Don't deny it, the KOM...can it help you better yourself as a rider?

Got a Kom at local enduro spot glen park but it was on the transfer climb , new it was a glitch and quickly deleted it . I also like pickles
 
This is why I love Strava. My man averaged 2.1 mph on segment we do at 5 mph then completely blew up the road. LOL! I should probably flag this.
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For road KOMs up here. There's really no point in trying (well, for a 55-year-old that doesn't train). Most of them are in the hands of 3 people. They are either former UCI pro's (now in their late 30's) or multi-time NJ State champs. I may have gotten one but within days, they come back and usually obliterate it. Hell, when Eichvalds was living up here, they would Sherpa people on segments.

@UtahJoe and I definitely push each using the local KOMs and it translates into helping us in Enduro races, IMO. It does force you to put the focus in. However.... Using it as a tool for enduro - I don't like to ride a segment too much with the focus on racing. There are not many places we race that I have ridden a stage 10 times. Part of enduro is being able to recon something once or twice and then focus on the fast parts and not fucking up the sketchy parts. I always tell my kid, that there's no point in riding on the limit for a whole stage, you will mess it up and one slip could be the entire race. DH on the other hand is all or nothing.
 
graveyardman67 said:
For road KOMs up here. There's really no point in trying (well, for a 55-year-old that doesn't train). Most of them are in the hands of 3 people. They are either former UCI pro's (now in their late 30's) or multi-time NJ State champs. I may have gotten one but within days, they come back and usually obliterate it. Hell, when Eichvalds was living up here, they would Sherpa people on segments.

@UtahJoe and I definitely push each using the local KOMs and it translates into helping us in Enduro races, IMO. It does force you to put the focus in. However.... Using it as a tool for enduro - I don't like to ride a segment too much with the focus on racing. There are not many places we race that I have ridden a stage 10 times. Part of enduro is being able to recon something once or twice and then focus on the fast parts and not fucking up the sketchy parts. I always tell my kid, that there's no point in riding on the limit for a whole stage, you will mess it up and one slip could be the entire race. DH on the other hand is all or nothing.
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KOMs, even on the road are bot all about power…sure, it helps but I am not the strongest by far and I use all different strategies to dethrone whoever. It make be old local pros like Nikalai or Arias, maybe Don or Dan took them from me and I want them back. You need to figure that momentum is key especially when climbs are less than 2 minutes. So, enter as fast as you can, maybe have a tailwind, one bottle instead of 2, tuck the arms in, pedal in an aero position as hard as you can i to the climb before standing. Now, maybe it includes some rollers/downhills too? Sprint the top and beginning of downside as hard as you can and then super tuck. Now maybe it’s flowy enough you can pedal while tucking. Sitting up and putting more power down may actually slow you down. This translates directly to NUEs. I wasn’t the fittest by far at W101 this year but I was strong and i knew how to carry speed. I was in the top 15 overall until I blew up at mile 65 or so. I supertrucked all downhills and rollers, climbed at threshold but no more, fueled proerly etc. KOMs may not make you directly stronger but they can help you to get faster by analyzing the fastest potential way to navigate them.
 
KOMs? Really!?!?!?

Everyone who is anyone knows being a better rider is about being a local legend. Watts, ftp, power and kilograms are all bs analytics. If you want analytics watch baseball. If you want to be a better rider, just ride your e-bike while vaping and drinking an ipa latte on a segment more than anyone else. When you become a local legend only then will you defeat your enemies, become a better rider and truly become a legendary strava god.
 
graveyardman67 said:
For road KOMs up here. There's really no point in trying (well, for a 55-year-old that doesn't train). Most of them are in the hands of 3 people. They are either former UCI pro's (now in their late 30's) or multi-time NJ State champs. I may have gotten one but within days, they come back and usually obliterate it. Hell, when Eichvalds was living up here, they would Sherpa people on segments.

@UtahJoe and I definitely push each using the local KOMs and it translates into helping us in Enduro races, IMO. It does force you to put the focus in. However.... Using it as a tool for enduro - I don't like to ride a segment too much with the focus on racing. There are not many places we race that I have ridden a stage 10 times. Part of enduro is being able to recon something once or twice and then focus on the fast parts and not fucking up the sketchy parts. I always tell my kid, that there's no point in riding on the limit for a whole stage, you will mess it up and one slip could be the entire race. DH on the other hand is all or nothing.
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I was thinking about it this past weekend as I was doing some final suspension tweaks on my enduro bike in prep for the EWS this weekend. There are many times where I will hit a segment and I know it well enough to say "I feel like making really good time on this effort" Then I look back at the time and maybe compare it to a previous time....Was it actually fast? How did the bike feel? Was it right on the edge of out of control? Or was it pretty effortless to keep the bike on its line? As you mention...In an actual enduro....most important is to not ride over your head and crash....So to find that sweet spot where you are riding at say 95%....I feel like strava does help somewhat.
 
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