The Life Time Grand Prix series may still have the final event of 2024 to play out at Big Sugar Gravel, but attention is already turning to what’s ahead for 2025. Among some shifts to the format are a smaller field, limited wildcard entries and two new events.
Shifts that will make the series look a little different next season are athlete numbers, the invitatio-only field reduced from a 60 to 50 riders - 25 women and 25 men. The selection includes three wildcard entries after two events and some changes to which races are included.
“We’re excited to announce these updates to the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix as we believe it will make the fourth edition of the series the most dynamic one yet,” Kimo Seymour, Life Time president Media & Events said in a media release announcing the plans for 2025.
“We’re just wrapping up the 2024 series - only our third season - but we’ve already seen immense progress in our goal of bringing more fans and growing the sport of cycling domestically. From continually sold out events to the success of our Life Time Grand Prix Race Highlights recap video series on YouTube, it is clear the appetite for professional and recreational off-road cycling in the U.S. is continuing to grow.”
What won't be continuing to grow, however, is the event numbers, with a reshuffle of what is included resulting in a six-event competition, with five starts necessary to be eligible for the prize money and the top five event results determining the series placings.
Both Crusher in the Tushar – cancelled this year due to fires in the region – and the Rad Dirt Fest – added in as a wildcard in 2023 – are off the agenda. The series kicks off a little differently in 2025 with the normal season starter of the Fuego XL 100K MTB at Sea Otter Classic swapped for a gravel race at Sea Otter Classic. Life Time Little Sugar MTB will be added in the week before the mandatory Big Sugar Gravel closes out the racing.
The series will begin with 22 men and 22 women named to the roster, which comes out in early November and three spots in each division will be left for wildcard entries. The top scorers in the two opening events - Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound Gravel 200 - from among those who missed out on the original application process will get the second chance at entry into the 2025 season. Additional wild card spots, above the six mentioned above, may open up if any of the 22 men and 22 women drop out.
Applications open on October 14 and run through to October 28, with no automatic athlete acceptance process. The initial series roster for 2025 should be set by November 7 with the wildcard entrants confirmed after Unbound. Prize money details are yet to be released.
Before the focus shifts to 2025, however, there is still one more round of the 2024 event to play out, Big Sugar Gravel on October 19. Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized) and Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz) look set to maintain their series dominance, both on top of the leaderboard heading into the final round.
2025 Events
- Friday, April 11 – Life Time Sea Otter Classic Gravel presented by Continental Gravel Race
- Saturday, May 31 – Life Time Unbound Gravel 200
- Saturday, August 9 – Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik
- Saturday, September 13 – Life Time Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival
- Sunday, October 12 – Life Time Little Sugar MTB
- Saturday, October 18 – Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda
