Strava Guide: Why You Need to Join a Club

The best things in life are usually even better when shared. Sport is no different. So, in today’s Strava Guide, we’re going to dive deep on all things Strava Clubs, and how joining a club might just be the fuel that unlocks your next breakthrough.

(Although I would like it officially noted that ice cream is an exception to the rule that things are better shared.)

Want to Get Faster? Join the Club

While data and tracking are the beating heart of Strava, the soul of Strava is connection. In fact, you might not know, but Strava was born out of the co-founders' – Mark Gainey and Michael Horvath’s – desire to recreate the feeling of being on a team that they missed from their days rowing on the crew team in college. They didn’t create the app just to track data; they wanted to create something that could replicate the feeling of your friends motivating you to new heights.

RELATED: 3 Reasons to Follow More People on Strava

If you want to tap into that power of connection, joining a club is the best place to start. From local clubs that encourage friendly rivalries, to global brand clubs that will inspire you with stories of their athletes’ exploits, to Strava’s biggest club, The Strava Club, there’s a club to suit the needs of every athlete on Strava. In today’s article, I’ll walk you through how to find a club, before exploring the top five club features you should be using to level up both your Strava experience and your fitness gains.

How To Join a Club

Joining a club is simple. In the mobile app, just navigate to the “Groups” tab and select “Clubs” from the menu at the top. If you’re already a member of a club, you’ll see the clubs you’ve joined listed here. You’ll be able to see if there are any new posts you’ve missed or events coming up. If you want to join a new club, just tap the search icon in the top left corner. Make sure you select “Clubs” before searching.

You can search by location and sport type. So, for example, if I was looking for a cycling club in Bristol, England, I’d enter those parameters and GCN is the first club that pops up in the search menu. With 138K members, this is a big brand club who share content from their YouTube channel, along with competitions and advice. If you want something more local, a club like Bristol Cyclists, with 1,863 members, might be a better fit. Simply tap on the club you’re interested in and hit the Join button. It’s as easy as that. 

STRAVA GUIDE: Features to Take Your Training to The Next Level

If you’re looking for a specific club, you can simply type its name into the search bar. Some clubs are private, meaning club owners and administrators will have to approve requests to join.

Now that you know how to enter the world of clubs, here’s five ways to make the most of them.

Learn From the Locals

If you already run or ride occasionally with a group, joining their Strava club, or creating one if they don’t already have one, is a great way to extend the benefits of group workouts to the days when you’re working out solo. Local clubs are kind of like a virtual locker room – a space for banter, motivation, and some friendly competition.

Club posts are essentially a message board for club members where you can ask questions, organize group runs or rides and share information about a local race you’re thinking of entering. Invaluable stuff if you want to get faster, and have more fun while you’re at it.

RELATED: Strava Guide: How to Break Your 5K PR, With a Little Help From Strava

Friendly Competition

If you’re someone who thrives on competition, you won’t want to miss out on club leaderboards. In the app, tap “Stats” to open up the club leaderboard. Here you’ll see the total club miles or kilometers, along with a top-ten leaderboard showing the athletes in the club who have logged the most mileage. Of course, you shouldn’t adjust your training to simply top a club leaderboard, but it can be a bit of fun motivation when you’re struggling to get out the door on a cold and wet morning.

Join an Event 

The “Events” feature is, in my opinion, a bit of a hidden gem. From big group runs hosted by brands, to the Sunday morning spin and coffee that your local cycling club organizes, events are an easy way to discover opportunities to work out with other people.

If you’re part of a local club, here’s more information on how you can create an event yourself. It’s easy – you just input all the essential information like the time, distance, place and the route and Strava will package it all into an event and send group members a notification letting them know about it. Pretty great, right?

Elite Inspiration

I’m not trying to get your Strava feed to look like Instagram, I promise, but brand clubs are a great way to discover some of the coolest things happening on Strava, and be motivated by the incredible exploits of others. The biggest brands in sport like Nike, Wahoo and Salomon share everything from the activities of their professional athletes, to challenges, giveaways and events.

One of my favorite brand clubs is Red Bull. They share the wildest, most impressive activities from their pro athletes, like this recent post about Japanese athlete Ruy Ueda who set a world record for running up Mt. Fuji four times.

RELATED: Strava Routes and Heatmap - Find New Places to Go

Get the Inside Scoop

The biggest club on Strava is The Strava Club which has a massive 5.3 million members. Aside from seeing all the coolest activities and stories happening in the Strava universe – think Tour de France wins and ultra-running world records – I love the Strava Club because you get all the latest updates on Strava’s newest features. And, more valuable than anything, the Strava experts share tips on how to make the most of those features. If you join just one club, make it The Strava Club.

Four Strava Clubs You Should Join

Because it's Strava: The Strava Club

Part coach, part feature guru, part inspirational magazine, there’s a reason the Strava Club is Strava’s biggest club with over 5 million members. You’ll get the inside scoop on the newest features and discover the coolest activities happening all across Strava.

For running inspiration: HellahGood Run Club

If you don't know Hellah Sidibe we need to change that. Hellah has been running every day for five years straight (and counting). With his HellahGood Run Club, he has built a space for runners of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to share tips and advice, and motivate one another to get out there and run.

For cycling inspiration: Global Cycling Network (GCN)

Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN is best known for its YouTube content, but its Strava Club is not to be missed. Expect interesting discussions on topics such as the best Strava rides and how to get more kudos, along with competitions and analysis of the biggest cycling races in the world. 

If you've got a race coming up: New York Road Runners, London Marathon, another event...

The chances are, if you're entering a race there will be a club for it on Strava. Race organizers use Strava Clubs to send out race information, tips, and training motivation. So next time you enter a race, be sure to find the Strava Club.

For something a bit different: Sad Girl Track Club

Part run club, part therapy session, Sad Girl Track Club has created a global community where runners can share their highs, lows, and humorous mishaps. There's no judgment here, and runners can be as happy - or sad - they like.