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My goal for the day was to keep it easy. I was supposed to keep this one in zone two because there was a big effort coming up a few days later. But then the head unit lit up<\/a>\u2014segment incoming. My heart rate<\/a> was peaking before the segment even started. While this one segment wouldn\u2019t have cooked my zone two ride<\/a>, my inability to resist going for efforts on every highlighted segment throughout the ride made sure I was nowhere near zone two by the end.<\/p>\n Strava has some built-in features that can take away from overall performance or just enjoyment of some riders\u2019 time on the bike. I\u2019ve been there\u2014falling into the FOMO rabbit hole of scrolling through other people\u2019s epic rides on roads and trails all over the world. If that wasn\u2019t enough, it\u2019s all too easy to be overtaken by KOM\/QOM fever and when those crowns don\u2019t come then frustration and disappointment follow.<\/p>\n Maybe you don\u2019t get hooked on an Instagram-esque doomscroll of your Strava feed. Instead, you might feel some negativity around getting on the bike after back-to-back rides with little to no kudos. All of this ties into the ways the app that blends the boundaries between tracking tool and social media can actually harm your performance.<\/p>\n I spoke to Erin Ayala, PhD, LP, CMPC, and owner and founder at Skadi Sport Psychology and as an endurance athlete herself, she has a unique perspective on athletes\u2019 relationships to Strava. We came up with three of the biggest ways Strava can harm your performance, and a few tips if you feel like you\u2019ve been sucked into the rabbit hole.<\/p>\n Comparison is the thief of joy<\/p>\n Trevor Raab, photographer and resident racer at Bicycling, wrote a story around his struggles with Strava use starting to feel, as he said, burdensome. \u201cPostride data-checking turned into mindlessly looking at what everyone else was doing, comparing stats, and ultimately getting annoyed by ego-fluffing ride titles and novel-length explanations of \u2018why I didn\u2019t win the race or get that KOM.\u2019 I found myself hooked on those little dopamine hits that came with the handful of validating kudos and silly little comments,\u201d Raab previously wrote.<\/p>\n Ayala put this idea even more succinctly. \u201cIf Strava disappeared tomorrow, how would you train differently? If your training would drastically change, that’s worth paying attention to,\u201d says Ayala.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best athletes I work with use Strava as an informal training log. They post, they interact, and they appreciate the community. But they can also delete the app for a month and keep showing up exactly the same way,\u201d says Ayala. This is the biggest takeaway if you feel like you\u2019re stuck in that cycle. You can either delete the app or set rides to private if you want to continue to use the app as a tracker during this \u2018break.\u2019<\/p>\n Blowing zone two<\/p>\n I know for someone like me keeping an intended zone two ride is hard enough without the bells of an upcoming segment. These segment pushes can be useful opportunities for an effort, but too much of a good thing can be a problem. If you have a training plan that calls for zone two or recovery rides, then follow that plan. One of the biggest zone two\u2013related things I hear from other coaches from around the country is that elite-level cyclists typically don\u2019t have as many issues with following the given plan. So if you\u2019re trying to elevate your cycling fitness and you have a zone two or recovery ride, then keep that power and heart rate between the lines as planned.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the training that makes us faster happens when no one else sees it. For example, chasing segments on an active recovery day or a zone 2 ride can undermine the fitness we’re trying to build if it becomes a habit,\u201d says Ayala.<\/p>\n Recently I gave tips on how to keep riders in zone two when that is the goal of the ride, but I missed one valuable tip for those riders using a head unit paired with Strava. Make sure to turn off segment notifications when you\u2019re riding. If you feel self-conscious about your speed during a zone two ride, then consider keeping rides private for a while. Doing this will allow you to see how that impacts your ability to follow the training plan.<\/p>\n Downhill segments <\/p>\n Trevor Raab and I recently had a long conversation around downhill segments. On a mountain bike pushing the pace on a descent is part of the game. There are entire disciplines of the sport (enduro and downhill racing) where pushing that descent is the point of the ride. Bikes, courses, and entire events are designed around riding with gravity as fast as you can down a designated trail.<\/p>\n Years ago, I spent too much time riding skateboards down roads. There was a flow and freedom to cruising down the road and toeing the line of my limits of control. In hindsight, many times that line was stepped (and sometimes leapt) over into reckless riding. It\u2019s not that far off on road bikes (other than the fact that we have brakes). I\u2019ve seen things like blowing stop signs, crossing the double yellow on blind turns, and cutting a corner short in the name of KOM\/QOM hunting.<\/p>\n \u201cLogging miles for kudos or collecting KOM isn’t inherently a bad thing. None of us are immune to wanting or appreciating a little recognition. However, when the likes and kudos become your primary source of motivation, it may be a sign your athletic identity is built on a shaky foundation,\u201d says Ayala.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting Strava has put strategies in place to safeguard riders, like the ability to flag dangerous downhill segments. The reality is the responsibility isn\u2019t on Strava to police this challenge of our sport\u2014ultimately that responsibility falls on us as riders.<\/p>\n The other side<\/p>\n To be clear, I don\u2019t believe Strava should be vilified for this by any means. I use Strava to track and post all of my rides and it has been my primary tracking app for years. I believe it can be a useful tool for beginner and experienced cyclists alike, but be aware of how you\u2019re using it.<\/p>\n Dan Chabanov, test editor with Bicycling, felt strongly that Strava is not inherently the problem, and I agree. But if you feel like any of the points above hit too close to home it\u2019s worth considering a break from Strava (or even just tracking your rides privately)\u2014just for a few weeks.<\/p>\n
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