“2021 felt like 2020 part two, the sequel that no one was waiting for. But even though it seemed like a repeat, many positive events also took place: races and group activities were held again, and athletes discovered new ways to stay active.” This is the way Strava starts a message to all its users, which then shares several fun statistics about 2021.
For example, in April, 1.1 million athletes participated in the “1% Better Challenge,” in which participants were challenged to be active five days a week, for four weeks, for at least 15 minutes a day instead of looking at their phones, hanging out in front of the TV and distracting themselves in other ways. In this way, users “regained a total of nearly 18 million hours”.
In 2021, clubs on Strava also became much more popular. Many clubs were added and existing clubs grew significantly. The same goes for Challenges. Participation in those challenges doubled in 2021, while a doubling was also noticeable in 2020.
Athletes also chose the ‘untracked paths’ much more often last year. In other words, instead of the asphalt, there was much more off-road running and cycling. On average, Strava users came across new routes much more often than in previous years and thus discovered new areas. At the same time, hiking also appears to be still undiminished in popularity. Indeed, in 2021, many more walking activities were again posted online on Strava than in previous years.
