Reaching New Heights: Strava, Inc. and Studio Velo Create the KOM Challenge to Determine King of the Mountain

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Strava, Inc. (www.strava.com), creator of powerful Web and mobile apps for avid athletes, and Studio Velo (www.studiovelocycling.com), the Bay Area's premier cycling retailer, announce the 2011 KOM (King of the Mountain) Challenge – where individuals and cycling teams log vertical climbs in pursuit of prizes equaling $100,000, glory and the KOM title.

Participants need only sign up for Strava (www.strava.com) to upload workout data. Strava captures all rides and group climbing events, providing daily and hourly updates of rider and group progress. Riders can also contribute to the forum on www.komchallenge.com, to upload photos, blog and share experiences, extending the fun and competition that drives avid athletes.

The 2011 KOM Challenge launched the first of the year and runs through December 31, 2011. Riders can join any time and add rides previously recorded on their GPS device. Riders can join three categories - individual, bike shops and clubs/teams - all of which seek to climb at least 500,000 feet, accumulating as many cumulative vertical feet as possible, while having fun and reaching a goal for an ultimate prize.

"We're excited to work with Studio Velo, a major supporter and provider in the cycling world, because it enables us to do what we do best – help avid athletes track their progress and encourage them to share, compare and compete with themselves and others. Plus, we're giving away monthly and overall prizes for the KOM of each category," said Michael Horvath, co-founder and CEO of Strava. "We can't wait to see the results pour in and follow people's progress. This is one of many competitions we're planning and we're happy the first could kick off with Studio Velo and their strong community of avid cyclists."

For avid cyclists looking for the next big challenge, it doesn't get much bigger than this. The 2011 KOM Challenge encourages and tests the country's growing cycling community by providing a solid tracking system to support competition, while making the social fitness experience fun and rewarding. Looking for additional motivation? The 500,000 foot goal is the equivalent of cycling up Mt. Everest sixteen times!

"Cyclists live, breathe, eat cycling – they get a thrill out of a long ride and major challenge," said Scott Penzarella of Studio Velo. "We wanted to give avid cyclists a new reason to further challenge themselves, fulfilling their need for rigorous self-assessment, sustainable motivation and camaraderie, while rewarding them at the end. Having Strava power this competition gives competitors a way to track their success and measure against others, having fun along the way."

Strava provides an easy-to-use GPS-based solution for avid athletes, who now represent nearly 25 percent of all U.S. households. Strava uses unique segmentation technology to provide a range of comparison and competition data, enabling users to track milestones and compete with themselves and others to improve performance and enhance their enjoyment of their sport. In twelve months since launching, the company has grown more than seven-fold through simple word-of-mouth.

For more information, go to http://www.komchallenge.com to see what new clubs and shops are joining, as well as prizewinner announcements and additional prizes that will become available. Follow the progress on www.twitter.com/KOM2011. And, last but not least, see the latest results at http://www.strava.com/komchallenge.

About Strava

Strava feeds the avid athlete. Building powerful online and mobile software, Strava lets some of the best and most enthusiastic athletes in the world share and experience social fitness – sharing, comparing and competing with each other's precise, personal fitness data, on-line and via mobile apps. Strava Velo focuses on the needs of avid cyclists, including unique features for cyclists including automatic climb identification and categorization, virtual climb competitions, and member-created on-line races. It makes cycling a social web experience.

About Studio Velo

Passion, precision, and performance are the essence of the riding experience for Studio Velo's clientele. Located in Mill Valley, amidst the world-class road and mountain biking of Marin County, CA, Studio Velo offers dedicated cyclists a wide selection of the best hand-built bike frames in the world, including Cyfac, Ellsworth, Guru, Independent Fabrication, Yeti, Time, and Pivot along with the finest cycling apparel from Rapha, CAPO, Hincapie, Luna and Prana. Their companion store, SV: Women, delivers the same high quality service and products in a distinctly feminine-friendly boutique. More information on Studio Velo is available at www.studiovelocycling.com or 415-407-8960.

SOURCE Strava, Inc.