We are renewing our commitment to keeping Segments clean by decluttering duplicate and unused Segments, adding verified Segments, and introducing new rules on Segment leaderboards. With these changes, you can more easily find and compete in the places your community is running, riding, and moving.
Segment Decluttering
We’re combing through our Segment database, deleting any duplicate and unused Segments with insufficient GPS data. That way, you can find the Segments you care about faster.
FAQs
How many duplicate Segments are there?
There are 610,000 duplicate Segments around the world that we will remove. Going forward, we’ll do more to prevent new duplicate Segments from being created so the feature can remain clutter-free.
I created a goal on a Segment or starred a Segment, which would be duplicates. Will you delete my goal or remove my star?
Your stars and goals will remain. When we remove Segments, we’ll only delete duplicates. We’ll identify one Segment to keep and move goals and stars from any duplicates to the remaining Segment. You won’t lose any functionality related to your Segments if they are identified as duplicates.
What happens if I have a goal or a star on a Segment that Strava has determined to have “bad GPS data?”
If you starred a Segment that Strava makes private, the live Segment functionality will go away. We are doing our best to not make Segments that have been starred private.
Strava is not making Segments that have active goals private unless those Segments have GPS data that won’t allow us to maintain an accurate leaderboard. We’ll prioritize keeping good Segments that the community is using. If you find a Segment you were using has been deleted, you can always create a new one.
If I have an achievement like a CR or a Top 10 on a deleted Segment, will you delete my achievement?
If you have an achievement on a Segment that has been labeled a duplicate, you should also have a matching achievement on the Segment that will be kept. We have selected duplicate Segments with the goal of preserving your achievements.
If you have an achievement on a Segment that we have determined is irrelevant or has poor GPS data, you may lose that achievement. We want to be sure Segments are fair to compete on, so we need to remove certain Segments with poor data which affect the results. This will only affect a few hundred thousand Segments around the world.
How can I find new Segments to compete on?
On mobile, from the "Maps" tab, tap the Map Features selector in the top left-hand corner (this should be auto-selected to “Routes”). From there, you can select “Segments” and have your map populate with popular Segments in the map area you’re viewing.
From the web, visit https://www.strava.com/maps, click the “Segments” button, and select any filters you’d like to apply to your search. Your map will populate with popular Segments in the map area you’re viewing.
Pro tip: Change your activity type to see Segments specific to your sport type! On web, you’ll be able to see Segments for all GPS-based sports.
Verified Segments
The most iconic and popular Segments will now have a badge to signify that the distance and elevation stats have been verified and that Strava (and the community) recognize that section of road or trail as an “official” Segment. So you know that when you’re going for the KOM on Hawk Hill, it’s THE Hawk Hill. Learn more about verified segments here.
Leaderboard Cleanup
With the introduction of an upgraded auto-flagging system, you can now expect to see 33% fewer impossible efforts on cycling leaderboards. We know 33% isn’t 100%, but it will mean many millions of illegitimate efforts will be removed from leaderboards!
We’ve implemented this system on Segments in the past, but this time the auto-detection will also be gradually applied to older activities. This way, we’ll be able to remove past impossible efforts from leaderboards. So in the coming weeks, you may see yourself move up the leaderboards – congrats!
FAQs
Why do I still see incorrect efforts on my favorite leaderboard?
There are billions of activities that need to be checked to catch all the illegitimate ones, so this is going to take a while. We appreciate your patience.
What can I do today if I find an illegitimate effort?
If you see an activity that is inaccurate, you can always flag the activity by viewing it on the desktop. Read more about how to report cheating on Strava here.
Why can Strava only catch 33% of illegitimate segments and not 100%?
It takes a nuanced approach to automatically differentiate between an e-bike ride, a slow-moving car, or a human-powered ride, and we’re working toward perfecting that process.
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