EDDIE IZZARD

INTERVIEW
We had a founding principle that we wouldn’t litter the
app with ads. It means we haven’t made as much money,
but it’s a huge thing in terms of user experience
Strava has added route planning
to help people improve and
vary their exercise routines
IMAGE: ANDY WATERMAN
that shirt through sweat and hard graft.
We think that’s much more compelling
than a standard shop model.
Strava Metro is another strand. We
realised three years ago that we were
collecting amazing data about where
people run and ride – data that would be
very useful to town planners if they were,
for example, doing an analysis of where
they should be improving infrastructure
and making changes. Hopefully the end
result of sharing this data will be that
roads will become safer.
We talked to the Oregon Department
of Transport in the US first, and then the
UK’s Transport for London approached
us. They want to know the main cycling
arteries into and out of the city, and which
junctions are avoided. Previously the
only way to measure this was by standing
by the roadside with clipboards, but we
can supply them with minute-by-minute
roll-ups of any stretch of road.
Does the business face any threats?
We’re always conscious and aware, but
what we’ve built in the last five years
is unique. On the cycling side, we’ve
grown very quickly and critical mass is
always a competitive advantage. Running
is different: there are lots of running
trackers and apps out there and most are
older than us. That’s why we’re always
looking for unique features to help us
create separation between a Strava
experience and the experience available
on other sports and fitness platforms.
Equally, we try an not worry too much.
We believe that, if we keep doing good
work – adding new features and keeping
our users entertained and motivated –
people will keep discovering us and good
things will happen.
One thing that separates us is that we
don’t have ads in our product. We had a
founding principle that we wouldn’t litter
the app with ads. It means we haven’t
made as much money, but it’s a huge thing
in terms of the user experience.
What developments are you
planning for the future?
We’re excited about all the new wearable
technology. We try to be device agnostic
and make Strava compatible with all
hardware devices: we’re the Switzerland
of fitness platforms.
We generally view it as a good thing,
as it provides more ways to upload to
Strava. Going forward, we’re working on
the overall experience so we better serve
athletes before and during activities. Historically
we’ve been very strong post-ride
and post-run, so lately we’ve been adding
new features to broaden this, such as
route planning and training plans, to help
people plan their exercise rather than just
looking backwards.
Also, we’ll be working on our Premium
product and putting our data to good use
– for example, producing the best running
and cycling routes and also identifying top
stops, such as views, cafés and bike shops.
Our aim is to become indispensable to
runners and cyclists.
How can the sports industry work
with technology such as Strava?
If someone is active, they’ll use a number
of places and methods to train. Pretty
much no-one only runs or cycles – they’ll
have the appetite to do supporting activity
like CrossFit, yoga and strength work, as
having a great core is really important for
runners and cyclists.
There are huge swathes of the world
where people can’t ride their bikes outside
in winter, but they don’t want to be unfit
by spring. I’m sure Strava helps to fill
group cycling classes all around the world.
What fitness clubs could learn from
technology is how to keep people
engaged and motivated by using a social
element. Gyms can be lonely, whereas
Strava has opened up individual sports by
creating a community. ●
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