Skip to main content

Please bring back the “Virtual Ride” type. I and many others use it to separate outdoor from indoor rides. Thank you. 

Hello ukexpat,


Thanks for posting about this. 


Virtual Ride/Run activities are activity recordings which contain GPS, distance, elevation, and time data from a simulated (virtual) route. You can learn more about virtual activities on Strava here: Virtual Trainer Activities on Strava


In order to classify an activity under a virtual sport type, the activity must be originally recorded as a virtual activity using a supported virtual trainer or treadmill.  Zwift is an example of a platform that records virtual activities. Performing this action will ensure that your activity file uploaded to Strava has the correct sport type information included. Athletes are no longer able to manually classify activities as virtual.


For  indoor trainer rides where virtual GPS data is not being recorded and uploaded, we recommend using the "Indoor" tag on the activity edit screen.

Thanks for the explanation, Jane.

I’m sure there’s a good explanation (didn’t read the link you’ve shared yet) behind this change, but also sad for me.
If you change this—for some—essential behaviour, please also make sure that the “Indoor Cycling” option is available in the app too. Although, if I use this option the map is gone. This is sad, because it’s nice to see speed, power, heart rate and cadence for specific parts on the virtual route too (I ride *my* routes IRL and virtual). You have so many different designs for the map just “invent” an indoor one if there’s the need to really differentiate between real-live maps. 

Best, Andreas 

Totally agree, Strava know how to annoy all the Peloton (et el) users out there.  I was a subscriber, but without being able to filter my real from gym rides I might as well stick to Garmin Connect, they still have a virtual ride setting and it's free!  Their segments are catching up too, so reason to re-subscribe have just been reduced massively 😕😕 

iFit?  Not being auto categorised as virtual.  I don't want to use the 'indoor' setting as I HAD 3 years worth of iFit rides set as virtual that have now been set as 'workouts'!  Do I now go through all those and re-categorise, no thanks :-#  My subscription needed renewing, what's the point now 😕😕

When will the “Indoor” available in the app? And at least the map would be nice cause I re-ride my outdoor rides also indoor. It’s easier to identify with the map. Just provide a different design (like grey = disabled from specific functions)

 

BR formspiel 

Why athletes are no longer able to manually classify activities as virtual? You have partnerships with platforms??

This change has no sense! Not everybody has a smart trainer! I have a basic home trainer so without any gps or elevation and I don't want to tag my activities because there are shown as "ride".

It's nice to add activity types but not removing useful ones without any notice!

Inhave thensame problem qnd now Inhave marked some activities with red flag beacuse I can't change. I can put that the activities are another Sport but nota virtual? It not have sense.

But  is really a peoblem put the virtual buttom? Allí the activities are now false. If this buttom are avaible, the problem is solved

I agree with others here. Please allow virtual rides to be set as an activity type, the current tag is insufficient. I don't want my virtual / indoor rides affecting stats for my real rides just because I'm using a peloton instead of a wahoo kickr bike or what have you. That's silly. Agree with other sentiment above, this makes me want to not even log activities with strava. 

Please please Strava let my iFIT rides become virtual rides again..

I am getting some flak from users on the fact that I am cheating them out of the leaderbords

Hello @ITV_G1 


Thanks for posting about iFit.  Unfortunately iFit does not push their files with the appropriate virtual tags in the file or via the API so those activities cannot be marked as virtual rides when they sync to Strava.

I understand your reply Jane. I am little confused because until beginning of December this was working fine. You can check my old rides and they were pushed automatically as virtual ride. So it was working fine until December. I haven’t changed the way I create and manage my rides in iFIT. Weird 🤔 🤔 I will ask iFIT team just in case 

On the 13th of December it gets imported with no change in Strava as a Virtual Ride, and the next day, on the 14th it gets imported (I mean SYNC) as a Physical ride. I Have raised a support case with the iFIT team to see what they have to say about that... : o )

It's like nobody at Strava is actually listening... Just let people set things as a virtual ride manually, as it's own activity type, that doesn't count towards regular ride stats and leaderboards / etc. I can manually say I was kayaking, swimming, running, working out, etc, but I can't say I was using a spin bike or virtual trainer if it doesn't come from the right device?? This is a you problem strava.

Just because there is no fake gps data, these activities can't be classified as virtual or indoor?? That makes 0 sense. Strava support has suggested setting these activities as "workout" so they don't count in Ride stats, but that throws away all the data like speed / hr / cadence... 

As so many are saying, they are now having activities miscategorised as regular rides because Strava refuses to allow them to be counted as virtual or indoor, trainer, spin bike, etc.

Taking this Virtual Ride away is silly, petty and unnecessary.

I can only assume someone had an axe to grind about this completely minor issue and finally got their own way?

Unfortunately it does have a whiff of “Rich White Man Privilege”, considering 99% of Zwift users are in that demographic, whilst the less well off suffer on lesser equipment that god forbid doesn’t have extortionate set up fees and subscription!!

Agree with your first post, I'm yet to work out a fathomable reason for this change, and Janes' original post is a total cop-out because my iFit bike does all of that when you are following a trainer on a 'video' ride, and was being correctly classified before this change.  In fact it still does and before clicking 'save' on a synced ride it shows the route, and even allows you to select a 'map type' (subscribers).  It is only after clicking save this info is dropped!
If you do a 'streetview' (not video) ride it also has the GPS data and strangely keeps the map, and assigns it as 'virtual', so it is treating iFit data differently depending on the type of ride in a counter intuitive way!  My last 'map' ride is showing as 'virtual run', even though I rode it and set in in the ride settings as 'ride'.  My video rides, following a rider on the actual route collecting all the GPS data are now set as indoor!"  All f'kd up!

Your second post I can't agree with, Strava covers a wide variety of activities and I can't agree cyclists, let alone zwift cyclists can be accused of being the cause of this change.  This change has been made by STRAVA, let the blame lie at their door!  The world is a better place when we take off the race filter!  There's plenty of rich people who aint white!

 

@Jane11 Then let me do it MANUALLY!

@Jane11 Just to back Dash up, same thing.  It even imported a MANUAL ride (when I lost my internet) as Virtual.  THIS IS YOUR CHANGE STRAVA that caused the issue, FIT IT!

 

I am glad this isn’t just me..

i was beginning to think I was the only one using iFIT synched to Strava out there. 

i have just renewed my iFIT for another year . That sucks if I am to be treated as a cheater and a KOM stealer.

Why can’t it go back to how it was before ? 
i have been tempted to finally go down the subscription route at Strava , but what’s the point now ? Maybe I will get told, pay up and this will fox your issue. 

@plants4jim @ITV_G1 @ukexpat mind adding me to your Strava accounts ? 

I don't mind, I don't know how to find you, but you can find me here strava.com/athletes/jimeatsplants

Victory ✌️ my today’s ride was miraculously registered automatically as a Virtual Ride 

Yayyyyyyyyyyy

@Dash_NIOULLES "i have been tempted to finally go down the subscription route at Strava , but what’s the point now ? Maybe I will get told, pay up and this will fox your issue. "

Nope, makes no difference. I re-subscribed (after a gap of 6 months due to this issue!), but needed to track other things and it imports the same.  As Jane points out it's a file issue and STRAVA refusing to let us assign rides as Virtual manually, which I'm sure would be a 2 min fix 😕😕  If Strava continue to be obstinate about this only iFit can fix it by adding the TAG to the file format/API with whatever Strava is insisting.

@Jane11 What needs adding to the file/API.  And I mean EXACTLY in correct GPX metadata tag format?  I'm assuming the <keyword> tag?

GPX 1.0 Developer's Manual (topografix.com)
Optional file information in <gpx>

One thing I have noticed is iFit files are synced as TCX not GPX, so does strava do a conversion?  Could we edit the Strava GPX file to insert the required tag?

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings