Power Analysis: Courtney and Swenson Dominate Leadville
Leadville Trail 100: A Deep Dive into the 2025 Race and Rider Power Data
The 2025 Leadville Trail 100 was a race for the ages, filled with incredible performances, challenging conditions, and a fascinating look under the hood at the power data driving these elite athletes. Let’s break down the key moments and insights from this year’s event, powered by data from Strava and the Sauce extension.
Men’s Race: Swenson Claims victory, Just Shy of the Record
The men’s race saw a thrilling battle at the front, ultimately won by Howard Grotts with a time of 5 hours 45 minutes and 35 seconds. While a victory is always sweet, Swenson came incredibly close to breaking the course record, missing it by a mere two minutes. The final miles, battling a relentless headwind, proved to be the ultimate test.
Powering Through the Pain: Pellaud and Swenson’s Data
Looking at the power data, we can see just how hard these riders were pushing.
Pellaud – Powerline: 28:41, Normalized Power of 282w (4.1w/kg) with a Sea Level Estimated equivalent of ~332w (4.8w/kg).
Swenson: 24:21 at ~4.8w/kg, translating to a Sea Level Estimated Equivalent of ~5.9w/kg.
This data highlights the significant effort required to compete at this level. The Sea Level Estimated Equivalent adjusts for altitude,giving us a clearer picture of the riders’ true power output. Swenson’s higher w/kg demonstrates his impressive strength and endurance, even though he couldn’t quite overcome the challenging conditions in the final stretch.
Despite pushing as hard as he could, Swenson couldn’t make up time into the final miles of headwind. Gaston secured second place, with Pellaud rounding out the podium in third.
Women’s Race: Courtney Shatters the Course Record
Kate courtney delivered a dominant performance in the women’s race, riding solo from the climb up Columbine and stopping the clock at 6:48:55. this wasn’t just a win; it was a record-breaking ride, surpassing Annika Langvad’s previous mark from 2015 by over 10 minutes!
Courtney’s Record-Breaking Performance
Courtney’s victory was a testament to her incredible fitness and strategic racing. Her ability to ride solo for a significant portion of the course speaks volumes about her strength and mental fortitude.
Meilsa Rollins also had a stellar ride, finishing second with a sub-7-hour time of 6:59:16. Lauren Stephens initially secured third place, but was later disqualified for accepting aid outside of designated crew locations. Cecily Decker was then elevated to the podium in third.
Data Insights and tools
the power analysis data was provided by Strava, and enhanced with the Sauce extension. These tools are invaluable for athletes and fans alike, offering a deeper understanding of race dynamics and individual performance.
Data courtesy of: Strava
Sauce extension: https://saucellc.io/