🏃‍♀️ Hardrock 100 New Women's Course Record

Good morning, Stoke Crew. Sunrise starts are becoming as routine as your morning coffee addiction, except these habits actually improve your life.

In today's report

• Hardrock 100 updates
• Nederland to Buy Eldora
• More E-bikes on Summit County Trails?
• Goldstone continues to dominate

Today’s Stoke Story

🏃‍♀️ Hardrock 100 New Women's Course Record

The Report: Katie Schide dominated the 2025 Hardrock 100 with a stunning course record performance of 25:50:23, breaking Courtney Dauwalter's previous mark by 21 minutes and becoming the first woman to run under 26 hours in either direction, while Ludovic Pommeret age 49 successfully defended his title in 22:21:53 for back-to-back victories! Schide, running her first Hardrock after temporarily relocating from France to Colorado for two months of specific training, led from early on and finished sixth overall in a performance that further cements her status as one of ultrarunning's biggest stars alongside her 2024 Western States and UTMB victories.

The Details:

• Katie Schide course record: 25:50:23 (21 minutes faster than Dauwalter's previous mark)
• Ludovic Pommeret defends title in 22:21:53, second-fastest counterclockwise time ever
• French sweep of men's podium: 1st Pommeret, 2nd Blanchard, 3rd Grangier
• 102-mile course with 33,000+ feet of climbing through San Juan Mountains

Local Stokelight

⛷️ Historic Win: Nederland Beats Corporate Giants to Buy Eldora

In one of the most remarkable moves in ski industry history, the town of Nederland, Colorado - population just 1,500 - has officially signed a letter of intent to purchase Eldora Mountain Resort from industry giant POWDR for an estimated $100-200 million! The deal, announced July 8th and set to close by October, will be funded entirely through municipal revenue bonds backed by the resort's own earnings from lift tickets, Ikon Pass payments, and other mountain revenue - meaning zero taxpayer dollars will be used. Nederland will partner with 303 Ski, a coalition of veteran Colorado ski industry operators, to manage the transition while keeping all 700+ Eldora employees in their jobs as town workers with town benefits. The purchase represents a grassroots victory against corporate consolidation in an industry dominated by mega-companies like Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company, with Nederland aiming to create a year-round, community-driven destination that maintains Eldora's beloved local character while staying on the Ikon Pass indefinitely.

Why It Matters: This acquisition flips the script on ski industry consolidation, proving that small communities can successfully compete against corporate giants to preserve their local mountains. For Nederland, owning Eldora means controlling its economic future while potentially using surplus revenue for community improvements like affordable housing, and infrastructure. The deal could serve as a model for other mountain towns facing similar pressures from corporate ownership, showing that grassroots efforts can succeed when communities unite around shared values of affordability and local control.

Mountain Briefing

🚵 Summit County E-Bike Debate

The Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance just dropped a comprehensive stance on e-bike access that's backed by serious research from federal agencies and outdoor organizations, supporting Class 1 e-bikes while systematically debunking common concerns about environmental damage and trail conflicts! After extensive review of studies from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, International Mountain Biking Association, and University of Vermont, the organization concluded that Class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist up to 20 mph) have "indistinguishable" impact from regular mountain bikes with negligible soil displacement and no increase in accidents where permitted. The alliance specifically opposes Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes with throttles, focusing their advocacy on expanding access beyond the current restrictions. Despite presenting research to local officials, the alliance faces resistance from decision makers.

Events

🥇 Goldstone's Streak Snapped as Bruni Dominates in Andorra

Jackson Goldstone's incredible 2025 World Cup winning streak finally came to an end in dramatic fashion at the Andorran round, where a resurgent Loic Bruni absolutely obliterated the field with a dominant performance that secured victory by over 1.2 seconds! Goldstone had been on an absolute tear this season, winning four consecutive World Cup rounds and matching a feat not seen in elite men's racing since Aaron Gwin's legendary 2012 campaign, with only one defeat all season prior to this weekend. However, Bruni's storming run down the Andorran course proved unstoppable, crossing the finish line 1.279 seconds clear of the Canadian superstar to claim his second race win of 2025.

Name That Nature

🔍 How to Identify Prickly Rose

Welcome to Name That Nature section! I share a photo of a wildflower spotted in Colorado and we learn its name and how to identify it. I took this photo during a bike ride on Doctor Park trail near Crested Butte.

Today's Flower: Prickly Rose

🌸 Flowers

• Color: Pink to light magenta
• Shape: Almost always has five petals
• Center: Bright yellow stamens in a circular cluster

📏 Plant Size

• Flower Size: 2 inch across.
• Height: Typically 2 to 4 inches tall

🏞️ Grows in

• Often found growing under aspens, spruce, and pines

Off Topic! But Still Cool!

🦖 Dinosaur bones found under dinosaur museum in Denver

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science just proved that sometimes the best discoveries happen in your own backyard - or in this case, 700 feet below it! While drilling test holes for a geothermal energy conversion project in their north parking lot, museum staff accidentally discovered a 67.5-million-year-old dinosaur bone from the late Cretaceous Era.

Trailhead Trivia

What year did Eldora ski resort open?

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