Want to Be a Strava KOM? Here’s How Top Cyclists Train, Plan & Attack to Claim
Are you a competitive cyclist but don’t race? Well, KOM hunting could be for you! Fighting to get ot the top of a leaderboard against other cyclists and friends while being able to attack in your own time on your terms. Let us tell you all about it.
What Is a KOM/QOM on Strava?
KOM and QOM stand for King of the Mountain and Queen of the Mountain. It’s the status given to the rider on Strava who has the fastest recorded time through a segment (point to point on a route). It’s quite an achievement, and not many cyclists have them.
How to become KOM Strava? Well, you need to not just ride fast but also intelligently. The best way to train for KOM isn’t always outdoors on the segment but often on the turbo trainer. In this article, we’re going to be telling you how to win Strava segments.
The difference between KOMs, PRs, and Local Legends
You not only have KOMs but PRs and even local legends. A PR is your personal record, and that’s you against you. PRs are a great way of understanding how fit you are and if you are improving over time.
A local legend is someone who has gone across that segment the most times. You don’t have to be fast to be a local legend; you just have to be consistent and keep following that same segment. Being a local legend is also a great thing, like having a KOM.
Why Cyclists Chase KOMs: The Motivation Behind the Madness
As an experienced cyclist, I often get asked how to win a Strava segment. There are many reasons that cyclists or even runners chase a KOM or QOM status. Here’s why we see a lot of competition on the roads and trails.
Bragging Rights
If you’re in a friend group of cyclists or just part of a local club, having a certain KOM will go and long way, and you can let people know about it and challenge them to take it. Just be careful how much you brag, or people will target those segments first.
Healthy Competition
Although it’s not for everyone, KOM chasing can create some good, healthy competition between you and other cyclists. It’s fun to see who has the most, who is stealing whose, and knowing where your strengths are to get them.
Community Status
If you are in a few clubs and want to be known as a good rider, then having a lot of KOMS might do that for you. It might be fun to chase them down and help build your reputation as a good cyclist.
How Strava Calculates KOMs (and What That Means for You)
Strava calculates KOMs using GPS data. Although this is very accurate and used in many electronic devices, it is not perfect. Using a bike computer, you can often but plus or minus 3-5 meters out. It’s heavily affected by where you're riding, overhead cover, device accuracy, and many other factors.
Conditions
Another big factor is the conditions that you may be riding in. The weather is the biggest factor in determining which way the wind is going, the temperature, and even, to an extent, the humidity. Picking the perfect conditions can help you take on stronger riders.
Checking the wind before leaving for your ride and making sure you get to attack the KOMs going in that direction might be a good idea if you are KOM hunting. Also, riding in a group at higher speeds gives a much needed boost. A Strava cycling strategy is sometimes needed with your team.
Train Like a KOM Hunter: Building Segment-Specific Fitness
If you like the thought of becoming a KOM or QOM hunter, then you can’t rely on wind and the right conditions alone. You need to train to get stronger and have the ability to attack and push those times to become better and better. Check out these Strava KOM tips.
Interval training
How to become KOM Strava? Well, Interval training is an excellent way to help improve that explosive power and also those high-power efforts. This could be as simple as 1 minute on, 2 minutes off, repeated 10 times. It could even be 30 seconds on, 2 minutes off.
Intervals push our heart rate up and get our body used to removing lactic acid quickly. If you can get your body efficient at being at a high intensity regularly, it adapts to be better in those zones. You will also hear these called hill repeats from outdoor cyclists.
Using ROUVY structured workouts to simulate effort
A platform like Rouvy is an ideal way to ensure that you get these adaptations. The structured interval workouts and amazing high-intensity hill climbs can give you everything you need to get you the KOMs you want. Rouvy indoor training for KOM is how to win a Strava segment.
Using ROUVY to Prepare for Outdoor Segments
As mentioned above, ROUVY is a fantastic training tool to help collect those KOMs you might need. You will see not just amateurs use indoor training to increase power, but also professionals as well. It’s not easy to do certain drills on the road or the trails. Here are some Strava KOM tips;
Virtual climbs, pacing drills, and accurate power tracking
Using the features such as the virtual climbs and the pacing drills, you can train yourself to have the best power possible to help you hunt those KOMs. Another great feature is the accurate power tracking, so you are able to gauge exactly what effort you should be applying and if you are getting stronger over time.
Segment-specific training with ROUVY’s terrain profiles
Segments can be long and short. Some will be from traffic light to traffic light, and others could be a huge climb, such as Alp d'Huez. Using ROUVY, you can virtually attempt these KOMs to ensure that on the day, you know what to expect and how to attack it. Indoor training for KOM is common practice for some KOM hunters.
Gear, Setup & Tech That Give You an Edge
Another great advantage you can give yourself is to use up-to-date technology for a racing edge on the competition. Aero bikes are going to cut through the wind better, optimizing tire pressures will help with handling, and GPS units that connect to power meters can dial in the perfect packing.
It doesn’t stop there. You could be wearing a skin suit instead of the general day-to-day riding clothes. Leaving your tools and spares on the other side of the segment to reduce weight and ensuring you are in the perfect position all adds up.
Race-Day Strategy: When and How to Go Full Gas
Eventually, after a good amount of training, you are going to get to race days and will go out ready to attack these KOMs. We always recommend starting with a decent warm-up to let the body get into the groove of riding.
Next, we recommend that if you haven’t done so already to do a slow effort on the segment to not just mentally prepare but to see for any hazards or issues that might occur. Then it’s time to attack and give everything you have, and hopefully you will get it.
As mentioned before, we recommend checking the wind and ensuring the weather is going to help and be in your favour. A strong tailwind can give you a huge advantage against others, and everyone uses this to their advantage.
Indoor KOMs? How Virtual Segments and Challenges Work
Not only outdoors do you get segments to work at and attack against, but indoors as well. ROUVY gives you the options to attack segments and challenge others who might be riding in your virtual world. It’s important to understand that virtual KOMs do not count for outdoors. They are totally separate.
ROUVY, as a platform, is perfect for indoor KOMs and QOMs. It tracks your progress, and over time, you can see how your segment times improve. I like to use it as a guide, not just to see my fitness progress but also to help me understand how to attack longer climbs.
Post-KOM Tips: Celebrate, Recover, and Defend Your Crown
After the king of the mountain Strava has been attacked, what should you be doing? Well, firstly, celebrating, recovering, and then getting stronger to ensure you can get it back if it gets taken. You can either monitor the KOM yourself or wait for the email from Stava to tell you that it has been taken.
Responding to challengers, or reclaiming your KOM
Once you start taking people's KOMs, they are going to try and get them back. Here’s where you need to keep working hard to ensure they have to work hard to take it from you. The time will eventually come, and then you will be ready to reclaim it.
Final Advice from Experienced KOM Riders
As an experienced KOM chaser myself, it’s important not to take King Of The Mountain Strava too seriously. Have fun and just get as high up the leaderboards as you can. There will be times when you won’t be able to compete, for example, if a race comes on the segment or there’s a group with a 25mph tailwind.
