that it was recording the car speed. So why continue?

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mark1a replied to Roulereo | 1 year ago
1 like
Roulereo wrote:

My KOM cups... 

It's crowns for KOM/QOM, cups are for placing 2nd - 10th on a segment. 

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