Open Letter To Strava

[Bike Dewing]

1 hour ago, 440MTB said:

Roadie problems.... 😜

Before I get dragged to the gallows with the sound of a mob of cleats hitting the cobbles... herewith the obligatory "No offence/just kidding" 😅

In all honesty though, this seems to me like it was written by someone who doesn't have enough real world problems... too worried about their pronouns and having a safe space in life, taking a jab at a tool (which you don't have to use if you don't like it), when the people you ride with/riding culture is the issue.

The fact that she just has to throw out the "I've been one of the 73% of woman who have experienced violence on the internet" line, paints a terrible picture of her persona... 

Build a bridge and get over it... if you don't like the way things are, set your profile to private, and ride for your own progress tracking, and if everyone you ride with are KOM-chasing elitists, find other people to ride or ride solo (if safe to do so)...

This dude knows what’s up.! 😃🤙🏻

 

at the end of the day, for me, I think she’s a journalist and she found a twist for a writing assignment that she was given by her editor.. simple.. it’s her job to be creative.. and it is a clever spin.. as woke as it may come across and annoy some of us.. 

she did her job well.. but is it her honest real life experience.?! I’m doubtful..🤷🏼‍♂️🤣

[The Ouzo]

2 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

You can set components and service intervals, and it records your metrics from Strava to update you when services are due. It also gives notifications if enabled.

 

Its a great app that you can get a little silly with. I'm even tracking my bartape usage with it.

[dave303e]

On 1/3/2024 at 4:45 PM, Jewbacca said:

The algorithm also fed me this today. 

I think the problem with digital media and the need to constantly create content to stay relevant and earn money from the industry leads to pieces like this.

I only read the first couple of paragraphs before the worlds smallest violin started playing and my mind started asking me 'why do they care?' and 'Why does any of that affect you?'.

I am not active on STRAVA for many reasons, one of them is how good friends portray themselves on the platform. Many people I like in person give me the absolute creeps on social media, so I prefer not to see it.

I also find the Garmin platform has a far more comprehensive overall idea of what I'm up to without being on a social media platform.

I'd imagine the weirdo's creeping on people in the new DM add on would be a bigger deterrent for women. 

Men unfortunately DO have a predatory nature and can turn anything into a dating/pick up platform. 

I have to admit that my skill set makes me incredibly dangerous in tracking data an specifically spatial data. Social media is the least of your worries, all the general tracking data I have ever bought has been gathered by 3rd party apps, usually unsuspecting ones. Certain providers have over 450 000 apps gathering data so whether you like it or not, the odds are good that your data is going to a central repository and being sold. Work location, home location, path to purchase and areas visited. Thankfully the resellers are using it to help mostly in placing retail stores, one or two of the resellers have been shut down in a big way for dodgy practices( dating apps for military purpose and law enforcement using cellphone data sans warrant). I see last week a major supplier x-mode got stricter hoops to jump through for their supply chain.

 

This is what can make it dangerous though, the wrong person with impulses getting hold of the wrong data. Things like strava can also provide clarity, I have found a person in AR who has cheated multiple times. It is so bad that the person is now hiding his ARWC activity because we tackled him straight at prize giving for getting in a media vehicle and getting take from transition to a bnb to sleep...

On 1/3/2024 at 6:39 PM, Jewbacca said:

I didn't know this. I am not a data person, so it was easy to disconnect from STRAVA as I was already private ergo not on any leaderboards and didn't really farm my own data.

I wear my Garmin watch 99% of the time so it autonomously gives me an idea of when I'm tired, over training etc which I find more insightful metric than weight of KM or Meters Climbed etc

Being fit and functional and healthy trumps weight of numbers. 

For me there are better reasons to quit STRAVA than most of what the writer mentioned. I believe many athletes who track their metrics have an unhealthy relationship with exercise

this is too true, but if it wasn't exercise it would probably be drugs, booze or something else

On 1/4/2024 at 12:24 PM, Kom said:

There is another great piece floating on Cycling Weekly about "Why I ride alone"

I think the surge scenario is one of the mentioned contributing factors ... 😝

Others include -> fixing other riders mechanical issues (Read poor serviced bike), extended coffee breaks, too much free (unsolicited) advise including "Your saddle looks to high, you should consider aero bottles, why arent you on 30mm tires, i hate Di2 etc etc" 🤣

And sometimes you want an easy ride and they don't or vice versa, you will never get faster only riding with slower people...

On 1/4/2024 at 3:56 PM, 'Dale said:

Strava means 'to strive' in Swedish. That is the ethos of this superb app. The Heat Map is cool, and also the ability to plan routes, even from my smartie phone. It is a private company, of course, and they can do whatever they want with ongoing iterations.

Comparison anxiety is a quiet epidemic with rising prevalence of those using social media platforms. Compare yourself to others and measure yourself against others' images of success or failure and one can be at risk to be insecure / smaller than or superior / bigger than. I do match myself against my friends and long may the chirps and street sign sprints flow.

Compare yourself to one's version of yesterday and last month and one can greatly benefit from measuring one's achievements and tracking one's athletic growth arc.

(I suspect the article was to entertain and to be satirical. If not, storm in a coffee cup.)

Heat map had the potential to and could very well have gotten people killed when it uncovered military operations.

On 1/5/2024 at 7:03 AM, Shebeen said:

I got this click bait on my feed, so dramatic.

I really like strava,  all the negatives can be controlled. As a tech company  they have bigger issues, like actually making money for shareholders. I'm happy to pay subscription, even if I don't use the premium features much.

If it shutdown tomorrow it would be a big loss.

They give you the tools to manage it. The mental capacity to use and apply the tools is another story.

[Jewbacca]

@dave303e the AR cheat seriously has me hooked.... seriously?! hahahaha 

I mean, I REALLY want to know who it is but I also don't in case it's someone I know 😝

[440MTB]

Should've put on my flame-retardant suite it seems... 😅

@Jewbacca

This is my opinion, made reference to how I perceived the article/writer thereof. Who cares?

I know of a good couple of woman who ride alone, hundreds of kms per month. Granted they ride MTB, but still, it doesn't automatically mean that because you're a woman you're completely vulnerable and it's guaranteed something will happen, do I want my wife to go run (she doesn't ride) alone, definitely, absolutely 100% not, so I'm not saying everyone/anyone should do this, I'm just pointing out my observations based on my personal experience here.

Also, what I meant is anyone who is brave enough to venture on the internet is going to get subjected to abuse... Is it okay to do so? No, can we stop it by complaining about it? Fundamentally, humanity is in a bad state, so the answer is no. Everyone is right, your opinion is trash, bash your keyboard and hurt someone with your words is the order of the day... does that mean I condone it? No. But writing an "open letter" to strava pointing out something like this, when their app has privacy controls is a bit strange to me.

As for the pro-noun comment, I personally don't care for the counter arguments or life stories (to each his/her/their own), it was made in reference (in jest) to the stereotype that came across in her writings, again, how I perceived the writer as I read through this whingey article, has nothing to do with anything else really, merely what came to mind reading it, as the popular standard narrative is exactly this among most of the internet dwellers.

That said, people can identify as whaterver they please, I don't have to submit or accept their views on life... does that mean I hate them or think they are lesser human beings, certainly not.

Edited January 17 by 440MTB

[dave303e]

1 minute ago, Jewbacca said:

@dave303e the AR cheat seriously has me hooked.... seriously?! hahahaha 

I mean, I REALLY want to know who it is but I also don't in case it's someone I know 😝

Unfortunately you probably do know the name/face. I don't know if you know him well though.
The bnb visit from transition was one thing, another area their media team went and met them at another bnb on route and brought them meds for the jippo guts. That whole area was out of bounds for media and supporters.
A previous race as a part of another team he was more than 400m away from his team members looking for a cp(they didn't find it and then he proved the map was just slightly wrong so they still were awarded the cp). 

[Robbie Stewart]

49 minutes ago, dave303e said:

Unfortunately you probably do know the name/face. I don't know if you know him well though.
The bnb visit from transition was one thing, another area their media team went and met them at another bnb on route and brought them meds for the jippo guts. That whole area was out of bounds for media and supporters.
A previous race as a part of another team he was more than 400m away from his team members looking for a cp(they didn't find it and then he proved the map was just slightly wrong so they still were awarded the cp). 

I feel I'm missing some crucial piece to the puzzle here.  

AR ? 

cp?

[Jewbacca]

1 minute ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I feel I'm missing some crucial piece to the puzzle here.  

AR ? 

cp?

Adventure Racing

Check Point

It's a niche sport for special people 😆

[dave303e]

like the ginger stepchild of the multisport world... 

[Shebeen]

52 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

Adventure Racing

Check Point

It's a niche sport for special people 😆

special sport for niche people!

 

we actually have a thread, and it's 10 yrs old even

 

 

[Robbie Stewart]

@Jewbacca thanks for that. First time I hear about it. Will check it out. 

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

@Jewbacca thanks for that. First time I hear about it. Will check it out. 

be careful.... It's helluva addictive and dot watching is a full time job!

[mazambaan]

18 hours ago, dave303e said:

like the ginger stepchild of the multisport world... 

forges some very strong, very tough and multi skilled athletes, particularly "in the wild" as it were. Pleasure to tour with such people.

[dave303e]

38 minutes ago, mazambaan said:

forges some very strong, very tough and multi skilled athletes, particularly "in the wild" as it were. Pleasure to tour with such people.

100%, some proper machines

[NotSoBigBen]

There is a point surely at which it just gets stupid .... fitting more gears that is

 

Then again panders to the use technology rather than get stronger/better at your craft brigade

 

*don't mind me, just old and cranky

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, NotSoBigBen said:

There is a point surely at which it just gets stupid .... fitting more gears that is

 

Then again panders to the use technology rather than get stronger/better at your craft brigade

 

*don't mind me, just old and cranky

10 speed was probably that point.

 

10yrs later, and we're still having the debate