The Box Hill Stava KoM was broken last week, twice. First by Rory Townsend from the Q36.5 team, followed shortly afterwards by Dom Jackson from Foran CCC.
There was a lot of reporting of this. According to several websites, Box Hill is "an iconic climb", and "perhaps the most coveted Strava segment in the UK." It seems appropriate that while France has Alpe d'Huez, and Spain has Sa Calobra, the UK's icon of athleticism is a short, gentle climb, rounding two whole hairpins to a National Trust cafe.
On the other hand, my relationship with Strava has never really recovered from inventing the concept before the Strava guys, but then totally failing to actually create a product. It was the closest I've ever come to fully inhabiting the character of George Costanza from Seinfeld.
When Strava did appear, I got over my bitterness and used it for a few years. But then I drifted away. For a start, I don't flatter myself that anyone is interested in my rides. For another thing, if they are, I don't want them to discover that I'm so lacking in adventurous spirit that I have three basic rides and run them on a rotation.
I don't pay all that much attention to anyone else's activities either. I'm not giving my mate Bernard kudos for driving to the supermarket with his still-running Garmin in his pocket no matter how enthusiastically the app prompts me to. The only activity that I really notice is a friend I haven't seen for years who uploads an identical walk round his local woods every morning before breakfast. It'll stop happening one day and it'll be the only way I know he's dead.
Denne historien er fra September 12, 2024-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra September 12, 2024-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CLASSIC BIKE COLNAGO SUPER
A trailblazing bike immortalised by Merckx and Saronni
"Strava activities are the only way I know some of my friends are still alive"
...or that Bernard is doing his weekly shop
AN EXPERT'S TAKE ON... SADDLE SELECTION
Crucial advice to guide your next purchase
JUST A NUMB#R?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
RURAL PERIL
More UK cyclists are killed on rural lanes than on busy city streets. Rob Kemp investigates why and what can be done to keep us safe while riding in the countryside
A BLESSED RIDE THROUGH THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
Forgoing cloak, cassock and cross, Trevor Ward goes in search of the holy roads that helped make a Tour winner
Dame Sarah Storey claims road and 19th gold double
More success for Team GB's Paralympians in Paris, but Storey slams women's time trial course
Roglič matches Vuelta win record
Slovenian takes fourth Tour of Spain title after hunting down O'Connor's lead, writes Adam Becket
Williams crowned Tour of Britain champion
Welshman leads home resurgence at the stage race to crown an Israel-Premier Tech clean sweep, reports Tom Davidson in Felixstowe
CLASSIC BIKE CLAUD BUTLER OLYMPIC ROAD
Iconic British brand's Holdsworth-era road bike