Separate categories for groups/pelotons and TT bikes

[JustinJones]

Given that riding in a group or on a TT bike artificially enhances performance, why doesn't Strava separate those riding in a group into their own category for segments (it already knows when you have ridden with someone else) so that it's more of a level playing field for those riding solo and, in a similar vein, give those on a TT bikes their own category to select...like eBikes? Riders in a group or on a TT bike end up holding a pace at least 20% above their performance on a normal bike, or when riding solo...it doesn't enable performance comparisons against themselves (what's the point in having a PR on a segment if you did it as part of a five-man chaingang or on a TT bike?) or against other riders. 

[Jane]

Hi @Apix 

Thanks for posting your idea. Are you referring to PRs on segments? Or are you thinking about this in terms of riding best efforts?

Thanks for any clarification you can provide.

[Apix]

Hey @Jane,

That’s a good call out!  I was initially thinking about PRs on Segments, but I could also see this providing a lot of value for Best Efforts. 

[susuncorda]

See @Jane :

Another evidence of the problem of group and solo efforts in same leaderboards or PR time records, as @Apix said

It's incredibly absurd to keep individual efforts and group efforts into the same leaderboards.

That advantage of group efforts is even GREATER than the advantage of e-bikes.

And everyone understands that e-bikes are separate from regular "lung" powered bikes.

Only the Strava team is still ofuscated to kill motivation for solo athletes.
Even when the MAIN interest on using Strava is seeking motivation when someone rides alone to avoid boredom...

[KBowen]

@susuncorda 

It's definitely still possible to be competitive on leaderboards without drafting. Certainly there are some longer/flatter segments that you might need help on, but for those few why not just recruit some friends and go on a group ride? 

Secondly, the idea in this thread seems impossible to enforce. Strava would never know you were riding with someone else unless that second rider also uses Strava AND had chosen to upload their ride. As mentioned in another thread, the Strava leaderboards are becoming increasingly messy and impossible to "clean up" due to people getting in their cars, using e-bikes, etc. Trying to overcomplicate things by separating group/solo rides would be impossible, and for people like me that "clean" the leaderboards by flagging bogus rides, very difficult to identify who is playing by the rules and who's not. My point is, you are always going to have some group dominate the leaderboards, whether or not you have separate leaderboards. At least by having them on the same leaderboard you aren't giving people an incentive to try and hide their "domestique" from their ride. At least this way you know what you're up against if you are trying to compete for a segment.

[Apix]

For what it is worth, I am very uninterested in the leader boards.  I’m not to fussed if pro tour rider Y sets a better time than me, or e-biker X sets a faster time than everyone.  However chasing my personal efforts has always been fun, and that is lost without and separation between group / solo.

Even if this implementation was self reported it would be totally fine by my standards, as doing automatically would likely be a Herculean task and fraught with irregularities. 

[susuncorda]

@KBowen 

Well, can you figure that if someone is not able to recruit a TEAM, if that rider usually rides alone, Strava was a motivation? When I have a team/group ride actually I have an entertainment as we can play racing or just talk.
Then, could be fair for me if I can only recruit a low performance, low number of riders... that I fight a better team or even a professional cyclists racing peloton ridind in a race?

You said: Secondly, the idea in this thread seems impossible to enforce. Strava would never know you were riding with someone else unless that second rider also uses Strava AND had chosen to upload their ride"

Well, I am not asking for a "perfect system or nothing".
I actually know that imperfections, but in the example I put in the other page, when a professional race pass thru a segment, most of them have the activity on Strava.

For many of us, segregating at least pro race pelotons would be nice.

"At least by having them on the same leaderboard you aren't giving people an incentive to try and hide their "domestique" from their ride."

Cheaters gonna cheat. But at least, it will be THAT. Today looks "legit".

Today we have people at 200W or less riding a flat segment at more than 55km/h without tailwind, and everyone knows that rider did something not normal.