Strava continues to grow and mature into the most influential digital riding app.

The Californian company has collated the bulk of its user statistics for 2020 and identified trends.

With a user base that is now at 73m athletes, Strava harvests arguably the most important activity data in the world.

Everyone rode more

Globally the app saw a 33% increase in training frequency, with no less than 1.1bn activities uploaded. The total distance covered was a staggering 10.6bn miles, with 400bn feet of vertical ascending.

Strava also recorded that riders were logging 14.7% more moving time on rides, perhaps triggered by a reduced social element during rides, due to personal distancing and pandemic health protocols.

Despite the constraints of lockdown, riders remained committed to their training routines, embracing all the new virtual cycling apps and superior device interfaces.

But female users were the big story

The United Kingdom’s Strava community grew most impressively, with an 82% increase in outdoor activities.

The most significant UK theme in a record year for Strava, has been the growth of female participation. In the technology aware 19-29 age group, Strava recorded an incredible 108% rise in upload frequency amongst its female users.

In all the measured Strava age groups, female users overshadowed their male counterparts. The most pronounced differential was in the 60+ segment where Strava acquired 62.8% higher female use, compared to a 34.8% increase in male activity uploads.

In a year when training and outdoor life has been thoroughly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, there was also a trend towards extreme activity.

Strava recorded a huge increase in Everesting, the 29 028ft climbing challenge. Without traditional races and events, cyclists turned to this extreme Strava challenge with relish. The app tallied a 600% increase in Everesting between 2019 and 2020.