The Million Dollar Highway is a narrow, two-lane road that runs above a deep gorge, with sheer rock walls on one side and an unguarded drop on the other. Drivers experience awe-inspiring views of 14,000-foot peaks as they navigate this perilous route.
Jornet's well-publicized States of Elevation project in 2025 was a feat in human endurance, mountain running, and planning. Starting on September 3, he linked 72 of the 14ers in the contiguous U.S in a human-powered fashion - on foot and bike - with a support crew following him and helping with logistics. He started with the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Colorado, then went on to California and north to Washington, finishing on the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier.
Just last week, we reported on two production hardtail mountain bikes with drop bar builds from both Pivot Cycles and Pinarello. The commercial availability of these bikes is undoubtedly tied to the proliferation of drop bars on custom mountain bike builds in the pro field of iconic races like the Leadville Trail 100. In fact, Keegan Swenson raced his drop bar Santa Cruz Blur to his fifth consecutive victory in last year's Leadville race and his fourth in 2024 on board a drop bar hardtail.
GOODLIFE Nutrition is based in Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of Gravel Worlds, and is completely sponsoring the massive $150,000 prize purse. While it is already one of the marquee events on the gravel circuit, the $150,000 payout makes Gravel Worlds the largest single-day prize purse in gravel racing. This is a major investment from the sports nutrition brand GOODLIFE Nutrition and a milestone for the event and, arguably, for the sport of gravel racing itself.
There was heavy snow, ice, rain, and wind in the days leading up to the race. This is a long one, and so it's really early. Last year's men's race was won in 82 hours, and the first-place woman completed the adventure in 87 hours. At the time of this writing on Sunday, Eugeni Roselló Solé (Spain) leads the men, and Johanna Antila (Finland) is in front of the women's race.
This latest iteration offers more cushioning and protection than ever, with an outsole that looks like it could be tread on a small bulldozer. Its generous 43-millimeter stack height at the heel and 35 millimeters under the forefoot for women, with 2 millimeters more on the men's side, and actual weight of 11.1 ounces (314 grams) for a U.S. men's 9 make it anything but svelte, yet the ride is surprisingly forgiving - absorbing impact without feeling sluggish.
When 75-year-old Michael Koppy crossed the finish line of the 2026 Arrowhead 135 Mile on January 28 with 59:30:00 on the clock, he became the oldest ever finisher of the difficult winter race in northern Minnesota. The event, held entirely on snow on the Arrowhead State Trail, often sees temperatures that dip well below zero degrees Fahrenheit and high attrition rates, and this year was no exception, with less than half of the runners finishing the race.