The 2024 Life Time Grand Prix came to an exhilarating conclusion this past weekend at the Big Sugar gravel race in Bentonville, Arkansas. The series, known for its gruelling gravel and mountain bike events, saw Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) and Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz-SRAM) crowned champions once again after seven months of intense competition.
Gómez Villafañe solidified her second consecutive Life Time Grand Prix title with a decisive win at Big Sugar Gravel, crossing the line 15 seconds ahead of her competitors. With three Life Time Grand Prix race victories under her belt this season, her dominant ride in Bentonville pushed her final points tally to 138, cementing her place at the top of the leaderboard.
On the men’s side, the pressure was off for Swenson, who had already secured his overall win before Big Sugar. Swenson dominated the series, with four individual race wins and a total of 140 points, making him unbeatable in the overall standings before the final race even began.
Introduced in 2022, the Life Time Grand Prix is a season-long race series in which a cast of handpicked competitors travel across the United States to contest the country's toughest gravel and mountain bike endurance events. The racer who stands atop the final series podium can call themselves the best-unpaved racer in the country.
"It was a great season, I can’t complain! Coming into this race without any pressure and having the win already secured was awesome. Third year in a row so I’m very happy, " Swenson commented. Clearly not tired of winning, he added that he's keen to go for a fourth title, stating: "I’ll fill out the application for next year too - I’m really looking forward to it."
Both riders walked away with a $30,000 prize purse, the top share of the $300,000 prize purse that was divided equally between the top 10 men and women competitors.
“I’m super excited to defend my title from last year. I crossed the line and won it but it was good to improve on my points. Three wins and two second places, this season I’ve just been really really consistent," said Gómez Villafañe.
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"I came out of a bit of a lull in the summer feeling like maybe I wasn’t at my best in Leadville, but I’m starting to figure out this endurance stuff, and hopefully I’m back next year! Shout out to all the girls out there who are really stepping up the game, and I’m super proud to be out there with all the girls.”
Looking ahead, the 2025 season promises to shake things up a bit. As the series enters its fourth year, all riders must re-apply, and only 25 women and 25 men will be on the start line next year, down from 30 each year.
Of those 25 spots, three will be left for wildcard entries until after the opening two rounds. The top scorers in these, who have not already got a spot, will then get a second chance at entry to the rest of the series.
But while the field was cut yet again, the prize purse had grown. Organisers last week announced that the total prize purse will be $380,000, with $200,000 going toward series standings, and the remaining $180,000 will be distributed across the six standalone events, each with $30,000 in winnings. This means that for the first time ever, events like Unbound Gravel will have a prize purse.
"We couldn’t be happier with how 2024 turned out, but 2025 will elevate things even further," said Michelle Duffy Smith, Senior Marketing Director for Life Time.
"The bigger prize pool and changes in scoring will push racers harder and create more dynamic competition."
The series begins April 11 April at the Sea Otter Classic with a gravel race instead of the Fuego XL mountain bike race. This is followed by the 200-mile Unbound Gravel race on May 31; after this, the wildcard entries will be allowed into the series. The LEadville 100 will return in August as well as Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival in September. The series will again culminate in October with both Bentonville's Little Sugar mountain bike race and Big Sugar Gravel.
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Cycling Weekly'sNorth 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 cycling journalist for 11 years.
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