Pedaling for Youth by Mike Shwe

I love the image of a Frenchman biking around the countryside of France with a basket full of baguettes. It speaks to me about two things I love. You know it–cycling and fine food. It’s about enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

And now, fast forward to the beautiful city of San Francisco, home of Strava. Check out these bread delivery routes we track on Strava: my wife Cheryl delivers to the Richmond and my good friend Matt doing a route in the Mission.

What? What’s going on here? Bread deliveries? Give me some! Wouldn’t it be cool if the best bread in San Francisco were only available by bike delivery? Better yet, what if the best bread you could get in the city couldn’t actually be bought? Tell me more.

At Proof Baking Company, it’s happening. We’re pedaling loaves all over San Francisco as thank-you gifts to donors of a non-profit. It’s called the Proof Baking Challenge–San Franciscans are giving back to their community by donating $50 to $100 a month for the next three months to our partner, New Door Ventures, and we’re delivering our bread by bike and tracking our routes on Strava. All proceeds directly benefit disconnected youth of our beautiful, but sometimes broken city.

If you love cycling and feel like putting your passion towards a new extracurricular, contact me, Mike, at proofbaking.com if you’re interested in doing an occasional delivery for our current Proof Baking Challenge. Or, if you’re more into the refueling side, contact me about the next Proof Baking Challenge, which we hope to launch in January 2012.

Oh, I  almost forgot to mention. My nomination for Strava hero goes to Cheryl. She did her bread delivery minutes after a solo century around the hallowed Marshall loop. Looks like Matt should take a longer warm up loop next time!

Thanks and keep riding!

-Mike Shwe
http://app.strava.com/athletes/7170

The Dust Settles After Interbike

Thanks to everyone for such a  lively and enthusiastic response to our presence at Interbike last week. Our friendly competition, the Strava Outdoor Demo Challenge, was a great success, rallying riders to perform their best with every demo ride and even attend the Tour de Lake Mead ride despite some inclement weather.

Kudos to those of you who attended that ride and chose to overlook the lightening and flash flood warnings.  As local bike paths doubled as drainage tunnels, those who were out test riding aero wheels with nice tall rims got to experience not just wind, but water resistance too!

In addition to the Tour de Lake Mead excitement, we got to see and meet true competitors repeat certain Challenge Segments, especially our XC course, in order to better their times. Our Challenge winners earn an extra shout-out for their hard work and tenacity:

Challenge Segment: Tour de Lake Mead
Prize: KOM – Strava Jersey, Garmin Edge 500 + 1 Year Strava Premium
Men: N. Shirley
Women: n/a

Challenge Segment: Tour de Lake Mead Climb
Prize: Suffer Sultan – Strava Jersey and Bib Shorts +1 Year Strava Premium
Men:  I. Jerzez
Women: n/a

Challenge Segment: XC Trail 5
Prize: Smooth Operator – Strava Arm Warmers and Wind Vest + 1 Year Strava Premium
Men:  R. Marion
Women: P. Marion

Challenge Segment: Demo Road Loop
Prize: Demo Junky – Strava Hat and Socks + 1 Year Strava Premium
Men:  H. Pronovost
Women: E. Burns

Thanks again for coming out, saying hello and participating in some friendly competition at Interbike Outdoor Demo 2011. That’s a wrap!

Strava for Runners

We are thrilled to let you know that Strava for runners is now live and ready for you to try at Strava.com.

After uploading your run to Strava, you will now see details around your split times, pace and best efforts by distance, to name a few of the motivational features in Strava Running. Premium members will also enjoy detailed Pace Zone Analysis — so you can better align your workouts to your goals — along with the ever-entertaining Suffer Score, as well as filtered leaderboards to compare yourself against runners most similar to you. Learn more about Strava Premium.

Since 2009, Strava has been dedicated to creating the best online experience for cyclists and we are hard at work on more innovative experiences that deliver fun and motivation for athletes on two wheels. It has been our intention all along to bring Strava’s social fitness approach to athletes dedicated to other sports and to do so with sport-specific functionality. We recognize that what runners need from their Strava experience is different in important ways from what cyclists need. In building Strava Running we’ve been working closely with all types of runners in order to develop the tools and data that are the most meaningful and motivational. That said, Strava Running is just getting started. You can help improve Strava Running in a couple of ways:

1.  Give us feedback. Help us make Strava for runners exceptional by taking this short survey.  If you’re a runner on Strava, a link to this survey will appear on your dashboard.
2.  Spread the word. Invite friends and fellow runners and bring more competition and motivation to Strava.
3.  Create a run segment. Watch this short video and learn how. The more segments out there, the more you can track your progress and climb those leaderboards.

You can track all your runs by downloading the Strava Cycling app to your iPhone or Android, or by using your Garmin device. Although our app says “Strava Cycling,” you’ll be able to track you runs – Strava Running app coming soon!

Keep Running!

Compete for Prizes at Interbike!

The Strava team will be in full attendance at Interbike next week and we aim to provide some friendly competition during Monday and Tuesday’s Outdoor Demo. What better way to check out the latest gear then to get out and ride! So, come prepared to participate in our  Outdoor Demo Challenge and be sure to JOIN the Challenge to be eligible to win some of our fabulous prizes.

In addition to riding and mapping some of the well known trails in Bootleg Canyon and the Tour of Lake Mead course (displayed here), we have selected four specific segments for our prize competition. While on route, you’ll easily recognize the start and finish of each segment as indicated by our Strava flags. In these portions, we invite you to perform at your best and show us what you’ve got. You’ll be on the rivet from beginning to end and you’ll be able to justify another night of dessert!

Our comfy location within the Registration Test’s Cooling Zone will be reason enough to visit us. We’ve secured the best seats in the house, easily identifiable by our signature orange. So, come grab a beanbag chair, an ice cold drink and share your Strava war stories. Here, you’ll be able to upload your rides to see your performance in detail, as well as current leaderboards. And, lo and behold, if you find that someone has beaten your time, we’ll cheer you on as you go back to defend your title!

Remember you can record all your rides with our free app for the iPhone and Android, or you can do so with a Garmin device. Upon arriving at the Outdoor Demo, if you wish to check out a Garmin device to track your rides, we’ll have some loaners on hand. Feel free to bring a friend and introduce them to Strava, we’ll get them signed up and on their way!

Top Strava Performances at La Haute Route by Nicolas Raybaud

The history of European cyclosportifs reached new heights, so to speak,  as racers tested their limits of endurance in a new event called La Haute Route. This 7 day stage race, newly adopted by the French Cycling Federation, travels from Geneva to Nice and quickly caught the attention of climbing fanatics from around the world. Simply put, the course covers roughly the same amount of vertical elevation as the Tour de France in just one week.

Strava athlete, Nicolas Raybaud (strava.com/athletes/102332), sent us a summary of the race and captured the commentary of two new friends he met along the way. Enjoy!

(Photo Credit: Marathon Photos)

Nicolas Raybaud:

Myself, Richard Scales (strava.com/athletes/9775) and Jean Broudeur (strava.com/athletes/10876) who each reside in France but in different regions, met one another for the first time at the very beginning of the race. We met over breakfast and made an immediate connection due to Strava. Richard and Jean were competing in the Men’s Combined category and I wanted to know if they had trained together before the event.

“Our professional lives prevented us from being able to ride together but Strava made it possible for us to track one another’s results. We were therefore motivated to push ourselves knowing that we were comparing our rides,” said Richard.

Jean and Richard are a perfect example of the concept behind Strava! From the start, the three of us often found ourselves at the head of the pack. During the second stage, linking Megève to Les Arcs, Jean Broudeur had the first taste of victory. This put Richard and Jean at the top of the Men’s Combined category and they continued to extend their lead with each consecutive stage. Similarly, I found myself moving ahead in the GC but not without a price. After routinely launching several attacks in the early stages of the race, I had to dig deep on the hardest day of all, a 164km stage with 4,000 meters of climbing, covering La Madeleine, Le Télégraphe and finishing on the summit of the Galibier where I battled hard to finish fourth.^.

Immediate massage and rest were paramount after each stage. Only after that, were rides uploaded, results scanned, prizes acquired and briefings delivered.

“What impressed me most about la Haute Route was the feeling of being in our own Tour de France, as if we were full-time cyclists,” said Richard.  “Our bags being picked up from and delivered to the next hotel, massages immediately after each stage, security motos throughout the race keeping safety to a maximum, and of course, great podium announcers all contributed to us living a cyclist’s dream for a full week.”

Overall, the international flavor of the event was captivating and I was thrilled to meet Rich and Jean. I’ll walk away with many fond memories, in particular the thrilling climbs of the Izoard and the Cormet de Roselend, the finish atop the Galibier and the summit of the Bonnette (the highest paved road in Europe). The amazing views and the pure physical experience are what I’ll remember most.

Official Results from the 1st Annual Haute Route:

In the Men’s Combined category,  Jean and Richard took first place overall.

1. Jean Broudeur, Richard Scales
2. Jean-Pascal Roux, Hervé Gilly
3. Joris Chavane, Tamanini Marc

In the Men’s Solo category, Nicolas was 4^th overall.

1. Michel Roux
2. Benjamin Blaugrund
3. Jean-Baptiste Trauchessec
4. Nicolas Raybaud

Overall General Classification:

1. Peter Pouly
2. Michel Roux
3. Benjamin Blaugrund
4. Jean Broudeur
5. Jean-Baptiste Trauchessec
6. Richard Scales
7. Nicolas Raybaud

You can find additional blog entries by Nicolas on his team’s site: teambvsporloire.com (in French) and at the race site: hauteroute.org