At the start of this year Strava introduced yearly achievement badges. It was a great idea, especially for the older rider, or for the rider who, like me, has suffered some kind of injury that might make it less likely for them to ever improve their personal segment times. Sadly, as a result of an outcry from what I can only suspect was a small but vocal cohort of ultra-competitive Strava users whose every ride was suddenly peppered with too many badges for them to cope with (bless them), this functionality was stripped after only one month. There wasn’t even an option to turn it on or off depending on your personal choice or circumstance. As a result, my rides since the start of February (such as they are) have been peppered with next to no achievement badges. Any educationalist will tell you that this is no way to encourage progress.
Still, as I ride home tonight I can feel more strength in my legs, and although my back still twinges with sharp pangs of niggly pain every so often, I am able to ease off subtly enough to manage it. I’m certain I’ve ridden the valley road faster than for a long time, and certainly the fastest this year. Interrogation of the data confirms this is so, and yet there is no tangible record of the fact. Is a little badge that says ‘Yay! You suck a little less than you did last month! Keep going!’really so much to ask for?
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