In honor of the QOMs competing in the Studio Velo KOM Challenge

All too often I am rushed each month in preparing the prizes and blog post for the Studio Velo / Strava KOM Competition.

As many of you already know, the KOM challenge has been a huge success this year, with over 5000 riders from around the world participating daily, weekly, and monthly to compete in a fun, spirited competition. While all of this riding does not count toward upgrade points or in-category glory, the KOM has created some great individual, club & bike shop rivalries, with great prizes from our friends at Capo,  Rudy Projects, Independent Fabrication, Lezyne, Strava and others. 

Personally, I have ridden more miles, climbed more mountains and mountain passes than in any year since picking up the sport many light years ago.

In this post, I'd like to honor the Queen of the Mountain competitors.  Yes. It is true the name of the competition is King of the Mountain (KOM) and more often then not I refer all riders as KOM. But in no way did we intend to make this a testosterone-driven competition. In fact, the women's category has been quite exciting. I dedicate this post to all women participating in the KOM/QOM thus far and we hope many more will join next year. 

Here are the top 10 leaders of the QOM competition thus far. Keep up the great work. And a special kudos to the overall leader thus far, Patti Whyte from Australia.  Great work. 

SFP - Studio Velo Cycling

Riding without Pain to the top of the KOM competition - A Bike Fit makes the Difference

It seems more and more people these days are embracing cycling as a sport or as a path to better fitness. We’re seeing tremendous crossover from running to cycling. Athletes who are looking for great cardiovascular workouts but wanting to avoid the long-term ill effects of repetitive impact find cycling one of the best sports around.
Over the course of this year's KOM on Strava, we have seen a number of commuters -- one of the largest segments of riders in recent times -- dominating the KOM. Interestingly, here in the Bay Area, the number of commuters is huge -- despite the lack of flat riding, a good network of bike lanes and ideal weather in the winter. From the SFtoG riders who ride San Francisco to Google each day or the many Marin County riders who community over the GG Bridge daily, the number of commuter is truly mind boggling. Unfortunately, many commuters -- like most riders frankly -- are poorly fit on their bikes and sometimes fall victim to injuries they were trying to avoid when previously running.



No matter what your reasons for getting more serious about cycling, obtaining a good or great bicycle is your first order of business. To get the most out of that bike, however, one needs a professional bicycle fit. It is the by far and away the best way to ensure that you’re riding at peak efficiency AND you’re minimizing your risk of getting a repetitive injury. Knees aching, back pain, numbness in the perineum, shoulder stiffness, and neck pain are all symptoms of improper fit on your bicycle.

If you’re looking for a professional bike fit in the San Francisco Bay Area you should consider a session with Studio Velo’s Colin Beardsley, former pro racer and master bike fitter, who combines his professional expertise with the Retül Technology. The Retül system is a state-of- the-art 3-D motion capture system designed expressly for preventing injury and collecting the most precise and realistic data for achieving the most favorable muscle employment.

A professional bike fit will cost you less than the 5% of what you have into your bicycle, but give you a better long-term return than spending $1000 extra on components to save a half pound. This is only one way of looking at it. You could also quantify the cost of not riding your bike due to a repetitive injury from a much too low -- or high!-- saddle, bad cleat position, etc.

Rear more about 'Is your fit holding you back'. 

Contact colin@studiovelocycling.com or call Studio Velo at 415.407.8960.

KOM winners– September & October

With fall in full swing and an Indian summer that has not disappointed, the vertical is still piling up amongst the competitors! Just as the season begins to wind down for many, it’s good to see the StudioVelo KOM Challenge going strong.

We apologize for not posting the September results earlier. We thought they were done but obviously not. I need to stay on top of our staff!  My apologies.  The below list recognizes the winners from both months. Rest assured, the September winners did get their prizes from our gracious sponsors, Capo, Rudy, Lezyne and so on.

I am sure many of you have some favorite photos of your fall climbing efforts, but here is one from a recent trip down the California Coast. One thing is for sure:  We are spoiled and so are many of our Studio Velo clients who get to do some scouting rides with us.

And now for the KOM Winners! First, the individual competitors:

September KOM Women

First Place – Patti Whyte – Capo Cipressa Kit & 12 Month Strava Subscription
2nd Place - Tina Reed – 3 pair Capo Premium Socks & 12 Month Strava Subscription
3rd Place -  Kim Fong – Studio Velo T-Shirt & 6 Month Strava Subscription

September KOM Men

First Place – Tim Smith – Capo Padrone Kit & 12 Month Strava Subscription
2nd Place - Steve Weixel - 3 pair Capo Premium Socks & 12 Month Strava Subscription
3rd Place -  Paul McKenzie - Studio Velo T-Shirt & 6 Month Strava Subscription


October KOM Women

First Place – Claire Morgan - & 12 Month Strava Subscription
2nd Place - Alison Kinloch - Capo Apparel & 12 Month Strava Subscription
3rd Place -  Karen Johnson - Capo Apparel & 6 Month Strava Subscription

October KOM Men

First Place – Steve Weixel - & 2 - 12 Month Strava Subscription
2nd Place -  Bo Hebenstreit - Capo Apparel & 12 Month Strava Subscription
3rd Place -  David Polveroni - Capo Apparel & 6 Month Strava Subscription

Well, now to the club & bike shop competition.

Bike Shop  -- a worthy chase

For two months in a row, Mike's Bikes ( all 9 stores!)  continued to bring on new riders and thus took the glory for 1st place in the Bike Shop Competition.  Like in the Club competition, it's the total number of riders that make all the difference. With nearly 10 more riders in each month's data upload, it results in nearly 100k of climbing. Even Studio Velo's Bill Keller who has logged nearly 100k feet each month can't keep Studio Velo in the lead each month.

To the winner goes the spoils: One Keg Each. Like in each category, no one person, club or bike shop can win two months in a row.

Club

MTBR.com does it again.  For two consequetive months in a row, mtbr.com continues to grow their overall lead.  With 100 riders in September, mtbr.com has really added some fans.

Check out their numbers in September. Impressive. Like in the bike shop competition, the winning keg will pass town to 2nd or perhaps 3rd. Peninsula Velo Pomodora is making a big effort in 3rd and we won't be surprised if they shack things up in November.

Good work everyone.

A big congratulations to all the winners for September and October! Keep up the good work!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the KOM event these past two months.  And again a special thanks to Strava, Capo, Lezyne and StudioVelo who help make this event a special one.