Bravo! I thought I was about to read a review of yet another motivational app, but I couldn't agree with you more. Competition and striving for goals are highly overrated in our society, IMHO. Simple enjoyment of a pleasurable activity seems to be forgotten these days, but it can lead to progress in areas you might not have realized were important.
Usually this comes at the expense of pedestrians because cyclists rarely practice the share-the-road they preach.