The USA’s flagship gravel competitors, the Life Time Grand Prix, has introduced that it’ll have a smaller subject and wildcard entries in 2025.
Whereas there may be nonetheless one final occasion nonetheless to return this yr, Huge Sugar Gravel on Saturday 19 October, the six races on subsequent yr’s calendar have already been confirmed.
Launched in 2022, the Life Time Grand Prix is a season-long race collection wherein a forged of handpicked opponents journey throughout america to contest the nation’s hardest gravel and mountain bike endurance occasions. The racer who stands atop of the ultimate collection podium can name themselves the most effective unpaved racer within the nation and took house a big of the $300,000 prize purse this yr.
25 girls and 25 males can be on the beginning line subsequent yr, down from 30 every this yr. Nonetheless, of these 25 spots, three can be left for wildcard entries till after the opening two rounds. The highest scorers in these, who haven’t already obtained a spot, will then get a second likelihood at entry to the remainder of the collection. The sphere had already been minimize for 2024.
Former rounds of the Life Time Grand Prix, like Crushar within the Tushar and Rad Dust Fest have missed out on being a part of the collection subsequent yr. Of their place, Little Sugar MTB has been entered within the week forward of Huge Sugar Gravel. In the meantime, the entire competitors can be kicked off by the Sea Otter Basic Gravel, reasonably than the Fuego XL 100K MTB at Sea Otter Basic.
The collection begins on 11 April at Sea Otter, and is adopted by Unbound Gravel 200 on 31 Might; after this, the wildcard entries can be allowed in. It finishes with the Huge Sugar Gravel, like this yr, on 18 October.
In between, there’s additionally the Leadville Path 100 MTB on 9 August, and the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Pageant on 13 September. At present, Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised) and Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz) lead the ladies’s and males’s classes in 2024.
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“We’re excited to announce these updates to the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix as we consider it can make the fourth version of the collection essentially the most dynamic one but,” Kimo Seymour, Life Time’s president of media and occasions, mentioned.
“We’re simply wrapping up the 2024 collection – solely our third season – however we’ve already seen immense progress in our objective of bringing extra followers and rising the game of biking domestically.
“From regularly bought out occasions to the success of our Life Time Grand Prix Race Highlights recap video collection on YouTube, it’s clear the urge for food for skilled and leisure off-road biking within the U.S. is constant to develop.”
