Strava announces ‘biggest app update of the year’ with group challenges and better personalised features

The update is available on mobile, with new maps features and routes suggested

(Credit: Strava)

Strava has announced its ‘biggest app update of the year’, bringing new personalisation options and Group Challenges.

The cycling app has been updated to show segment suggestions - tailor-made suggests to plan the journey - including visiting popular spots, discovering new places, breaking records and workout areas.

It will also show segments where the user is close to getting a top 10 spot on its leaderboard, or those where the user can be close to being the ‘Local Legend’. That feature, rolled out recently, rewards the person who has undertaken a segment recently more than anyone else.

On the map view, free users will see a sampling of popular segments in any given area, while Strava subscribers can drag up additional menu options from the bottom of the map to browse these personalised suggestions.

(Strava)

The new Group Challenges, meanwhile, update lets users keep track of their own progress, as well as the updates from other members, and view a stream of photos from the challenge taken by subscribers. Only paid Strava users are able to create Group Challenges, while other users get three free challenges to create or join.

Group Challenges support a number of goal types, including ‘Most Activity’ for milestones in time, distance, elevation gain, or loss; ‘fastest effort’, for an average pace across a specific distance; and ‘longest single activity’, which sets a minimum distance to encourage endurance.

Any of the 32 sports available in Strava can support Group Challenges, which can last for a single day up to a year.

Creators of Group Challenges can have a total of 24 other athletes that follow them on Strava to join the challenge - although they must be a subscriber or have a free trial, or have free challenges left.

The update is only available on mobile apps so far, but it is possible that it will eventually come to Strava on browsers as well.