Dylan Johnson, Russell Finsterwald and Haley Smith headline 80-rider Wild Card pool vying for spots in the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix
Nearly 80 riders are battling for just 6 spots in the off-road series and a share of a $350,000 prize purse
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Life Time today unveiled a stacked roster of Wild Card participants, including some familiar names like Russell Finsterwald, Dylan Johnson, Haley Smith and Emily Newsom.
Entering its fifth year, the Life Time Grand Prix is the most prestigious off-road racing series in America. The series features the most challenging gravel and mountain bike events across the country, contested by a hand-picked cast of 44 international contestants vying for the overall series title and a big chunk of change.
Introduced ahead of the 2025 season, the Wild Card process gives riders who were not selected in the initial selection a chance to make their mark. To be selected as a Wild Card, athletes must have applied for the 2026 series, indicated they want to be included in the Wild Card pool, and must compete at both the Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound. Wild Card riders will be scored on their performances at these two events, with the top three women and men being added to the 2026 Grand Prix.
In 2025, the Wild Card race led to a breakout series performance by Cameron Jones, who not only rode himself into the series, but he also won Unbound and Little Sugar before unseating Keegan Swenson for the first time since the series' inception to take the overall series title.
“The Wild Card selection has quickly become one of the most anticipated elements of the Life Time Grand Prix, and the caliber of the 2026 roster reflects the incredible depth we’re seeing in off-road cycling today,” said Kimo Seymour, Senior Vice President of Events at Life Time and Director of the Life Time Grand Prix.
"The Wild Card spots are proof that the Life Time Grand Prix cares about finding the strongest riders on the scene,” added Cameron Jones.“It gave me the chance to prove that a Wild Card entry isn’t just a filler spot, it’s a chance for a genuine contender to shake up the standings. I truly believe that the talent pool is deep enough now that we may well see another Wild Card take the overall title in 2026.”
Life Time has reserved six slots in the Grand Prix for Wild Card riders, three in the women’s field and three in the men’s field. But the competition will be stiff as nearly 80 riders have applied to be part of the Wild Card pool.
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These hopefuls aren’t unknown names by any means. There’s Dylan Johnson, the prominent YouTuber has participated in the series four consecutive years but missed out on selection due to a 2025 season riddled with bad luck.
Likewise, Russell Finsterwald has participated in every Grand Prix since its inception, finishing in the top 10 of the overall standings three times. He’ll surely be one to watch in the Wild Card race. Other notable names include Lance Haidet, Adam Roberge and Cole Davis.
On the women’s side, the big name in the Wild Card pool is Haley Smith. An Olympian from Canada, Smith is the only other woman besides Sofia Gomez Villafañe to have won the series, and she's been a consistent name in the field. But a below-par season saw her missing out on selection. Other familiar faces include former WorldTour rider Emily Newsom, Deanna Mayles, Hannah Shell and Brit Danni Shrosbree.
The 2026 Life Time Grand Prix kicks off on Thursday, April 16th, at the Sea Otter Classic. Unbound Gravel, the world’s premier gravel race, follows on Saturday, May 30th.
Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.
Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 12 years in cycling.
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