The Story of My Journey with Strava
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There’s something about waking up before dawn in Chennai, the city still wrapped in its quiet, hushed blanket. My heart would beat a little faster, not just from the anticipation of the miles ahead, but because, for me, cycling was more than just exercise. It was freedom.
Chennai’s heat can be unforgiving, and it wasn’t always easy. But there I was, day after day, hopping on my bike, with only the road, my thoughts, and a little app called Strava for company. Strava didn’t look like much the first time I downloaded it. Just a few orange icons, some buttons, and a map of the area. I didn’t expect it to change my journey, let alone become a part of it.
At first, Strava was just a tool, something that tracked my kilometers, showing me how far I’d gone. But as I dove deeper, I noticed other names – people in Chennai who were also out on those same roads, sometimes even at the same early hours. Suddenly, the app wasn’t just numbers and maps; it was stories. It was people. Each ride I saw wasn’t just a line on a map; it was someone else, on their own bike, chasing the same feeling I was.
On weekends, when I’d set out on those longer rides – the 60, 70 kilometers stretches – Strava felt like a secret lifeline. There were days I’d question myself: Why am I out here in the sun, pushing against the wind, instead of sitting in a cab? But then I’d scroll through my Strava feed and see someone else had taken that same route or climbed that same hill. I realized I wasn’t alone. There were others who found peace, thrill, and even joy in the same journey.
I still remember one ride that pushed me to my limits. It was one of those “why-am-I-doing-this” days. But as I pushed through that last stretch, I got a notification: “Kudos!” Someone I’d never met had seen my ride and given me a thumbs-up. In that moment, the exhaustion fell away, replaced by a strange sense of accomplishment, of being seen. I wasn’t just a cyclist in Chennai anymore; I was part of something larger, a community of people scattered across the city, all connected by our shared miles and a small orange app.
Now, as a product designer, I look back at those moments with a different kind of admiration. Strava didn’t just build a fitness app; it built a community. It wasn’t only tracking numbers but nurturing a sense of belonging. Cycling might be a solo activity, but Strava made it feel like I had a crowd cheering me on, mile after mile.
Strava didn’t have to be complex; it just had to be real. It brought us together, even if we’d never meet, and in those early morning rides, when it was just me and the road, that simple app reminded me I was never truly alone.
In short:
The moral of my story with Strava is, Great products don’t just do a job. They fill a need that’s often unspoken, one that can’t be solved with data alone. Strava understood that fitness isn’t just about miles or calories burned. It’s about feeling seen, knowing you’re not alone on your journey. As a product designer, I carry that with me: it’s not about throwing in features or following trends. It’s about caring deeply for the user, for their journey, and creating something that speaks to their hearts, not just their habits.
