I Have Created a Monster
This is Lisa Nelson, my wife:
Also, to her right, that’s my shoulder, but that’s not important right now.
What is important is that she’s beautiful. And really nice. And smart and fun and easygoing and patient and stuff.
She also likes riding bikes. Here she is, riding a bike:
See how happy she looks riding that bike?
But Lisa doesn’t just ride bikes, she also participates in races. Quite a few races, actually. And she does pretty darned well in them, too.
But Lisa says she’s not competitive. No.
Lisa says she just rides “for fun.” Or “to see how well I can do against the clock.” In no way whatsoever, she says, is she interested in racing to beat people.
With all due respect to my lovely, kind, patient and smart wife, I have always known that this is a complete load of horse crap.
And now I have proof. Oh mercy, do I have proof.
New Toy
A few months ago, my friends started using Strava a lot for their rides. (Strava is an online social network of people who upload their bike ride information from their GPSs, giving them the ability to compare how they’re doing against themselves and each other, as well as to comment on their friends’ rides. For more info, click here.)
Why? To compete against their own previous best times, sure, but also to compete against each other.
Ever a sheep, I also signed up. And got hooked pretty fast. So I told The IT Guy he ought to sign up, too. Which he did.
And then we both told Lisa that she ought to sign up. Honestly, though, neither of us expected her to sign up. Lisa doesn’t have a Facebook account. She doesn’t have a Twitter account. Lisa prefers, it seems, to live in the real world.
But she did sign up.
Why Lisa Is Called “The Hammer”
After Lisa signed up for Strava, I took her Garmin Edge 500 and uploaded pretty much the entire contents of her GPS to Strava.
The results were a little bit shocking.
She currently is the Queen of the Mountain (QOM) or Course Record (CR) holder for nine pages of riding segments (sections of road or trail people have marked as being worthy of having an ongoing competition to see who can do that section the fastest) in Strava.
By contrast, I have a grand total of 5 KOM / CR listings, and I think most of those segments were created by accident; I don’t even know where most of them are. (The sole exception being that I am very proud to be the current course record holder for the Utah Tour de Donut course.)
So Lisa started browsing her list. And within minutes, I was hearing her yell (because she was upstairs and I was downstairs) like:
- “Did you know I’m the QOM on the Mont du Chat in France?”
- “Hey, I’m also the QOM of the Col du Glandon! By more than twenty minutes!”
- Oh, I’m the fastest woman on the Mud Springs climb! And I guess I’m the only woman who does that climb, too!”
It went on like that. For quite a while.
Outrage and Vengeance
And then, of course, the inevitable happened. The Hammer (because calling her “Lisa” seems so out-of-place in this context) got an email from Strava, telling her that someone had just posted a faster time than her’s on one of the iconic climbs in a neighboring town.
The Hammer was no longer the QOM of Squaw Peak.
Then, to add insult to injury, The Hammer got another email: she was no longer the QOM of the climb from Provo Canyon to the Sundance Ski Resort.
Horrors!
So we made a plan. The next day (which is now yesterday), we would head out to Provo Canyon, where she would make an attempt to reclaim her QOM status on Squaw Peak. Then we would ride back down, ride up the Canyon to the Alpine Loop turnoff, and then ride, full-tilt up to Sundance.
My job would be to ride alongside her (we agreed that I would never give her a pull, since that would put an asterisk on her presumed victory), telling her how she was doing, giving her encouragement, and providing chitchat to distract her from the fact that she was riding out of her skull.
In order to ensure I remembered the times we had to beat, I wrote them on my leg:
We needed to be faster than 34 minutes climbing up Squaw Peak. And faster than 16:30 going up to Sundance.
First Climb
Squaw Peak has an elevation profile that looks like this:
4.3 miles, 6.9% average grade. It’s as consistent as it is difficult. Which, by the way, is “very.”
We rode alongside each other. She sweated and focused. I sweated and focused and talked, saying anything that came into my head.
“Hey, you’re riding strong,” I said.
She did not reply.
“Good day for an attempt at a PR. Nice and cool, and no wind,” I said.
She did not reply.
“Look at that house. It’s really big,” I said.
She did not reply.
“You’re halfway through the climb now and on track to beat the record,” I said.
And also I said many more things. Finally, she replied.
“Please stop talking.”
I stopped talking. Which I was happy to do, because it’s not like I was lollygagging and riding one handed while she rode at her limit.
As we got to the top, though, I did venture to say one more thing: “Don’t stop right when you get to the top. Keep going, because you can’t be sure where the Strava segment ends.”
So she blasted to the top of Squaw Peak, finishing in 32:46 and obliterating the previous QOM time of 34:27. (Sorry, Natalie!)
All hail The Hammer! The Queen of Squaw Peak!
Second Climb
We rode back down, where The Hammer — without really trying — set a women’s course record on the Squaw Peak Descent. (Sorry again, Natalie!)
Then we cruised, nice and mellow, ’til we hit the climb to the Sundance ski resort, which has an elevation profile like this:
“2.2 miles, 6.8% average grade” is accurate, but it’s the “average” part that makes this tricky, because the first mile is pretty easy. The second mile gets harder, with the second half of the second mile being absolutley ugly-brutal.
Once again, I talked (and talked), which goes to show that I am a slow learner.
And, with 0.4 miles to go — where we were well into the absolute hardest part of the climb, The Hammer said, “Shut up.”
I shutted up.
Except, as we got to the sign that says we were at Sundance, I said, “Keep rolling, you don’t know where the segment finishes.”
She passed the sign in fifteen minutes, beating the previous best by almost two minutes.
The Hammer kept pedaling, still rolling surprisingly fast. Demonstrating that after you’ve been going at your absolute limit, merely going hard feels easy.
So we kept climbing, going on up to the top of the Alpine Loop. She was no longer killing herself, but I could tell she was going fast, and had obviously given herself a good start by flying up that brutal first 2.2 miles.
And that’s how The Hammer became the QOM of the Alpine Loop (Sundance Side), beating the previous QOM time by twelve minutes. (Sorry, other Lisa!)
Oh, and on the way down, she set a CR for the descent, too (Sorry for the third time, Natalie!)
Disbelief and Confusion
So we got home and — even before taking showers or eating or anything — quickly uploaded her GPS data.
Here’s what Strava had to make of it:
Six QOM/CRs, along with some other awards. Not a bad day’s work.
But that’s not what The Hammer was focusing on.
“I didn’t get the QOM for Sundance!” she said. In fact, the Sundance climb — one of her two main objectives for the ride — didn’t even show up on yesterday’s ride at all. Even though she had slaughtered the previous women’s record.
Why not? Well, that’s the weird thing about Strava. The segment must have been defined so that in order for The Hammer to have completed that segment, she would have had to make a left turn into the resort parking lot, and maybe ridden ten or fifteen feet down it or something.
So Erin’s record lives to fight another day, although The Hammer has vowed to return next week.
Plans
So what’s next for The Hammer’s relentless quest to be the QOM of all the land? Well, believe it or not, she has made a list of target segments and times:
No, that’s not her handwriting. It’s mine. I’m The Queen’s official scribe now.
I am told that, today after work, one or more of these is going down.
Truly, The Hammer has become a Strava monster. And I have nobody but myself to blame.
PS: Full Disclosure: I have no relationship at all with Strava. In fact, about a month ago I contacted them by email and told them that I’m a bigshot blogger and that they should upgrade me to a Premium membership for free. They didn’t even reply.
PPS: An Evening Update: As of the QOM hunt we went on this afternoon, The Hammer is now QOM of Jacob’s Ladder, crushing the previous QOM’s time by about 2.5 minutes. Wow.
However, when The Hammer made an attempt on Clark’s — possibly the most popular MTB TT around — she didn’t quite nab the QOM, missing it by 19 seconds. So pro MTB racer Erica T keeps her QOM on this segment . . . for now.
PPPS: A Morning Update: Live by Strava, die by Strava. Late last night, The Hammer got email saying that someone had taken her QOMs for both Squaw Peak and the Alpine Loop climb. My guess is the timing of the upload of these rides (both rides are from a while ago) is not coincidence. The Hammer will be back to reclaim her throne sometime soonish.
PPPPS: A commenter noted that Erica Tingey — the pro MTB-er who holds the QOM for Clark’s — has recently got out of the hospital following a really bad accident. Get better soon, Erica! (But The Hammer’s still going to have another try at that QOM!)
Comment by Chris Engle | 06.20.2012 | 12:43 pm
lol,I totally understand. A group of us ride the same 10 routes on a regular basis and wow do we think we are the cat’s meow if you are the current record holder. Go get em Hammer.
Comment by Brian in VA | 06.20.2012 | 12:50 pm
She is beautiful, I agree. I’ll take your word for how smart she is. Competitive? Nah!
She’s a stone cold, knee capping, big smiling, killer!
All hail, Queen The Hammer!
P.S. Wow! Y’all do have some hills out that way.
Comment by NYCCarlos | 06.20.2012 | 12:52 pm
@The Hammer: please don’t do this in Davis :-P
Comment by zeeeter | 06.20.2012 | 12:55 pm
What NYCCARlos said.
I got the update email from Strava this morning (following The Hammer too) and kinda guessed that there was some motivation to yesterday’s ride!
Comment by Jim | 06.20.2012 | 1:00 pm
Well, the jury’s been out for a couple years Elden, but I think this closes the case.
You did indeed marry a woman who is as weird as you are. The only question is what weirdness will she come up with next.
I’m looking forward to her guest blog entry next year about her IronMan to Nowhere, which will take place in one of those stationary trainer mini-pools, a non-motorized treadmill and rollers.
Comment by Bykjunkie | 06.20.2012 | 1:13 pm
You might need to make a name change. A “hammer” Just breaks things. A “Sledge hammer” destroys things. But that does not have any flare to it. The “Destroyer” ? To harsh? Ah, “the Compeditor”??
Anyway, congrats to the Hammer! Awesome rides!
Comment by Fat Cathy | 06.20.2012 | 1:21 pm
Just goes to show you – always be wary of anyone who just “rides for fun”. You will get dropped so hard on your next ride together that you will need a search and rescue team to find you.
Comment by TK | 06.20.2012 | 1:30 pm
All hail the Queen! Some days you are the nail, some days you are the hammer. Unless your are actually The Hammer, of course.
Comment by Raph | 06.20.2012 | 1:43 pm
Thanks for getting me on Strava, looks like a lot of fun.
Comment by Clydesteve | 06.20.2012 | 1:44 pm
Ease up a shade, the Hammer! (Yo man gunna start feelin’ inferior.)
Comment by Clydesteve | 06.20.2012 | 1:46 pm
Shiva-Hammer, the Destroyer!
Comment by blair | 06.20.2012 | 1:49 pm
1. Awesome. Col du Glandon? Awesome times a billion.
2. After a while, you realize the reason you’re not higher placed on segments you think you’re killing is that you’re not killing them with a tailwind or in a pack, and the people above you did.
3. Strava is still fun after you realize that, even if it’s not entirely true.
Comment by Kukui | 06.20.2012 | 1:55 pm
WHOA!!! I’m glad The Hammer isn’t competitive! Can you imagine how bad she’d be if she REALLY cared about her QOMs? ;)
All Hail The Hammer!!!
Comment by Nick | 06.20.2012 | 1:57 pm
Just make sure we don’t read a story like this in the future…
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/family-sues-strava-over-descending-death_224889
Comment by Nic Grillo | 06.20.2012 | 2:11 pm
Strava has added a whole bunch of fun to my rides. I love it. Sometime prior to last year’s Davis ride, I created a Team Fatty club on Strava so that we could have some fun following each other’s performance, but no one ended up joining. In fact, I think I was so excited to meet Lance, that I forgot to mention it at all. Probably a good thing, because it seems that the Hammer would have schooled us all! Anyway, it’s still there. If you want to check it out, and/or join, you can find it here: http://app.strava.com/clubs/team-fatty
Comment by aussie kev | 06.20.2012 | 2:22 pm
“Don’t stop right when you get to the top. Keep going, because you can’t be sure where the Strava segment ends.”
this phrase hurts at the top of every climb doesnt it !!!!
i have painted lines at the top of some climbs (a bit short of the strava segment but hey, a wins a win !!!
k
Comment by Jennifer | 06.20.2012 | 2:38 pm
Way to go The Hammer!
Strava has completely changed the way I approach recreational biking. Every time I ride now, I always ride to get or maintain my QOMs. Though, I did finally change my email settings so that I no longer receive an email when someone steals my QOM, just for my mental sanity.
Comment by Smokey | 06.20.2012 | 2:48 pm
Stava is fantastic and makes for good friendly competition. They need all our support after the stupid lawsuit that has been filed against them (we should sue the people that are suing Strava). I love it when I pick up a KOM, but I hate it when I get second place on a segment that I didn’t even know existed.
Comment by GregC | 06.20.2012 | 2:52 pm
I certainly hope that there are no hyper-competitive tendencies on display at Davis (wink, wink)- Strava sees all.
Comment by Justin L | 06.20.2012 | 2:54 pm
I think it was Gary Fisher that made the twitter comment, guns don’t’ kill people, fat people on strava do. I swear some of the routes around here were driven in a car to get those times. I have used it once and got a great record time, however, i had pushed myself harder then i have ever done and i swear i thought i was going to die. Haven’t used strava again, I love cruising, i am not big into racing, i hate that extreme pushing yourself feeling. Good job Hammer though, those are good achievements.
Comment by Laura S | 06.20.2012 | 2:56 pm
Go Hammer! It cracked me up when I got some QOM’s on our ride in France last year, and I am Not Fast. But there aren’t a ton of women on Strava (go figure) so I was either the only one or one of 2 or 3 on most of the segments. Totally cracked me up when Hammer signed up for Strava and immediately nabbed all my QOM’s. Well deserved! I just wished we lived closer so I would have a real rabbit to chase…I’m not at all competitive either.
Comment by Geoff | 06.20.2012 | 3:09 pm
I use strava too. Unfortunately, it turns out, that alot of people cheat..
Some people make routes that end in their lounge or some odd place that you would not think of going to so that no one can take their (Q)KOM. Some people turn their GPS on and drive their car/motorbike/scooter at a speed that is just a little bit faster than anyone else, but the kind of speed that a pro might achieve, etc etc.
When it first started it was challenging and I improved my average speeds considerably.. but now I just check and see, but I hardly worry about being KOM any more.
http://app.strava.com/athletes/188435 is me.
Comment by Chris | 06.20.2012 | 3:10 pm
That’s great. I love Strava. It’s a great way to track your fitness. I finally got my wife on Strava and it’s done wonders for her riding and competitiveness. I finally showed her that she is stronger than she thinks.
But the two of you need to learn how to shut off your Garmins so you don’t record the drive home. Unless of course you can really maintain a 55 mph average and 1000W going up a 3% grade.
Agh! Where is that? We’re really trying to root those out. – FC
Comment by Ryan H. | 06.20.2012 | 3:23 pm
So what happens if (and that is a big IF) The Hammer’s QOM in France get beaten. Another road trip?
That’s as good of a reason as any! And I really wouldn’t need a reason to go back there. Amazing place to ride. – FC
Comment by Rick | 06.20.2012 | 3:29 pm
Did you see this?… (Not to be a buzz kill, just sayin’)
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fsan_francisco&id=8706316#&cmp=twi-kgo-article-8706316
Comment by MattC | 06.20.2012 | 3:49 pm
I FINALLY got a Garmin when I was in England earlier this year (so that I had SOME CHANCE of finding my car after the ride). My brother (GregC) immedietly turned me onto Strava. This way we immedietly see each others rides, and I get the joy of seeing ALL his Personal Records (PR’s) and such on each and every ride, where-as he gets to see how badly I SUCK on each and every ride. He’s a guy…prone to CRUSH you if he can…(as you will see during Davis).
However, it’s still wicked-cool to upload and see just how I did, especially like that it compares me to myself.
And keep an eye on the Hammer…Strava apparently brings out suicidal tendencies (as you push yourself to break your own PR’s, or to take back the QOM title). There is currently a lawsuit for just that sort of thing against Strava (here is the link):
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/family-sues-strava-over-descending-death_224889
Comment by MattC | 06.20.2012 | 3:50 pm
Oops…sorry Nick, didn’t see you had already posted that link. I suck.
Comment by Jeff Bike | 06.20.2012 | 4:02 pm
“If it is not on Strava it didn’t happen”
We the members of Team Lantern Rouge (San Antonio TX) are all using Strava. We don’t get to ride together all the time but we like to share stories of our adventures. Proof is nice for bragging rites.
Comment by MikeF | 06.20.2012 | 4:10 pm
Strava rocks in so many ways. For me, I work 95% of all weekends which keeps me from racing any regular series or events. This allows my competitive side to shine a bit. Your rush for KOM’s and QOM’s will fade over time, at least it should. Be smart and don’t ride stupid, know body is forcing you to use Strava.
Some FUN things I say.
“I am a Strava slut”
“I just Strava’d the Sh!t out of that segment!”
Of course, different people use Strava in different ways. The Hammer and I use it for climbing segments: QOMs, where average speed tends to be way below 10mph. Any CRs she gets for downhill segments are going to be incidental. Neither of us really considers ourselves serious descenders. – FC
Comment by Kanyon Kris | 06.20.2012 | 4:26 pm
Strava is a disease.
Comment by aussie kev | 06.20.2012 | 5:20 pm
kanyon kris – well said
i work with a guy who has what i call “stravitis” – “an obsession with being the top of every KOM” – i create strava segments in out of the way places just to see how long it is before he goes there to beat them !!!!!
k
Comment by Dave T | 06.20.2012 | 5:20 pm
I recently started using Strava to keep track of my own rides as well as the rides I do with Rob. I was a bit surprised to find all these seemingly random segments on my usual rides. Got my first and only KOM without even knowing I was riding a marked segment. I think I agree with Kanyon Kris since I now seem compelled to go out and ride my but off on some of these segments I discovered.
Comment by Andrew | 06.20.2012 | 5:49 pm
I think we should have a Fat Cyclist/Strava Event for the Livestrong Challenge this weekend, so all of us Fattys can duke it out for dominance in Davis! We can define a handful of segments and go from there.
Is there a Fat Cyclist Strava group? If not, we should make one and invite everyone who’s participating on Sunday!
Comment by roan | 06.20.2012 | 6:08 pm
Life was so simple, no FB, no Twitter but then Strava, Fatty you have indeed created a monster. Maybe after awhile The Hammer will settle down and just use Strava ride against herself…wait she already is!
First “There my carrot” and now a world of QOM (good thing you didn’t take her garmin to Zambia or she would own Africa).
Comment by AKChick55 | 06.20.2012 | 6:13 pm
I had a really weird experience with Strava (use it in tandem with Cyclemeter), for my 100MoN, it claimed I had bagged over 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Patently NOT true. I had a little over 2K. Really odd.
Also, The Hammer is a rockstar! Wow!
Also,Davis is FREAKING HOT. Oh my goodness. I hope the temps hold true to the forecast and it’s 82 tomorrow. the people I’m staying with don’t keep their air conditioning set low, so I’m ROASTING!!!
Comment by Angie G | 06.20.2012 | 6:32 pm
@Andrew- I call BS!!! If you’re the same Andrew that rode 120 miles instead of 100 last year at Davis!!! You made us all feel like we were not worthy of the pie we were stuffing in our faces. :-)
Hey is my riding partner Christine coming again this year?
Comment by Alison | 06.20.2012 | 6:59 pm
When I grow up I want to be JUST LIKE the Hammer. Awesome!
Comment by Fuzz Martin | 06.20.2012 | 7:29 pm
Awesome! I love Strava. In fact, in case any of the Strava folks are listening, I signed on to Strava after seeing one of the elevation charts on Fat Cyclist. I even signed up for the premium version. So, if you are listening, Strava, you should give Mr. Fatty that premium membership and perhaps even buy some advertising.
Comment by zac_in_ak | 06.20.2012 | 9:10 pm
I am sooo a strava head! Im not fast but I keep plugging away. Still trying to match/beat AKChick55s time up a hill in town she did over a year ago :( Way to go Hammer! Now come up to Anchorage and school us!
Comment by Pat in Littleton | 06.20.2012 | 11:15 pm
When you live and in the Boulder Colorado area, KOM are reserved for the Local Pro’s like Taylor Phinney or non Local’s like Tim Johnson. Damn fine people. However, a 47 yr old Clydesdale like me has no chance. But I plug along like Don Quixote chasing windmills.
Comment by Pat in Littleton | 06.20.2012 | 11:16 pm
oops I goofed. Live and ride in Boulder.
Comment by Paul Guyot | 06.20.2012 | 11:42 pm
Strava negatives:
- Their software is quite basic and thus, errors are incredibly easy to come by.
- Way too many people become obsessed with K/QOM’s and thus, cheat in many different ways.
- You have no way of knowing if people’s honest segments were with wind, against, on someone’s wheel, etc.
- More and more crashes are happening every day with people trying to improve times on descent segments. Do NOT do this!
The positives:
- Once you realize the quest for K/QOM’s doesn’t really mean anything (due to the above), you can still become quite obsessed with simply beating your own times – your PR’s – and those of friends and fellow club/group members.
- It makes you work harder than you normally would without Strava, thus, making you faster and more fit without you even knowing it.
- It’s the only social media place I know of where cyclists can mingle with each other as well as pro riders, and it all seems mostly positive for now – which is great.
Comment by TK | 06.20.2012 | 11:51 pm
I don’t care what Strava says, I felt like the KOM on my ride tonight. I almost made myself pass out on the climb. The Honey Stinger waffle I ate just before the segment tasted fantastic. I’m not going to let my gosh-darned 5th place overall ranking spoil it!
Comment by Jim B | 06.21.2012 | 1:04 am
I’ve heard about Strava for a long time, but after reading this blog post, I signed up, uploaded 2012’s rides, poked around a bit, then signed up for a year’s membership. I know I’m never going to contest for KOM bragging rights, not even close, but it is fun to see how I compare against myself (as I tend to do a handful of rides over, and over, and over).
Comment by skippy | 06.21.2012 | 1:19 am
Fatty you have now made a bed of nails for Lisa ! As ” uncompetitive ” as she is she will see repeated ” goodhearted ” attempts on her QOM status !
Strava will filter into the “Profi” field and unless people start their ” record ” inside their front door then even the ” Col du Glandon ” QOM ” will dissappear as ” Strava users” arrive at this year’s ” Le Tour “!
As mentioned in my blogs i no longer use a computer , wear a watch or use Polar so lack the urge to compete .
Had Garmin given me a unit when in Palermo at the Giro d’Italia 2008 i am sure WBR would have benefited enormously . Not good at writing down the days’ ride ,such as 10 or 12 repeats on a 20% climb .
Only have to look at the Zac_in_ak comment to see where ” Hammer’s ” future riding will be about .
Good luck trying to keep up !
Comment by bigease | 06.21.2012 | 3:51 am
Thanks for the link to Strava. Seems there are a lot of people on it over here in Cambridge UK, and I can see this being a very addictive training tool.
Don’t think I’m ever going to beat some of the fast guys around here in the flatlands, but at least I can try and beat myself.
Good luck with your personal competition whatever it may be.
Comment by Kevin K | 06.21.2012 | 5:48 am
QOM Erica T deserves a shout out, get well soon: http://www.ericatingey.com/
Comment by Chris | 06.21.2012 | 6:04 am
FC:
Looks like you may have found it. I noticed that Hammer’s 5 and 10 min max power are now more reasonable.
She really is a beast. In a good, attractive way, of course.
Comment by Liz | 06.21.2012 | 6:37 am
You have exposed one of my guilty pleasures! Not to take anything away from the Hammer, because I bet a lot of her QOMs are as fast as the KOM or close to it, but it is a little easier for us women. There are a lot of segments in my area that don’t even have a QOM; it’s there for the taking if any woman even slow rolled through the segment. So don’t despair, Elden.
But oh no, I see what happened on Squaw Peak and Alpine Loop after you posted this!! I hate it when that happens.
Comment by Clem | 06.21.2012 | 7:11 am
For areas where the finish line isn’t correct, like say the segment turns left into a parking lot rather than continuing to the summit, you can create your own segment. Place your segment over the top, with the actual start and finish points and in a few minutes, Strava will calculate the full leader board for the new segment. The original one will still be there, and still be open for folks to compete against (though you can flag that segment and it’ll be hidden), and you and The Hammer will still be able to fight for the true summit.
Comment by Brandon Banks | 06.21.2012 | 7:23 am
All I can say is holy sh*t……..Nice work Mrs. Hammer.
Comment by Fred | 06.21.2012 | 7:49 am
Signing up for Strava means never riding your bike “just for fun” again.
That sounds . . . familiar. – FC
Comment by MukRider | 06.21.2012 | 9:19 am
Funny, being the non-competetive type myself, I immediately signed up for Strava and uploaded my Garmin data. And lo and behold I had a KOM title myself! Then I looked a little further, and found that out of the 1 person who had riden the segment, I finished 1st. Yay me!
Seriously, I am humbled by The Hammer, nicely done :)
Comment by Steve | 06.21.2012 | 10:26 am
Well at least The Hammer hasn’t found out that she can also track all her running on Strava as well and compete for a whole new set of records. Oops. Sorry Fatty.
Comment by Andrew | 06.21.2012 | 10:26 am
@Angie – Haha! Kristine and I will be there on Sunday for sure! She’s been looking forward to riding again with you since we signed up in the spring. She’ll be the fist to tell you, though – she hasn’t spent much time on her bike this year!
Comment by Fredette | 06.21.2012 | 10:26 am
For some other opinions on Stravaing see Bike Snob:
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2012/06/whats-my-motivation-pick-cause-any.html
Or Stevil Kinevil himself:
“I think ride sharing apps are fine, if I say, showed up in a place I had never been before, I could look at the naked lady box and presto! I find a route. Or, like we did back before the advent of technology, you go into a bike shop and have actual, real live human interaction. Maybe hook up with some locals. Perhaps make a friend. But that’s all passé when you have apps on your side. That’s the short version. Besides that, it’s just masturbatory. One more thing for bike dorks to fawn over.
Then again, I’d rather just ride my bike and not concern myself with ‘data’… I think lots of stuff is dumb, so what do I know?”
Comment by Gillian | 06.21.2012 | 10:40 am
This was lined up right next to this article in my google reader feed. Spooky. Also, I am currently drowning in preschool-aged children and studying for the bar exam, and my fitness level is slacking off (though I plan to run a marathon in November – fear-of-failure is the one way I can assure that I will at least do SOME running this summer). The Hammer gives me hope that one day, I could hope to be half as awesome as her – once my kids are at a more self sufficient age. It helps me enjoy this fat-slob-slave-to-my-children period of my life a little better, knowing that one day it is *possible* that I could achieve Lisa-level commitment to fitness once again.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/06/20/a-quantified-self-fatality-family-says-cyclists-death-is-fault-of-ride-tracking-company-strava/
Comment by Leo | 06.21.2012 | 11:01 am
It’s not going to be pretty once she gets a QOM lost email :-)
Comment by Rob L | 06.22.2012 | 5:51 am
buwhahahahahahhahah. Strava turns other wise nice normal people into raging TT nuts.
As for the hammer saying she is non competitive or the the clock isn’t competition? buwhahahahahahah!
Great job on the tale as usual Fatty. I’m entertained. :)
Comment by cece | 06.22.2012 | 6:58 am
Ha! But she’s not competitive!
You rock Lisa!
Comment by Ant | 06.22.2012 | 4:45 pm
Nice work. As I was reading about her holding the QOM for Col du Glandon, I was looking at a photo I took at the top of same Col 2-ish years ago, which is incidentally my screensaver.
It was possibly may favouritest place of the whole trip.
Comment by Joe Herget (Hergules) | 06.25.2012 | 4:54 pm
Fatty
Was great to see you and the Hammer at Livestrong Davis and great having Team Fatty at the Hall of Fame. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!
Our Strava conversation reminded me of this article, which, based on your description of recent QOM events, the Hammer should probably read…. We want to make sure BOTH of you make it back to Davis next year! http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/6897.html
Comment by Dirk dB | 06.26.2012 | 12:45 pm
That lawsuit is frivolous and rather cynical (plaintiffs waited two years to sue… to wait for Strava to first develop some cash flow?).
Strava is mostly a fun thing and tool, but just like all sorts of fun things it can be (ab)used in irresponsible ways (just like, say, drinking beer).
Here’s a good analysis on that lawsuit: http://djconnel.blogspot.com/2012/06/strava-flint-lawsuit.html
Comment by Erica Tingey | 06.26.2012 | 2:28 pm
Hey, thanks for the shout out on your blog! Being injured is frustrating, but I’m on the mend.
I’m stoked for Lisa to be on a Strava hunt! 19 seconds is nothing, she’ll get it soon, I’m sure. Maybe this will encourage her to get out and race with us! That’s the best way to get a QOM, when the competition is literally breathing down your neck!
You can let Lisa know she’s on my blog now too:
http://www.ericatingey.com/2012/06/fat-cyclist.html
Keep up the Strava hunt!
Comment by The Bikinator | 06.30.2012 | 8:48 am
Lol! I always had a feeling that I’d love strava. I’m competitive and I like checking my progress and stats. The only reason I haven’t started an account is because I don’t want to distract myself from my coach’s training program. But the way you described Lisa’s quest has made me really want to get into it now!