Strava has kicked off the new year by launching a new Annual Achievements feature, allowing users to compete for yearly titles.

The ever-popular route mapping and tracking app is well known for its King of the Mountains segments and now – as the number of Strava users continues to grow – riders can compete to be crowned best of the year in the KOM, Queen of the Mountains and Course Record categories.

The move is designed to help support yearly progress for riders while maintaining the records already set on segments across the globe.

Director of international marketing Gareth Nettleton said of the new feature: “We’re thinking of this as honouring the world record holder in the marathon but also recognising the leaders each year.

“We know that for many of our athletes on Strava, they plan goals and track improvements a year at a time.

“The new Annual Achievements leaderboards give priority to yearly progress and give Strava members the chance to stake their claim in 2015, while still respecting the all-time achievements of Strava members.”

The feature went live on New Year’s Day and will see Annual Achievements trophies added to the app.

Strava members can now filter to view yearly leaderboards, making it easier to track progress over the course of a year.

Previously earned records will live on as all-time records and badges of honour, according to Strava, and all-time achievements will always supersede annual ones in the segment results section.

New icons have been added to coincide with the Annual Achievements launch, with the segment results section of an activity showing solid icons for all-time achievements and outlined icons for annual ones.

Strava is encouraging members to set goals for 2015 and tackle segments sensibly and safely as outlined in Stand With Us, a few simple guidelines created to ensure that Strava’s impact is positive.

For more information, visit Strava’s blog.