Strava cyclists who annoy everyone

Strava is a great app. It’s a training log that also helps you stay connected with your cycling pals. But like anything good, Strava has its downsides — and a lot of them come down to the people using it. There are countless ways users can be irritating, but we’ve narrowed it down to six types of Strava cyclists who get on everyone’s nerves.

The “…with Sandy” cyclist

You know the type. The cyclist who’s too proud to post a slower ride (as if anyone actually cares), so they tack on a “with [insert training buddy’s name]” to justify a relaxed pace. Like, we get it — Sandy’s not racing the Tour, and neither are you. Everyone who follows you already knows your usual numbers. It’s fine. Stop trying to shift the blame for your Zone 1 spin.

The constant poster

Strava is for logging actual workouts, not every time you get on your bike. “Ride to the store,” “coffee shop cruise,” or your 2.3-kilometre roll home from the bar doesn’t count as training. Are you really expecting kudos for spinning around the block? Be honest: if someone else posted that, would you give it a thumbs up?

The only-hard-rides cyclist

If you’re training properly, you should be logging a fair number of easy rides. But somehow, there are still people who only post their hammer-fests — threshold intervals, sprint repeats, group rides that end in a vomit-worthy pace. You’re doing your recovery rides (or you should be), so why are they invisible on your feed? It’s Strava, not Strava Pro. Chill and post the chill rides, too.

The “easy day” liar

On that note, please stop calling your 45-kilometre ride with 800 metres of climbing at 34 km/h “just spinning the legs.” You’re fast. Good for you. But don’t pretend that wasn’t a serious effort. Not everyone needs to be impressed by how effortless you claim it was. Just own it.

The pauser

You know who you are. The ones who pause their GPS every time they hit a red light or take a breather. Yeah, Strava shows moving time and elapsed time. If your ride says 1:05 of moving time and 1:22 elapsed, guess what — you took a lot of breaks. No one’s handing out medals for slicing the data.

Embrace the full ride, not just the highlight reel.

The reposter

Strava is where your cycling friends are. Instagram and Facebook? Not so much. The average person on those apps doesn’t know the difference between a 25 km/h and a 45 km/h average, and they definitely don’t care about your power numbers. Post on Strava and leave it there. The rest of us don’t need to see your Wahoo screenshots all over our feeds.