Frosty the snowman gets a Strava makeover
Getting festive with a 10 hour project
To celebrate the holidays, Anthony Hoyte of Cheltenham, England has taken to the canvas of Strava to make a beautiful piece of winter art. On Dec. 16, Hoyte headed out for a 142 km ride but it was no ordinary jaunt out in the English countryside. Instead, he zigzagged through the city of London and it’s suburbs to create a festive snowman in a ride he titled ‘Frosty … Happy Christmas!‘
It was a long day out in the saddle for Hoyte, the piece of artwork took a total elapsed time of 10 hour 50 minutes to complete. He averaged just slightly over 14 km/h and gained approximately 1,000 m of elevation.
“It took 10 hours, I spent the whole day doing it and did it all in one go,” Hoyte told the BBC. “I had to stop and find public toilets and went the wrong way a few times but it’s so big no one’s going to notice.”
Strava art is the process of making artwork by riding a route that creates an activity that has an artistic shape. Hoyte has experience making Strava art doing it now for about three years. In September he rode a route he called Fowl Play which was his entry into the Bristol Cycling Festival Strava art competition.
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In October he rode out an elaborate face in Cardiff which took a lot of going back and forth to make the hair and mustache. “Lots of people said it looked like Bruce Forsythe or Steve Wright in the Afternoon,” he said about the project. “But faces are impossible and I’ve made a note to self: don’t do hair again.”
While we wait for the next piece of Strava art for Hoyte, here are some tips to map out your own route. If you are feeling creative, you can even head out and ride something artistic and festive in your city.
