If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That appears to have been the case with Competitive Cyclist’s partnership with Strava, where riders earned store credit for hours ridden. After halting the program due to unexpectedly high demand, the online retailer recently released details of its revised partnership, which replaces the pay-to-ride program with drawings and awards based on Strava goals and challenges.
The backstory
In April, Competitive Cyclist rolled out a pay-to-ride program that allowed Strava users to earn one US dollar in store credit for each hour spent riding up to a maximum of US$40 in store credit per month.
Competitive Cyclist didn’t foresee how popular this program would become. Demand was six times higher than expected, forcing the company to reevaluate the program and shut it down two weeks after launching it.
How the new program works
As with the previous program, users are required to have accounts with both Strava and Competitive Cyclist. That’s about all the two programs have in common, however.
Hours on the bike no longer equal store credit, but rather, factor into users' credibility scores
The revised program replaces monetary incentives with less tangible inducements, such as increasing users’ “credibility scores” based on time ridden per week. This score is reflected in users gear reviews on the Competitive Cyclist website.
Users will also be automatically entered into prize drawings. The first drawing will be for a Colnago CX Zero Evo, an Ibis Mojo HD3, and a GT Grade. Winners will be announced July 2.
Users who earned credits through the original program can still redeem them for store credit until they expire on May 31 at 11:59 MDT.
For more information, visit www.competitivecyclist.com/strava.
