Strava Shenanigans in NYC

After arranging a house swap with a New York family for our Traverse City home, I asked naively, "So, do people in New York cycle much?" It's been 13 years since I was in New York, and even then it was a blaze of running from here to there to see what ever we could see in one day. I'm surprised I didn't hear the snort in Michigan, because you can't look down a street here without seeing someone on a bike. Our "host" family was very nice about it though, and even suggested a few routes for me to try while here through recommendations of friends.


We arrived in NY on Saturday, and by Sunday I was excited and ready to head out on the bike. I had an idea of a route, and had it in my phone to reference if needed. Problem was, I wasn't sure how to even get to the first place I needed to go just yet. I was at a red light and another cyclist pulled up. I struck up a conversation with him, and he was nice enough to let me tag along to the George Washington Bridge, as he was heading that way himself. We met up with his friends and they led me as promised right over bridge with instructions on how to proceed if I wanted, or an invitation to join them on their mission of the day. Peter, John, and Don were heading out to help Don get KOM on a Strava segment by doing a lead out train for him. A slightly downhill, one mile segment. The sprinter/Strava addict in me could not resist. With a smile I gladly joined in and headed out with them. Is it ethical to do a lead out train to improve your Strava position? Some could say it's cheating, others wish they had thought of it first. 


We stopped for some coffee before heading to the segment, Floyd Street TT. I questioned the sanity of this whole thing once I saw the that the end of the segment was at a stop sign. How exactly do you sprint down a hill as fast as you can, knowing you will have to stop at the end or possibly get killed by a car? Rational thinking never deterred me before though, so why stop now? The current leader was at an average speed of 31 mph, so we had to beat that today. 


At the top of the hill, we lined up our train. The first to go would be John, who due to a bent rear tire had no back brake (yikes). Next up would be me, followed by Peter, then Don. We decided a practice run would be prudent, lined up, and set out. Practice makes perfect, as we decided on the first run that John and I had peeled off too quickly, leaving Don and Peter out to do most of the work themselves. Lined it up again, and this time we nailed it, and Don had an average speed of 31.9 and was the new KOM. Once I got back and loaded my data, I found that I was the new QOM with an average speed of 29.1 and was in 7th position of 185 riders. Sweeeet! Now, no matter what else happens while I am in NYC, I can at least know I was QOM of at least one Strava segment. 


Thanks to Peter, John, and Don for a great first ride in Manhattan. So far, I'm loving this town!

Ladies and Gents, in the middle is your new King and Queen of Floyd St TT.