Strava's latest iteration of its social fitness app, now version 4.2, adds functionality to let users set and track their weekly goals for cycling and running, either in time or mileage. For iPhone users with the latest iOS 8 software, Strava 4.2 includes an auto-pause feature that stops and restarts recording as you stop and start moving, such as at a traffic light.
"Goal setting is one of the most popular features on Strava.com, and for good reason: it’s an important motivational tool for every athlete,” said Alex Mather, vice president of product design at Strava. “Our data shows that members who set goals ride and run twice as often as those who don't set goals.”
The Strava app is available in the App Store and will soon be available in Google Play. The mobile app is free, but a Premium account is required to access features like weekly goal tracking, heart-rate or power metrics. Strava Premium is £3.99 / US$6 per month or £39.99 / US$59 per year. Strava.com, both free and Premium, also work with most ANT+ GPS devices, like a Garmin Edge computer.
In addition to the updates in version 4.2, Strava recently added an Effort Comparison function to Premium, where users can watch icons of selected riders, such as friends, move along a given segment. With Effort Comparison, you can watch the relative speeds of user-selected riders — themselves, friends, pros or anyone else who has done the same segment — even if those riders all rode the segment on different days, even different years.
