Strava announces surface types and personal heat maps have now been added to mobile app
Previously Strava users could only see these features on the desktop version of the app


Strava has announced it has released personal heat maps and surface type maps to the mobile app.
The new features went live on Thursday, October 7 and can now be used world-wide by Strava users. These new features can be used by the paid subscribers and free app users.
With the surface type map, this is a new feature that will likely be welcome on mobile as Strava release their new 'Stat Map' that showcases trail and gravel adventures, with the latest addition letting you record all types of terrain that you cover during your rides.
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All riders need to do to use this feature is to go to activity detail, edit and then choose map. You have the app version 223 or greater to use this.
This will be a popular feature, especially as gravel cycling continues to grow in this boom that part of the sport has seen over the last five years. This also includes the new UCI gravel World Cup series and World Championships which will take place in 2022.
The personal heat map feature may not be new for regular users on desktop, but it is for the mobile side of things with it finally being added to the list of features on the mobile app.
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You can look at you personal heat map and see every single ride you have been on over the time you've used Strava.
As you can see from the screenshot, roads you've ridden on more have a thicker line compared to ones you've ridden once or twice.
You can also select the colour your regular routes will show.
Along with the terrain tracking feature on Strava, you will be able to see every single segment in your local area and study them to see if you'd be able to target any of them for yourself.
To use this feature users need to, go to Maps in the app, go onto map layers icon. Users should then tap on the heatmaps and it can be edited from there.
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
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