Spotted on Strava: Pogi's Triple Crown, Berlin Marathon & The Road Runner
多種運動
From Tadej Pogacar making (even more) history, to the Berlin Marathon by way of the Roadrunner, there was a lot to look out for on Strava this week.
Remarkable. Unfathomable. Inevitable...? On Sunday, Tadej Pogacar completed the Triple Crown of Cycling - winning the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and the UCI Road Race World Championships in the same year. In so doing, he joins Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche as the only men to have achieved the feat. Pogacar took the win with a remarkable solo attack with 30 miles / 50km to go. Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel attempted to claw Pogi back on the final lap of the 16 mile / 27km circuit, but the Slovenian held on to take a historic victory.
Before Pogi's history-making win, Lotte Kopecky had taken the women's Road Race World title with an impressive sprint finish on the streets of Zurich. The Belgian, who was part of a six-woman breakaway racing towards the line, fended off late attacks from Demi Vollering and Ruby Roseman-Gannon to take the tape, with America's Chloe Dygert second, and Elisa Longo Borghini third.
While Zurich was playing host to the UCI World Champs, Berlin was hosting the first of the Autumn Marathon Majors. 58,000 runners from 161 countries came together on the iconic course, with Milkesa Mengesha (2:03:17) and Tigist Ketema (2:16:42) winning the men's and women's races respectively. Behind them, plenty of inspiring stories were playing out, including running coach and Strava Stories contributor Nick Bester finally getting his sub-2:20 run, and Ane Andersen taking the title for best Strava caption from Berlin 2024.
From one legendary race to another, last weekend saw the running of Spartathlon - a race steeped in history. The 152 miles / 246 km route follows that of Pheidippides who, in 490 BC, was sent to Sparta to request reinforcements for the beleaguered Greek forces during the Battle of Marathon. Greece's Fotis Zisimopoulos won the men's race (20hrs, 18 mins, 43 secs), with Noora Honkala winning the women's (24 hrs, 25 mins, 8 secs).
And, finally, heading over to San Francisco now to enjoy the Bay Area movement in Strava Art. Lenny Maughan created this excellent depiction of the Road Runner during this run in Golden Gate Park - we particularly enjoyed Lenny's laps of the track that showcase Road Runner's speed. Meep meep.