Former Olympian and returning riders earn Life Time Grand Prix Wild Card spots

UK gravel racer Danni Shrosbree — (Image credit: Life Time)

The 2026 Unbound Gravel delivered victory for some, heartbreak, mechanicals and injuries for others, and mud for everyone. It also brought an end to the battle for the coveted Wild Card spots in the Life Time Grand Prix race series.

The Life Time Grand Prix is North America's most prestigious off-road racing series, consisting of six events across five U.S. states over seven months. In 2026, the series features a 50-rider field competing for a share of a $350,000 overall prize purse, alongside another $240,000 available across the six individual events.

Spots in the series are hand-selected by the organisers and fiercely contested. Ahead of the 2025 season, Life Time introduced a Wild Card programme to give riders who missed out on initial selection another route into the series.

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The concept delivered the series' biggest shake-up yet when, in 2025, New Zealand's Cameron Jones rode his way into the series before winning Unbound Gravel and Little Sugar, and ultimately ending Keegan Swenson's dominance to claim the overall series title.

"[The Wild Card process] 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," Jones said.

For 2026, Life Time reserved three men’s and four women’s places for riders emerging from the Wild Card pool. The fourth spot was added to the women's field after a rider dropped out of the series.

Competition was fierce, with nearly 80 athletes selected for the programme. Riders were scored on their performances at the opening two events of the season — Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound Gravel — with the top performers earning their place in the Grand Prix field.

Now, with the opening two rounds complete, the Wild Card riders have been confirmed.

In the women’s field, familiar faces return in Americans Hannah Shell, Jenna Rinehart and Brit Danni Shrosbree. They're joined by newcomer Charlotte Clarke of New Zealand.

On the men’s side, the series welcomes Latvian Olympic mountain biker Martins Blums, returning riders Matthew Wilson of New Zealand and American Skyler Taylor.

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 14 years in cycling.