The fourth season of the show was Life Time Grand Prix starts on Thursday at the Sea Otter Classic in the coastal hills near Monterey, California. This event will carry many similarities to earlier Sea Otter competitions, yet differs from the last three LTGP races held at Sea Otter, as it will feature gravel bikes instead of mountain bikes.
In addition to modifications to the structure of the calendar , Lifetime has introduced new participants while decreasing the overall rider count and included a wildcard competition, and implemented a no-draft rule Continue reading for an exploration of all these updates and to find out which competitors to keep an eye on during the tournament's inaugural matches.
The calendar
Exactly: This year, Life Time revised the schedule, reducing the number of events to six from last season's seven. They also transformed the Sea Otter competition into a gravel race, although it will continue to take place at the Fort Ord National Monument, much like the previous mountain biking route.
The significant alteration to the schedule is the removal of Crushar in the Tushar and The Rad Dirt Fest in favour of Little Sugar , a technically challenging, singletrack-focused mountain biking competition in Bentonville, Arkansas, held one week prior to the season-ending event at Big Sugar Gravel .
- April 11th: Sea Otter Classic Gravel Event
- May 31st: UNBOUND Gravel 200
- August 9th: Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race
- September 13th: Chequamegon MTB Festival
- October 12th: Little Sugar Mountain Bike Race
- October 18th: Big Sugar Gravel Race
The series guidelines permit a single-race drop. Nevertheless, racers aiming for a spot on the podium contend that unless they face an illness or injury, skipping a race isn’t advisable due to the associated risks. For those competing for the overall title, participating in Big Sugar is non-negotiable; it also acts as a deciding factor in the final point standings.
Due to the scheduling modifications, the The Leadville 100 mountain bike competition is currently the sole event happening in thin air, which could be a disadvantage for the three-time series champion. Keegan Swenson .
The timing of the races is somewhat gentler for competitors’ travel plans, providing athletes with additional opportunities to recover and train before each event.
The contenders
Before we dive into the remaining changes, let’s highlight some noteworthy racers. Given that you're reading this, you probably already know about the three-time series champion. Keegan Swenson As we noted earlier, the absence of high-altitude competitions means the athlete from Utah potentially has a somewhat lower probability of success. Nevertheless, he performs well in sea-level races and securing victory over Swenson will be his primary objective.
To be frank, the competition for the men’s overall title in the Life Time Grand Prix has grown somewhat monotonous throughout the last three seasons. It resembles the era when Team Sky dominated the Tour de France or how they control it presently. Tadej Pogačar era .
Who can challenge him?
The previous year, he was defeated in LTGP races exclusively by these men. Lachlan Morton at Unbound Gravel and Alexey Vermeulen At Big Sugar, Morton isn’t competing for the Grand Prix this season, but Vermeulen will surely pose a significant challenge. Other formidable participants in the series include Matt Beers , Zachary Calton, Russell Finsterwald, Dylan Johnson Payson McElveen, Cole Paton, and Torbjørn André Røed.
One narrative I'm following this season involves the surge of international cyclists joining the LTGP peloton. Notably, there’s former Italian road racing champion Mattia De Marchi, known for his fifth-place finish. Unbound Last year, an Ethiopian ex-Grand Tour cyclist. Tsgabu Grmay , with French mountain biker Hugo Drechou joining as well. Additionally, Lawrence Naesen and Simon Pellaud come aboard from across the ocean.
Within the female riders competing on loose terrain, Sofia Gomez Villafane Still, she remains the top choice following her victory in two instances. The sole female competitor to have triumphed over her in the overall category is from Canada. Haley Smith , who has started the season well with a fifth-place finish at the Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona.
Former American professional road cyclist Lauren De Crescenzo always poses a risk on gravel courses, just like Paige Onweller At the mountain bike competition, keep an eye on cyclists such as Hannah Otto, Alexis Skarda, and Melisa Rollins.
Following this global athlete pattern are Australian Courtney Sherwell, who secured second place at BWR Arizona, and Axelle Dubau-Prevot, whose sibling is the multiple-time champion across various disciplines including XCO, road racing, and cyclocross. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot Michaela Thompson, who secured third place at Leadville last year, is competing once more this season; however, her off-season preparation was curtailed because of an injury.
Wild card system
The contenders for the overall LTPG title beyond these initial participants remain uncertain until after the completion of the first two races. Life Time has reduced the roster size to 25 male and 25 female cyclists per division; however, so far, they have confirmed participation from just 22 athletes in each group. This adjustment is due to an upcoming wildcard system scheduled for implementation in 2025. Following the events at Sea Otter and Unbound, three more cyclists will earn spots across all categories, securing their place throughout the entire Grand Prix series.
The wildcard selections have been revealed, and these lists are as crowded as an early morning brunch at IHOP. Be sure to keep tabs on past Unbound champion Amity Rockwell and newcomer Anna Yamauchi in the women’s category. For the men’s lineup, we’ll also be closely monitoring Norway’s Jonas Orset and Petr Vakoč, who previously rode with Team Alpecin-Fenix.
For this season, Life Time has added a U23 category aimed at discovering and fostering youthful potential. Participants need to take part in four out of the six events to accumulate their total scores, with the Big Sugar event acting as a deciding factor. Those who top the rankings in both male and female divisions will secure automatic entries into the elite Grand Prix competitions set for 2026.
The riders to keep an eye on in the U23 class are Ruth Holcomb, Emily Stapleton, Griffin Hoppin, and Luke Mosteller.
No-draft rule
Lifetime has finally implemented a no-draft policy after Women riders have been advocating for this for years. In last year's Grand Prix races, the events included distinct starting times for women and men. no-draft rule f Furthermore, the women’s division has been granted its dedicated competition. Riders from various categories are no longer allowed to draft behind one another. Women cyclists cannot draft off male groups, nor can men draft off female groups anymore. Each category will now compete independently without being affected by other categories on the course.
Sea Otter Gravel
The Sea Otter Gravel route includes a single loop of 30 miles, with the Grand Prix cyclists completing three such loops for an overall distance of 90 miles plus over 8,000 feet of elevation gain. This path shares comparable landscapes with the Fuego XL mountain biking trail yet remains exclusively on unpaved roads. These tracks are notably rugged, loose-surfaced, grooved, and include steep ascents. As each circuit progresses towards completion, they culminate at the challenging ascent known as Lookout Ridge—a significant incline previously part of last year’s mountain bike event. Should competitors maintain cohesion throughout the contest, victory might well be decided during this decisive uphill push.
Who might excel? Besides the aforementioned cyclists, Alex Wild resides approximately one hour away from Monterey and consistently performs well at Sea Otter. Additionally, Villafane, Otto, Smith, Skarda, Swenson, Vermeulen, Beers, Finsterwald, and Paton have all secured podium finishes at Sea Otter as well.
As typical, Life Time will release updates on Instagram during the event and post a highlights compilation online YouTube There hasn't been any announcement regarding the potential for a live stream. Cycling Weekly I will also provide updates on all that happened during the race.
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