Strava – Flagging Virtual Activities

(This is just a rant, so if you’re not into that sort of thing, stop reading…)

Not for the first time, I had (an old) virtual ride on Strava flagged.

(9/19/22: The link is to the Garmin recording, as my Strava account is no longer public, so the KOM is irrelvant now 😎)

I know that sometimes this is just done out of spite for losing one’s KOM, or because someone thinks that if you ride in ERG mode, your Watts are not really Watts.

(Trust me: I’ve been accused of “cheating” that way, see for instance: Rouvy Double Legend)

I often do not even bother to “appeal”, although this – flagging of a virtual ride – is against Strava’s own policy.

They will not implement a change making this flagging impossible, though…

Whenever I do appeal, the flag gets removed and re-flagging disabled and they confirm that it is against their policy.

Hank, however, is the smart guy at Strava support, so I got a different response from him, but the flag was removed.

I’m always open to suggestions, but sadly, I do not fit in any model from any platform and his suggestion is “off point”.

And speaking of platforms: I’ve tried them all and a lot of software based solutions as well…

As I do little else than riding sweet spot/threshold, I – myself and my heart rate – have adapted to it and if you look at power distribution zones against heart rate zones, you can see that.

While at the time I wrote the Rouvy post I was (also) using the old definition(s), many platforms have since adopted different approaches and redefined “FTP”.

As I have used Xert for about 18 months, I’ve learned the value of TP and LTP and while TP may seem just another abbreviation for the same thing, the “F” is deliberately left out and not only for possible copyright infringements…

So, both indoor and outdoor, I can perform above the FTP that Garmin puts me at. I actually wrote them, asking why a 300+ Watts outdoor ride for way longer than an hour did not result in a suggested FTP update.

And I got the useless response, “FTP is not calculated based on indoor rides”.

Bro, I told you this was during an outdoor ride…

Anyway, they just look at your best 20-minute effort and take 90% of that. While I can ride a flat 300 Watt indoor ride, this is a lot harder outdoors.

The average will be the same, but the 20-minute intervals do not necessarily lead to a proposed increase.

So, I do not bother to change it, as my training is based on that number anyway, even if it’s not my FTP.

And in case you’re wondering: Garmin also calculates my VO2Max between 72 and 78 (ml / kg / min) over the past 6 months. My last lab test returned 70 last February…

But, while the thing with a “low” FTP is that it influences the “intensity” stats of an activity, I do not generate less Watts and there is no reason to go all nuts about it.

Obviously, as you cannot manipulate a Neo 2T, you could get a faster time by lowering your weight. But that only works for climbs (just sayin’…)

As I have plenty of outdoor rides to show that my indoor activities are not showing a significant increase in Watts, I wish people (that do go nuts) would go through the trouble of comparing them.

I know that I do, before I judge and even if there would be reasonable doubt, I would not flag anyone’s indoor activity – I may if (part) of an outdoor activity is obviously fake, like leaving your recording running while in a car.

(Having said that: many of the KOM’s in my area are at incredible speeds. But, given that the wind is a huge influence, that people often ride in big groups and take turns in front and/or that they are paced by a car or other motorized vehicle, I do not bother to flag in general.)

Anyway, here’s the correspondence I’ve had with Strava so far – I’ll update this post in the comments if Hank has another smart response/suggestion.

Of note: I’ve re-written two or three things to clear errors from the original…

+++

Robert Rijnders
Wed 22/02/23 05:58
Dear Hank,

I have a Tacx Neo 2T, so don’t worry about calibration. Did it occur to you that maybe my FTP setting would be low?

It is but <it> is also meaningless. Garmin <Edge> calculates my FTP at 267, whereas I have outdoor rides at 300 <well> over an hour long and it didn’t suggest an update.

They only look at your 20-minute best and then take 90% (I think) of that.

In Xert terms, my TP would be my traditional FTP, i.e. the power I can sustain for hours, which is not the old definition of FTP…

<Technically, see above, I think that would be Xert’s LTP, but in my case, these two numbers are almost equal…>

And more importantly, you are overlooking the fact that there are literally tens of thousands of registrations that are complete BS, especially when Bkool is involved and they hardly ever get flagged.

Best virtual time on the Alpe d’Huez is faster than any pro in real life would be able to and not seldomly, I see rides at 700 Watts for over an hour and/or climbs at 10% being tackled at 45 kph…

I never bother to flag them, plus IT IS AGAINST YOUR POLICY.

Met vriendelijke groet,
Kind Regards,
Robert Rijnders

From: Hank (Strava Customer Support) <support@strava.zendesk.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 01:19
To: Robert R <>
Subject: Strava ticket #2343442 Activity Flag Support Request

Hank (Help Center)

Feb 22, 2022, 5:19 PM MST

Robert,

Thanks for writing in here, my apologies for any delay in responding to your request.

I have removed the flags on your activity, but I would recommend performing a hardware calibration on your trainer and/or power meter as it appears to be reading high (118% intensity, 312 avg watts). That should help mitigate any future flags on your virtual activities.

Do let me know if you require any further assistance.

Much appreciated.

Best,
Hank
Strava Support Team
See what keeps us all going, day in and day out: https://www.strava.com/the-athlete-in-you

Robert R.

Feb 20, 2022, 6:21 AM MST

Activity Flag Support Request: http://www.strava.com/activities/6397184895

This was flagged twice today, so I assume by the same person and I’m getting sick of it. Once again: this is a virtual activity. STOP ALLOWING PEOPLE TO FLAG THEM!

Thanks,
Robert