Segments are a key part of the Strava community for many. They are stretches of road or trail created by members where athletes can compare times. The segments can be used to compete with others or to follow your own progress over time.
A great example of the power of Strava Segments can be found in Suunto ambassador Philipp Reiter’s home village of Bad Reichenhall in Southern Germany. “The trail up Dötzenkopf is a steep 1,8 km uphill with 400 meters of elevation gain”, says Suunto ambassador Philipp Reiter. “It’s my favorite training area and I have been up there more than 1500 times. From the top you have a nice view over Bad Reichenhall and to Salzburg.”
The power of the trail and the segment is more than the physical challenge of it: it brings people together. “People do it for fitness before and after work, the older people in the morning. During Easter and Christmas, they prepare a little tree and hang decoration. It’s also a social meeting mountain for the locals,” says Philipp.
Strava Live Segments bring the experience of competing on a run or ride segment to your Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race, Suunto Race S, Suunto 9 Peak Pro, Suunto 9 Peak and Suunto 9 Baro watch.
Here’s step by step guidance on how to use the feature.
Connect your Suunto and Strava accounts
Go to your profile in Suunto app and select “Partner services” -> “Connect with Strava”.
Note: If your Suunto and Strava accounts are already connected, you will need to re establish the connection to get the segment data to flow from Strava to your Suunto account: Simply go to the above mentioned "Partner services" section of Suunto app, find "Strava" and tap "disconnect" and then "Connect with Strava" to re-establish the connection.
Select your favorite segments
On the Strava app, go to the Maps tab to find the segments you want to follow on your watch, then hit the star to save it as your favorite. The starred segments will be available for you as live segments on your Suunto. Unstarring a segment in Strava will also remove it from your Suunto.
See your starred segments in Suunto app
In the Suunto app you will see your starred segments, the ones that are synced with your Suunto for live-follow-up: Go to “SuuntoPlus Store” -> “My SuuntoPlus Guides” -> “Strava segments”
Activate Strava Live Segments on your watch
Select Strava Segments Guide for running or cycling in the exercise settings: After selecting your preferred sport mode – but before pressing start – scroll down to “SuuntoPlus” -> “Guides” -> “Strava segments”. Turn them on.
Follow segment data during activity
Strava Live Segments will be added as an extra screen. Scroll right to see it. During your run or ride, you will see how close the closest segment start is. Once you get within 100 meters, the watch will alert you that you are approaching a segment. As you reach the starting point, the segment will start.
During the segment your time will be compared to your personal record (PR), showing you how much ahead or behind you are. If you don’t have a personal best time on that segment, the comparison will be with King/Queen of the Mountain (KOM/QOM). After finishing the segment you will see your segment time, a comparison to your previous PR and whether you managed to earn the new Queen or King of the Mountain crown or not.
See the segments as laps in Suunto app
After chasing segments with SuuntoPlus Strava Segments and syncing your data with Suunto app, you can see the segments as laps in your activity.
Get Strava Subscription with a new Suunto watch
When buying a new Suunto watch you will also receive the Suunto Value Pack, a collection of benefits and treats offered by our partners. One of the benefits is a free, 60-day Strava subscription!
Learn more about Suunto Value Pack