Strava Year in Sports Review – How did the Strava community do in 2021?

The year 2021 was still clearly marked by the COVID-19 pandemic for most countries. Strava found out what impact this had on our sports behaviour and what else changed in our activities in its Year in Sports 2021 review.

With over 95 million users and around 2 million new athletes per month, Strava is the largest and fastest growing online community for athletes. In 2021, members of the platform covered a total of 33 billion kilometres across all sports – that’s the equivalent of the distance to the moon around 86,000 times. At the same time, probably due to the pandemic, indoor cycling within the Strava community has increased twice as much as outdoor cycling: 40 % increase indoor versus 20 % outdoor. In total, over 6 billion activities have been uploaded to Strava so far, 1.8 billion of which were uploaded last year, an annual increase of 38%. In total, over 6 billion activities have been uploaded to Strava so far, 1.8 billion of which were uploaded last year alone, an annual increase of 38%.The average distance for a recorded bike ride in the USA was 22.2 km. The total distance cycled in the USA of around 20 billion km includes 17,5 billion metres of altitude, which makes for an average gradient of a good 8 %. It took about 67 minutes to cover the distance of 22 kilometres, which results in an average speed of around 20 km/h.

Correlation between running, walking and cycling

17% of those who cycle also record walks and vice versa the figure is as high as 41%! Furthermore, cyclists and runners who also walk are 16% more likely to still be active after six months than athletes who do not walk.

Impact of natural events and the pandemic on our sporting behaviour

The fact that ski touring experienced a significantly stronger demand than usual during the past winter was already clear from the majority of lifts closed due to the pandemic and before Strava’s evaluation. The Year in Sports Report made it clear just how strong: 2.5 times as many touring skiers were out compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the Spanish were not so fond of the winter activity: At the time of the snowstorm in Madrid earlier this year, Spanish people retreated and did most of their sport indoors. Outdoor activities decreased by almost 70 % locally. Probably also due to pandemic-related cancelled group activities, the share of indoor and virtual running and cycling increased more than the outdoor share by up to 20 %.

Perhaps the most important absolute figure in the Year in Sports Report is that 189,000 new clubs have been created on Strava. The community is growing and the sense of togetherness is still paramount, despite the contact-restricting pandemic and extreme weather events. So go cycling together, enjoy the fresh air and if not “in presence” then don’t be shy with Kudos. Here’s to a sporty and cycling-rich 2022!

For more information on Strava visit strava.com or visit your app-store.

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Words & Photos: Julian Schwede