The first video game to give me an actual flat tyre
“Do you do Strava?”
people often ask upon learning I like cycling.
This is not the question they wish to ask.
One long bike ride will likely earn you more than a week of idling.
I don’t think Wren does much with the data it draws from Strava or Fitbit.
It’s a slow game.
It’ll take a lot of time and exercise to upgrade my village, my team, and everything.
That’s on purpose.
“Wren is meant to be played in short sessions following exercise,” the game’s blurb says.
“This trek is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Strava itself is more gamified than Wren in ways.
I think presenting people with data contains an implicit challenge, too.
I am still checking into Wren after rides, mind, just to see what might happen.
But I’m not really interested in competing with a game, nor with gamified systems.
I skip Strava’s public leaderboards, events, and friend lists.
I have a private profile simply to see my own numbers go up (or down) over time.
This is, I will concede, not wholly unwanky.
My interest in numbers grew casually.
Then I got a Fitbit to make that easier, and became more curious about speed.
Strava tells me that number is still increasing on my favourite routes, which feels good and encouraging.
But the Wahoo broke and I’ve not yet replaced it so I can’t see my cadence anymore.
I am not that fast and I am not that serious.
Are you offputtingly competitive?
Are you dangerous on the roads?
Do you weave between pedestrians, dogs, and children on mixed-use paths without warning?
Are you snobbish about people who ride slower?
Are you snobbish about people who don’t have flash bikes or fancy kit?
Can I relate to your interest in cycling?
Do I find you a bit self-serious and silly?
Am I maybe even a bit envious?
Would I enjoy riding with you?
Could we enjoy a slow friendly ride with breaks and a big lunch?
And then we all had a grand old time!
It was great for everyone!
We could’ve been doing this for ages!
Alright, I am slightly a prick about their reluctance to believe me.
Sometimes “Do you do Strava?”
is simply someone asking if I’m on Strava because they are too.
I’m not sure what to make of those people.
