Strava Art Of The Week

This is a blog that prides itself in being some way behind the curve when it comes to the latest social media crazes so it is no surprise that it has taken a while to stumble across Strava Art. Named after a gadget that records GPS data during bouts of exercise, it involves cyclists and runners creating elaborate pictures on a map and posting them on social media.

A proficient exponent of the art form is Rebecca Laurel from Leicester who specializes in Halloween-themed bike rides. Having already done rides in the form of a pumpkin, a ghost, and a witch, her chosen theme for 2024 was a skeleton. Over six hours she cycled from Fosse Park in Leicester city centre, around Soar Valley Way to create the skeleton’s hips, before heading south to draw the legs and ending her ride at Braunstone. The complexity of the skeleton’s design meant that she had to cycle parts of the route several times and as much of it involved urban cycling, it was slow going.

On a larger and more eye-catching scale, Terry Rosoman has created a 75-mile GPS image of a penis by walking stretches from Hay-on-Wye to Abergavenny via a double circuitous route taking in Crickhowell and Llangenny to raise money and awareness about men’s mental health issues for Movember.

Seems quite fun.