What is a KOM on Strava?
KOM stands for King of the Mountain. On Strava it is the fastest recorded time on a segment's men's leaderboard: the rider who holds it gets a crown on that segment. The women's equivalent is the QOM, Queen of the Mountain. Despite the name, a KOM is not only for climbs: every Strava segment has one, flat roads and sprints included.
A segment is a stretch of road or trail that Strava riders created. Each time you ride it with GPS, your time goes on its leaderboard automatically. Beat the fastest time and the crown is yours, until someone beats yours.
Open the KOM FinderTry it: the best tailwind near you
Type your town and see which popular segments get a tailwind in the next 3 days. No account needed.
How KOMs work
- Strava matches your recorded GPS track to the segments you rode and ranks your time on each segment's leaderboard. Nothing to start or stop: the segment start and finish are fixed points.
- The KOM is the fastest time on the men's leaderboard and the QOM the fastest on the women's. Running segments use CR (Course Record) instead.
- Your own fastest time on a segment is your PR (personal record). You can set a PR on any segment; a crown means your PR is the fastest of everyone.
- Strava also has Local Legends: the rider with the most efforts on a segment in the last 90 days, regardless of speed. It rewards consistency, a KOM rewards speed.
- Times that look implausible (a car ride, a GPS glitch) can be flagged and removed from the leaderboard, so a KOM has to be a real ride.
- Because leaderboards don't account for conditions, many KOMs on flat and exposed roads were set with a strong tailwind. That is also the realistic way to beat them: pick a segment that suits you, then pick the day the wind is behind you.
Strava crowns and records at a glance
The terms you will see on a segment page:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| KOM | King of the Mountain: the fastest time on a segment's men's leaderboard. |
| QOM | Queen of the Mountain: the fastest time on a segment's women's leaderboard. |
| CR | Course Record: the fastest time on a running segment. |
| PR | Personal Record: your own fastest time on a segment. |
| Local Legend | The athlete with the most efforts on a segment in the last 90 days, whatever their speed. |
Frequently asked questions
- What does KOM stand for on Strava?
- King of the Mountain. It comes from the climbing classification in road races like the Tour de France, but on Strava every segment has a KOM, including flat ones.
- What is the difference between a KOM and a QOM?
- The KOM is the fastest time on the men's leaderboard of a segment, the QOM the fastest on the women's. Women's leaderboards are often thinner, so soft and even unclaimed QOMs are more common.
- How do I get a KOM on Strava?
- Pick a segment where the record is within reach for your power and weight, then ride it on a day with a strong tailwind along it, fresh and evenly paced. Tailwind KOMpass finds those segments near you, shows your gap to the record from your own rides, and alerts you when the wind lines up.
- Does wind count on Strava leaderboards?
- No. Strava ranks raw times and doesn't adjust for wind, so a tailwind is fair game. On a flat road a 20 km/h tailwind is often worth more than 50 extra watts, which is why the wind decides so many KOMs.
- Can I lose a KOM?
- Yes. As soon as someone records a faster time, the crown moves to them. Strava notifies you when you lose one.
See which KOMs near you are within reach, and when the wind is on your side.
Open the KOM Finder