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Should Strava sanction cyclists who have been caught doping?

Infamous Los Angeles Strava user pleads guilty to selling EPO

There is no tangible prize for becoming King or Queen of the Mountain on a Strava segment – but with tens of millions of users, many of whom are striving to top its leaderboards, should the social platform be making more of an effort to combat dopers?

That might sound ridiculous, but UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has admitted that the scale of doping in amateur sport is unknown, and if the stakes are in some respects low, that sense of having been cheated is nevertheless very real for those who miss out.

The question arises following the case of Thorfinn Sassquatch. A notorious KoM accumulator in the Los Angeles area with over 800 records to his name, Sassquatch recently pleaded guilty to selling performance-enhancing drugs online. Local cyclists are unhappy. The LA Times reports that a number of them want Strava to take action.

Alter ego

Brace yourselves for this, but compounding the dishonesty it seems Thorfinn Sassquatch isn’t even the cyclist’s real name. Fake names on social media? Wherever will it end?

Sassquatch is in fact Nicholas Brandt-Sorenson. Brandt-Sorenson ran a website called the Anemia Patient Group, through which he sold EPO and other performance-enhancing drugs. The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has previously sanctioned three athletes linked to the site.

Wisconsin-based cyclist Kyle Schmidt and Palm Springs-based triathlete Brook Radcliffe each accepted a two-year ban for the use, attempted use and possession of synthetic EPO, while Robert Radcliffe of Salt Lake City accepted an 18-month ban for the use, attempted use and possession of synthetic EPO and human growth hormone. Radcliffe’s sentence was reduced because he "provided substantial assistance" during the probe, according to the USADA.

Brandt-Sorenson himself was banned for two years from September 4, 2011 after testing positive for Efaproxiral, a substance which artificially enhances delivery of oxygen to the tissues. Having last month admitted to selling EPO to an athlete in Boulder, Colorado, he is to return to court on July 20 for sentencing. Prosecutors will ask the judge to sentence him to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service and a fine of $5,000. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 or more, depending on the financial impact of the crime.

Strava's view

But what of the Strava sanctions? The local cycling community are clearly pretty pissed off.

"I'm disgusted by dopers, and it should be discouraged in any way possible," said Don Warn, the race director of a local cycling group, in reaction to the news.

Andrew Vontz, Strava's cycling brand manager, said: "Just like Facebook, Twitter or any other social network, there's going to be bad actors, and that's an unfortunate reality. We place a high value on sportsmanship and fair play, and we want people to earn their records in that fashion."

However, he then added: "We're not able to judge the nuanced debate about how people used [performance enhancing drugs] and how that use improved times.”

So, in short, Strava don’t do anything (not even adding a syringe emoji to the user’s profile picture as suggested in the LA Times article).

Marcel Appelman is one of the riders to have flagged a few of Brandt-Sorenson’s rides, but he has since been asking himself whether his view of Strava segments is what should change.

While he once raced against Brandt-Sorenson, Appelman now lives in the Netherlands and said: "Most [King of the Mountain titles] here in the Netherlands are obtained with the aid of really strong winds — should those be flagged for cheating too? Brandt-Sorenson needs to be punished for peddling drugs, not for Strava silliness."

Apparel

Then again, there’s a case for saying that the ‘Strava silliness’ was, and is, being exploited for commercial gain, because Brandt-Sorenson also busies himself running – and marketing – the Brandt-Sorenson clothing line for cyclists.

When he pleaded guilty to selling EPO last month, Thorfinn-Sassquatch had 1,605 followers on Strava. That profile page, which also makes a point of claiming “Olympic ITP & WADA Bio Passport program >36 months with 24/7 whereabouts,” reveals that he now has 1,873 followers. There is also a link to his Instagram page. Thorfinn has 14,000 Instagram followers. Thorfinn's Instagram output is basically nothing but Brandt-Sorenson apparel.

You might say we’re providing him with further publicity – but at least you’re informed about who he is.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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14 comments

Avatar
Forester | 7 years ago
3 likes

A friend still uses Strava although he now has an electric bike; his hill performances have improved drastically, surprisingly,  and he has deliberately avoided getting KOMs. He has health issues and I'm not too worried, my only real Strava competitor is me.

Avatar
flybywire99 | 7 years ago
1 like

I don't understand the big concern about a doper holding a lot of the KOM titles on Strava. There's no direct financial gain to that person and no losses to other participants. So who really cares. It's like me being the top rider within my Computrainer software. It means nothing.

 

Avatar
fukawitribe | 7 years ago
2 likes

@Bigringrider I wouldn't bother getting worked up over it and just use it for what you want - or until something else takes its place. Personally with Stavistix there's a bunch of analysis tools that used to be in Strava Premium, which I find useful, for free now and I don't really give a monkeys about KOMs or whathaveyou.. just concentrate on what I need, no stress. Ignoring the bollocks is not so hard.

Avatar
Vili Er | 7 years ago
0 likes

It’s become a joke of a website/system – 40+ segments on a 25 mile ride is pretty much standard. Take a KOM and the rider that just lost it will flag your ride so he/she gets it back, virtual turbo rides taking KOM’s, Digital EPO enhanced (or in this case real EPO enhanced) rides and as mentioned above eBikes and the rest. It also spoils club runs and makes some cyclists dangerous to others. I’m no luddite – I was a very early adopter of Strava and love a new gadget like the next person – but what was once fun has turned rotten. Time for something new…

Avatar
Leviathan replied to Vili Er | 7 years ago
2 likes

Bigringrider wrote:

It’s become a joke of a website/system – 40+ segments on a 25 mile ride is pretty much standard. Take a KOM and the rider that just lost it will flag your ride so he/she gets it back, virtual turbo rides taking KOM’s, Digital EPO enhanced (or in this case real EPO enhanced) rides and as mentioned above eBikes and the rest. It also spoils club runs and makes some cyclists dangerous to others. I’m no luddite – I was a very early adopter of Strava and love a new gadget like the next person – but what was once fun has turned rotten. Time for something new…

As of today I have 135 unique KOMs (coo... {handbags]) and have never once been revenged flagged. A few people have taken back segments i have bagged, mores the fun (anyone heard of Mike Humpreys? who are you Mike Humpreys, you task me!) There are always some funky routes to be found that take some orienteering skills not just speed. I think people are all to pessimistic about Strava. The sort of person who rides an ebike that I've seen isn't using or caring about Strava.

I plan to take 10,000 over 65 KOMs (starting in 26 years time.)

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PaulBox | 7 years ago
0 likes

I find it funny that the people who dis Strava the most are often those who take it the most seriously...

I use it to monitor my progress and see how I compare to other, normally better, club riders, and friends. I like the monthly motivation of doing the badge challenges and the segments help to make my commute a whole load more interesting.

To compare doping with tailwinds is a bit silly, I just know that when I pull off my drive in the morning, if the wind is in my face, it's very unlikely that I will break any of my PB's.

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darrylxxx | 7 years ago
0 likes

It will be interesting to also see how Strava handle the growth of electric assist bike and electric bikes in the coming years.

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PaulBox replied to darrylxxx | 7 years ago
0 likes

darrylxxx wrote:

It will be interesting to also see how Strava handle the growth of electric assist bike and electric bikes in the coming years.

I don't think there is anything that they can do is there? It's just up to the users on how they want to play.

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Mungecrundle | 7 years ago
1 like

May as well try and ban riders using mopeds, or drafting a car or only doing the stage in a force 10 tailwind. It's pretty much an exercise in willy waving at best and a measurement of increasing decreptitude for those of us past our prime. Best avoided in my opinion.

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alansmurphy | 7 years ago
0 likes

Yeah and message boards are for journalist wannabes who think people care about their opinion... Erm.

To the point at hand, people will use Strava in different ways. There are a few segments i enjoy and want to get top 10 on, if there's a second or so in it then there's a motivational factor. There's also filters so i can see how i compare in my age group or to friends i cycle with, again these can spur one or all on.

The outside factors are ridiculous though, if people feel the need to jump lights to get a good time then they really need to grow up. As mentioned above, wind can be a factor as can having a leadout, a 5k bike, being a segment whore - iust repeat blasting rather than enjoying it as part of your ride. Use strava, enjoy strava but lets not take it too seriously.

Unless... I live not far from Kristian House, if i beat him on a segment then surely i get a pro contract?!

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Krd51 | 7 years ago
1 like

Strava is for a load of wanabees anyway so who cares?

 

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thereverent | 7 years ago
7 likes

I wouldn't worry about it.

Strava has plenty of cheating on it to get KOM/QOM/CR's, people logging bike rides as runs, people logging car journeys as cycles, etc.

It's not worth getting worked up by it, or you'd spend your life flagging rides/runs.

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kitkat replied to thereverent | 7 years ago
2 likes

thereverent wrote:

It's not worth getting worked up by it, or you'd spend your life flagging rides/runs.

And that's where Strava have to be careful. As per the peice on TRS Triathlon, No KoM for old men, if peope don't care about Strava segments anymore then what sets the site above other ride logging sites?

 

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