Strava’s latest feature ‘Local Legends’ goes live today

The new addition lets you top the leaderboards without being the fastest rider

(Image credit: Daniel Gould)

Strava has officially launched its new feature ‘Local Legends’ which lets riders compete without needing to be the fastest.

The new addition to the ride-tracking app rewards consistency over speed, as riders aim to complete a segment as many times as possible.

Local Legends is a rolling 90-day leaderboard, with the top spot going to the rider who has completed the segment the most times in that period.

The leading rider earns a laurel crown, meaning riders can compete over segments without the need to race.

Local Legends was released in BETA format earlier this year, but has now been released in the UK and across the globe.

To celebrate the launch, Strava has released some fascinating facts and figures about the most popular segments.

Box Hill in Surrey remains the most popular segment, being ridden 37,000 times over the last 90 days.

To take the Local Legend laurel, a rider who need to complete the segment 80 times in the 90-day window.

The most popular running segment in the UK is Battersea Short Corner in Battersea Park, London with the second being Clifton Downs in Bristol.

Once you have access to Local Legends, head over to your most recent run or ride and look at your segment results. You’ll see a new section added to the segment details page – click through to see who the Local Legend is on that segment.

Strava recently underwent a major shake-up as the company tries to become profitable.

The San Francisco-based fitness app has removed the free leaderboards feature and segment analysis, instead making them only available to paying subscribers, which proved controversial for some users.

>>> Council uses Strava to repair damaged roads for cyclists 

The new subscription changes were introduced in May, after company bosses revealed Strava had not been a profitable company since it was set up in 2009.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.