Best Follow of the Year

Meet Average Rob, your choice for Strava Best Follow of the Year. From a cult-like social media following to conquering IRONMAN races, he's the Strava athlete who stole the spotlight in 2023.

Strava wouldn’t be Strava without our awesome community – that means YOU! In the race for Strava’s Best Follow of the Year, your votes crowned the incomparable Average Rob as the winner. Let's get one thing straight – there's absolutely nothing 'average' about Rob, aka Rob van Impe, the Belgian influencer who rocked 2023.

Sure, he humorously tags himself as a 'mediocre dude from Belgium' on Instagram, but trust us, Rob is anything but standard. With hilarious Instagram posts, entertaining YouTube escapades alongside pro athletes, and a fearless dive into his first-ever IRONMAN, Average Rob is a force to be reckoned with. No wonder he's racked up over 51,500 Strava followers in just a year, a whopping 412,000 YouTube subscribers, and a staggering 710,000 Instagram fans. From the moment we spotted his mustache and vibrant sunglasses, he had us enthralled. 

Rob's daring spirit led him and his brother, the aptly named 'Arno the kid,' to tackle an immense challenge: an IRONMAN. As Rob puts it, “We were totally out of shape and clueless about triathlons, but we dove headfirst into this awesome world.” Months of hard work, sweat, and a few tears later, they triumphantly crossed the finish line of IRONMAN Austria this June. Rob clocked an impressive finishing time of 12:26:22.

His content? Pure gold. YouTube chronicles of him taking on athletic challenges with Belgian pros like Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel showcase his infectious enthusiasm. Training like an IRONMAN with French pro Sam Laidlow? Just another day in Rob's adventure book.

Rob's zest for life and propensity to push boundaries make us want to tag along on every swim, run, and cycle. He's not just inspiring; he's the kind of guy you'd want as your best friend. So, it's no surprise he snagged the title of Strava’s Best Follow of the Year. We're counting down the days to see what he'll conquer in 2024 – bring it on, Rob!