Canadian Cycling Magazine

A life lesson, delivered through Strava, in Vancouver

-

In early September, Phil Gaimon took on Vancouver's Triple Crown. The former pro roadie headed up the city’s top climbs: Cypress, Seymour and Grouse. Along the way, he took Strava KOMS. Some Vancouver riders didn’t like his performanc­e. One local cyclist said on social media, “I thought his Strava KOM conquest was targeting questionab­le riders, not beating up on full-time office workers who ride bikes for fun.”

Gaimon was in Vancouver to film two episodes for his Youtube channel, one for his Strava-centric Worst Retirement Ever series, the other for the cycling/ travel-focused Best Retirement Ever. Worst Retirement started almost two years ago after he had taken many Los Angeles koms from a questionab­le rider. The kom hunting seemed to have a moral component, as if Gaimon was trying to clean up some results. The schick got some traction, which has allowed Gaimon to film and ride.

Gaimon, however, doesn’t feel any need to clean up results on a social-media platform with no strict regulation­s. He doesn’t take Strava seriously, and thinks no one else should. “In pro cycling, you cannot live or die by your race results because at some point you’re going to be 75 years old and really slow,” Gaimon said. “So, you should get used to not caring about Strava and be cool being yourself. It’s something pro cycling forced me to learn. The sooner everyone figures that out, the better.”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada