Spotted: Leadville 100 Course Record, a Tour de France Nailbiter & Coco

From a new course record at Leadville Trail 100 to the tightest of tight finishes at the Tour de France Femmes, there was plenty to keep an eye on on Strava this past week.

This weekend in Leadville, Colorado, David Roche, a two-time national champion in sub-ultra distance trail running, shattered the long-standing course record for the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon. Roche finished the 100 mile / 161km "Race Across the Sky" in 15:26:34, more than 16 minutes ahead of the previous record set by Matt Carpenter in 2005. Even more impressive? This was Roche's first 100-mile race, and the 36-year-old won this year's race by a whopping 30 minutes.

Among women runners at Leadville, Mary Denholm finished first, clocking the second-fastest women's time ever on the course.

On the heels of the Leadville MTB 100, another big gravel race took place in Colorado this past weekend: the 2024 SBT GRVL race. Reigning elite gravel champions Keegan Swenson and Lauren Stephens finished first on the grueling 125-mile / 200km course, which included an additional 1,000 feet / 304 meters of elevation this year. Coming off a decisive victory at Leadville, Swenson continued to dominate: he crossed the finish line on Saturday eight minutes ahead of the next fastest racers. Meanwhile, Stephens, who has been eyeing a win at SBT GRVL since the race was announced five years ago, finished 13 minutes ahead of second-place finisher (and last year's champion) Sofia Gomez Villafane.

Staying on two wheels, but going from gravel to concrete, the Vuelta a España kicked off in Portugal on Saturday, with Brandon McNulty 🇺🇸 taking the win in the first stage, a time trial. Kaden Groves 🇦🇺 edged out a stage 2 victory, while Wout van Aert 🇧🇪 cemented his hold on the Red Jersey with a win in stage 3.

Meanwhile the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift wrapped up in dramatic style, with Kasia Niewiadoma 🇵🇱 claiming a first victory by the narrowest of margins (4 seconds) over a charging Demi Vollering 🇳🇱 on the slopes of the Alpe d'Huez. Marianne Vos 🇳🇱 took home the green jersey, Puck Pieterse 🇳🇱 snagged the white jersey, and Justine Ghekiere 🇧🇪 was best climber.

Many hikers sleep in the mountain huts that dot the Via Alta, a challenging, technical hike with breathtaking views in Switzerland's Ticino region. While for most it's a multi-day hike, Mickey Glück decided to run the route, which features almost 14,000 ft / 4,267 m of elevation. On his way, he set a new FKT on the Via Alta della Verzasca segment, with a total time of 9:34:18.

And, finally, one of our favorite Strava Artists, Lenny Maughan was back in action last week - and paying homage to his friend's dog, Coco. Coco passed away last year, and Lenny and Richard went on this 23 mile / 38km run to celebrate her life.