“as a STRAVA user, my first thought when I saw that he was using STRAVA was that he was trying to post the best time on a segment (STRAVA’s social aspect includes public leaderboards, which is actually kind of fun). looks like that stretch of Castro is, indeed, a marked segment, which is absolutely fucking stupid and likely encouraged in some small way his reckless behavior.”
And there’s this:
“I actually think the social media angle — especially the Strava stuff — the the most interesting part of this story. I’m not sure I’m ready to fully demonize Chris Bucchere quite yet — presumably he’s a human being and, thus, a crooked timber like the rest of us.But as someone interested in social media including the effects of the “gamification” movement on our culture, I find Strava’s role fascinating. And a great example of “gamification” being applied to something haphazardly and without thinking through the negative consequences…(Yes, I fucking hate the word “gamification,” but that’s all I can think of.) STRAVA’s probably going to have some liability here.”
And then there’s this:
“Strava removes segments flagged as dangerous for exactly this reason. But a lot of riders (myself included) complained that it wasn’t effective, because people with axes to grind were flagging all segments in certain places, rendering the site effectively useless. I don’t know what their policy is on dangerous segments now.”
“Strava ‘s biggest strength lies within the ingenious “segments” feature. Upload a gpx track of your completed ride, and Strava analyses the data with all the usual stats you’d expect, plus a breakdown of specific segments of the ride, eg hill climbs.
Here’s the clever bit - It knows who else has completed those segments, and ranks everybody according to time. The fastest gets a KOM, King of the mountain achievement. (Yes, girls, you get QOM’s). Most people wouldn’t bother to go to the trouble of timing themselves on individual climbs within their ride. Way too much hassle! Strava does it automatically, and awards you an achievement when you beat your personal best (PB).
Strava app screenshot (Samsung Galaxy S2)
If a section of your route doesn’t already appear as a segment, no problem – simply define it as a new segment and see how you rank. The premium version of the service also allows you to break the table down by age range and weight ranges.
Recently, whilst out on a ride, I was aware that a friend had been the first to log a new segment for a particular climb (there aren’t that many Strava users in North Wales yet!) and had the KOM award. Instead of going at my usual pace, the gaming instinct kicked in, and I found myself visiting a very high heart rate zone, and putting in a lot of effort. Later, when I uploaded my GPS data to Strava it was hugely satisfying to realise that I had beaten his time by almost 2 minutes and claimed the KOM. He also got an email from Strava saying I’d beaten his time. Nice.
Silly and childish? Very, I know. Did it feel good? Hell, yes.. Did I get a better workout? Definitely. Will I work harder on future climbs because this technology will let me know automatically whenever I set a new PB on specific climbs? Very likely.”
And here’s the Strava.Com segment what used to be called the Castro Street Bomb (and then the Castro Street Descent). It’s not too exciting. Rather sedate, actually. But I’m sure if you’re hauling butt to become the latest Strava.Com “KOM” (King of the Mountain) and you may or may not be “Idaho Rolling” through red lights, then it could be very exciting / addicting:
What if I started a Market Street Drag Race website for car drivers? They could make a segment like “Second Street to Sixth Street Drag” or something and people could keep track of their times using the GPS. Would you say that I was encouraging recklessness? Or not?
And here’s part of the “Strava Kills” topic at the MTBR.Com forums:
Sad thing is, even as this story makes it’s way around the cycling community, there are people that pull the same **** — running reds/stop signs/etc. from SF down to SCruz — that won’t connect this situation with possibilities around their own actions.”
And I’d link you to what they’re saying at the SF Fixed.Com boards but I don’t know how to do that. (It’s a bit contentious over there these days, I understand.)
“21456. Whenever a pedestrian control signal showing the words “WALK” or “WAIT” or “DON’T WALK” or other approved symbol is in place, the signal shall indicate as follows:
(a) “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol. A pedestrian facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal, but shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles lawfully within the intersection at the time that signal is first shown….”
What this is saying is that pedestrians in California need to let traffic clear an intersection before walking when the WALK turns on for them.
(Most pedestrians in San Francisco don’t seem to know this….)
See how that works? You want to warn your fellow riders that there are cops handing out speeding tickets on Highway 37 (aka Sears Point Road) up there in the Great White North, so all you have to do is to tap your head in an exaggerated fashion when you see others going the opposite way.
I’m sure that the bike rental place at the foot of Market Street pushed smelly neon-green helmets on this gaggle of northern Europeans heading outbound, but no dice.
Those are the Euros for you. (You could say the same thing about electrified bikes (helmet use required in CA regardless of age) or mopeds or motorcycles or whatnot, right? Where’s the line?)
Dude’s all over town, day and night. He’s got a bike lock and bike lights and he uses his Segway for everything, ranging all over the Ci-tay – Western Addition, the Tenderloin, you name it.
Bumped into him at a DCCC meeting on Golden Gate one time, the one where people were all upset about the rankings of the official Democratic Party endorsements. (Turned out the rankings didn’t matter, but Malia Cohen’s #2 endorsement that night, along with a few other things, is what made her your new District Ten Supe. Anyway…)
Truly, he is the 415′s new Segway Champion of San Francisco:
Now, ponytailed lawyer guy (at least he looks like a lawyer to me) is still Segway Master of Market, so that should be some consolation. Look for him betwixt the Castro and the Financh:
You certainly can say bicycle riding is a la mode these days in the 415, right?
But when fashionable people start hitting the streets, they find that wearing a helmet can become a burden.
So all you can do is just sling the thing over your shoulder with all your other accessories and then ride, ride, ride.
Click to expand
The Helmet Issue is a toughie for those who want a vast increase in the number of bikes on the Streets of San Francisco. In France, when a casual rider on a rental bike like a Velib gets killed for want of a helmet, people go ces’t la vie.
In America, people go to a lawyer and sue, sue, sue the city. And the county.
Strava app screenshot (Samsung Galaxy S2)
