Peter Stetina has been one of many high protagonists within the Life Time Grand Prix because the collection launched in 2022, however he won’t return for a fourth season of the invitation-only discipline of athletes competing for the richest collection purse in off-road racing. That doesn’t imply the 37-year-old’s profession is coming to an finish, however he was seeking to “concentrate on the races that actually go well with me” and prioritise “high quality over amount”.
“I am late 30s, you recognize, I am within the waning years of my profession now. Within the remaining time I’ve left in an expert capability, I must concentrate on the races that really go well with me,” he informed Cyclingnews.
“The Grand Prix is superior. It has actually elevated North American biking to the forefront of a self-discipline once more, and that is superb. There’s a spot for that, however for me, the collection would not make sense”.
All elite riders vying for spots on the Life Time Grand Prix 50-rider roster, a stability of 25 girls and 25 males, wanted to submit functions by October 28. For the primary time because the Grand Prix launched within the 2022 season, Stetina’s title can be absent from the listing. He was considered one of 4 elite males, together with three-time winner Keegan Swenson, Russell Finsterwald and Cole Paton, who had completed within the high 10 all three years, which suggests taking a share within the $250,000 or extra prize purse.
“The folks on the Life Time Grand Prix are mates. We speak repeatedly and we bounce concepts off one another. And it has been a extremely enjoyable course of in being one of many names in these first generations of the Grand Prix. As I began to take a look at it this 12 months, it simply form of grew to become extra of a private choice,” he defined.
“The Grand Prix skews towards the mountain bike leads to the why it is going to play out. I really like mountain biking, however I’m a specialist at gravel racing, having my highway drop bar background. If I am unburdened by chasing a collection solely, then the door opens to all these different notable gravel races that I have not gotten to but, or which can be cropping up. There’s a number of cool occasions on the market.”
After fifth and sixth general placings within the Grand Prix, Stetina completed ninth in 2024. All three years he competed within the mountain bike opener at Sea Otter Basic, however used the outcomes as a dropped trip within the collection scoring.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, critiques and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
Stetina continues to be crafting his 2025 competitors and journey schedule, sending a primary draft to his “boss”, spouse Dyanna Stetina, as he spoke to Cyclingnews by phone. He confirmed he would compete within the three gravel races which can be a part of the Life Time Grand Prix – Sea Otter Basic Gravel, Unbound Gravel 200 and Huge Sugar Gravel. He’ll begin the season on January 26 at Low Hole, a part of the Grasshopper Journey Collection near his northern California dwelling, then return to The Rock Cobbler and The Midsouth.
“Unbound continues to be the largest on the earth, and Huge Sugar and Sea Otter Gravel are going to be very infamous. So I count on to be at these three nonetheless,” he confirmed.
In 2024, Stetina stretched the bandwidth of participation throughout a handful of various mixed-surface race collection – Life Time Grand Prix, Gravel Earth Collection, BWR’s Tripel Crown of Gravel and the northern California Grasshopper Journey occasions. His “tales and glories” gravel tour included two collection general wins – BWR Tripel Crown and the Grasshopper – in addition to 4 particular person wins, 12 complete podiums and one FKT try throughout 27,500km and 985 hours in 19 occasions.
“My North Star for this coming season is high quality over amount, and specializing in races that transfer the needle for me by way of a outcomes potential or a brand new journey. I assume I’ve to recollect why I got here to this within the first place, and it was a mixture of racing and journey,” he mentioned, having been one of many first WorldTour riders to make the change to solo efforts in off-road races, participating in his first Belgian Waffle Trip in California in 2019.
Gravel Earth Collection curiosity
This previous 12 months Stetina grabbed a signature win at The Traka 360 in Could, which he referred to as “a monumental race for me”. It’s a part of the Gravel Earth Collection, the place Stetina completed third general. He competed within the two US stops on the Oregon Path Gravel Grinder and Ukiah-Mendo Gravel Epic, which allowed Stetina to remain near his two-year-old twins, after which completed third at Ranxo Gravel in Spain a number of weeks in the past to say third general in that international collection.
“There’s a number of curiosity from the US proper now within the Gravel Earth Collection. I feel they’re going to have a presence right here that riders can concentrate on. I need to be very clear, I am not selecting the collection over Life Time. It is simply that their races are a gravel bike focus, and they’re new adventures for me. There’s some cool new stuff on the market,” Stetina mentioned.
“One of many ones I am actually excited for known as The Final Grizzly, and it is from the organizers of Oregon Path. It will be a three-day stage race in northern Utah, which can be tremendous cool.”
The Final Grizzly Gravel will maintain its inaugural occasion September 20-22 as a point-to-point race with in a single day tenting. It’s anticipated to be considered one of 5 new occasions from the US within the Gravel Earth Collection, which broadcasts its 2025 schedule on November 7.
Stetina might not discover the Life Time Grand Prix a match within the closing stretch of his profession path, however he mentioned it was a chance for different athletes to earn a dwelling, particularly these searching for efficiency incentives and never banking on privateer-only contracts and endorsements.
“There’s a number of younger, proficient riders there out proper now who nonetheless haven’t got a motorbike sponsor for subsequent 12 months, despite the fact that it is the eleventh hour. For me, I am set, I am doing simply superb. However for an up-and-comer, in the event that they get the nod they’re within the Grand Prix, there’s an excellent likelihood to land a motorbike sponsor.”
In 2025, the Life Time Grand Prix discipline will break up a $280,000 prize purse among the many high 10 men and women. Now all six occasions within the collection will every provide a $30,000 race prize purse, open to all athletes within the high 5. Stetina would like to simply go after extra glory, and just a little money, on his personal schedule.
“I am nonetheless gonna line up at these three and I am actually completely satisfied to know that I could make some ‘Christmas cash’,” Stetina mentioned with a brief chuckle. “And that is the opposite factor too. The privateer mannequin, we’re making a dwelling by way of contracts and endorsements. You’ll be able to’t ever financial institution on prize cash. That is like a bonus, is how you need to view that.”
