Spotted on Strava: Paralympics, Vuelta & Bike Races Across the Sea

From the Paralympics to the Vuelta, by way of a bicycle race across the Mediterranean Sea, there has been plenty to look out for on Strava this week.

A sensational summer of sport in France reached a grand finale at the Paralympics in Paris, with athletes taking - and tracking - their medal performances across a variety of disciplines. From Chris Hammer in the Para Triathlon to Sophie Unwin and Mitch Valize in the road race, more than 41 medal performances and 13 gold medals were tracked on Strava during the Games. Chapeau everyone!

It was a particularly busy week for pro cycling in Europe, with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of Britain both wrapping up. Primoz Roglic took the Red Jersey at the Vuelta for a record-equalling fourth time, finishing 2:36 up on Australia's Ben O'Connor, with Enric Mas in third. Meanwhile, over in the UK Stevie Williams held off Oscar Onley (+16 seconds) to take the GC for the Tour of Britain.

We're staying in the UK but heading North for the world's biggest half marathon. The Great North Run has been attracting runners for 43 years, with over 60,000 taking to the streets around Newcastle in 2024. Abel Kipchumba won the men's race in 59:52, while Kenya's Mary Ngugi-Cooper won the women's in 1:07:40 after a sprint finish, with Britain's Eilish McColgan finishing fifth, just five seconds off the winner.

Sticking with running but heading up into the mountains, and this weekend saw the Sky Running World Championships in Soria, Spain. Alain Santamaría took an impressive double victory, winning the vertical kilometer (VK) and the Skyrace in the space of three days. Naiara Irigoyen won the women's VK, and Louise Jernberg the women's sky race.

There are many ways to cross the Mediterranean. Some go by plane, others by boat, and a few have even tried to swim it. Not many cycle. Last week, a few intrepid teams did just that as part of The Crossing - a charity relay race from Corsica to Monaco - roughly 83 miles / 135km (depending on weather conditions). Team Lionheart were the quickest across the water, with Valtteri Bottas' Team Serenity coming in fourth.

And, finally, heading down to Australia now to celebrate the most Australian of sports: AFL (Australian Rules Football). Big Bird GPS Art penned this impressive image during a run in his local park in Melbourne - the spiritual home of AFL.