I got on my bike again for real during Memorial Day weekend in 2016: since then, I haven't turned back. In the beginning I did little, i.e. nothing, to chart my progress. People began to ask me how much weight I had lost, or how fast I was going. I honestly had no idea. I never weighed myself at the start; I didn't have a bike computer; or keep track of my times. I didn't ride to loose weight or set records. I rode because I loved to ride my bike. Granted, I wasn't taking leisure rides, but I wasn't purposefully tracking my progress or seeking analytical evaluation of it.



September of 2017 I finally did something to keep better track of my progress: I got a smartphone so I could get Strava.



I was immediately hooked because of one thing: segments. Segments! My very first ride with Strava (well, first successful ride: I hit the wrong button on my first attempt) I got a KOM on a 20 mile-long segment. Segments! Crowns! Ego! I was hooked. I knew I was a decent rider, and I also knew I was more of a distance/pace rider than sprinter or climber. But now I could really see just what kind of rider I was. I could compare myself among other riders...and myself. When I started on Strava I didn't know what segments were: then they became the goal of my riding.



I now have KOMs in segments ranging from 1.4 to 21.8 miles in length. But I don't know that it has made me a better cyclist. I find myself judging and enjoying my rides by different criteria now. Before it was did I feel physically refreshed, what wildlife did I see, how long did I take on my oft-traveled routes. Now, it is what was my time on this portion or that. Before I would just seek a good pace on the whole ride. Now I am conserving in some areas to go all out in others. I do not know if I am a better cyclist because of Strava, but I know I am a different one.



But something else has happened as well. I am a father of 6 children- 3 of whom enjoy riding their bikes. Before Strava, when I took them on bike rides I was often annoyed at how slow we were going. I didn't like getting passed by other riders. I didn't get angry at my kids for being kids, but I wasn't always the most enthused to go on rides with them. Since Strava, however, my attitude has changed. Now when I am riding with my son or daughters and other people pass us I don't really care. "Go ahead, pass us. That's alright because I know that on Oct. 17 I went faster on this section of road than anyone (on Strava) has ever gone." I can ride slowly and joyfully with my kids because I know I have gone and will go faster on another day.



I do not know if Strava has made me a better rider. But I do know it has made me a better father. For that, it was and is well worth it.