I think you need to take these leaderboards with a grain of salt as many on the top don't seem accurate. I think there might be some discrepancies as a result of poor calibration.
Yes, I like to look at them as they're a real measure of dedication and potentially to the goals we all have set out for ourselves. Of course ride duration is another one to factor in.What is a ride record? The number of training sessions that you've done? The idea of a leaderboard sounds neat, even though I would likely come in somewhere at the bottom lol.
I think it was just a natural move with how much online social platforms rule our lives.The competitive aspect of their platform was an ingenious idea and its a great motivator/incentive to keep up with your training. Its also important to note that downtime is just as important, so you should be setting intervals for yourself. Three times a week with a day in between each session seems to be the norm.