The roster of 70 invited athletes to compete in the second year of the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda was announced late Thursday, with defending champions Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson among those returning next year.
Organisers expanded the field of riders to 35 pro women and 35 pro male riders, up from 30 in each category in the inaugural season. As an extra incentive, Life Time will cover entry fees to series events for the selected athletes.
A few of the new contenders who did not participate in the inaugural series are Lauren De Crescenzo and Matt Beers. De Crescenzo, who mixes road and gravel racing with her Cinch Cycling pro team, won the Unbound Gravel 200 in 2021 and in 2022 finished second to winner and eventual Grand Prix overall runner-up Sofia Gómez Villafañe.
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“I’m ready to compete in North America’s premiere off-road series," De Crescenzo said in a Life Time media release. "I wasn’t ready in 2022, but I’ve put in the work by MTBing 3 times per week and racing cyclocross for the first time ever this off season. I’m ready to take on 2023 and go for the overall in the series.”
The winner of 2021 Cape Epic, South African Beers finished seventh this past year at Leadville MTB 100 but was not part of the series.
“I think I can show that racing in Europe isn't the only way for South Africans to show their strength. And showing that gravel is becoming a viable option for riders in the future,” the 28-year-old from Cape Town said.
Among the other new names on the start lists this year are a group of cyclocross riders from France's Caroline Mani and US riders Raylyn Nuss, the reigning Pan-American champion, and Crystal Anthony for the pro women, with the pro men's field including former US elite men's champion Eric Brunner and current US men's single-speed champion Kerry Werner.
“After following this past season, I became interested in the format and the skill set required to win the overall. I think the most well-rounded cyclist comes out on top. I'm excited for the chance to be a part of the premiere gravel series in the world, and embrace the culture of gravel,” Nuss said.
Riders like Gómez Villafañe, Sarah Sturm, Emily Newsom, Alexey Vermeulen, Russell Finsterwald and Cole Paton – who were all near the top of the leaderboard in 2022 –are also returning to the fray. Three women who finished in the top 10 are not returning next season - fourth-placed Rose Grant, who has retired from racing, along with Evelyn Dong, who was eighth overall, and Melissa Rollins, 10th overall.
There will be a significant alteration to the format, with the addition of a seventh event for 2023, which at this time remains undisclosed. The six founding off-road events return for the bulk of the schedule, beginning at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California on April 9 with the longer Fuego cross-country mountain bike race, 100km instead of 80km. The wild card event will be announced in mid-January.
The total prize purse will remain the same, $250,000, to be divided equally among the top 10 female and male riders at the conclusion of the series. The top male and top female each take home $25,000. Standings to determine the top 10 will be based on points earned from any of the five events.
Three events - Fuego XL at Sea Otter Classic, Crusher in the Tushar, Chequamegon MTB Festival, Sea Otter Classic - each offer individual event purses, for which Life Time Grand Prix athletes are also eligible.
The final event in the series, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel on October 21, is mandatory for all competitors, serving as a tiebreaker if needed.
Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda 2023 series schedule:
- April 22 - Fuego XL 100K cross-country MTB, Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental in Monterey, California
- June 3 - 200-mile Garmin Unbound Gravel presented by Craft Sportswear in Emporia, Kansas
- July 8 - 69-mile Life Time Crusher in the Tushar presented by The Creamery in Beaver, Utah
- August 12 - 104-mile Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Leadville, Colorado
- September 16 - 40-mile Life Time Chequamegon MTB presented by Trek in Cable, Wisconsin
- October 21 - 100-mile Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda in Bentonville, Arkansas
- TBD - ‘Wild Card’ event
Pro women's field for 2023
- Crystal Anthony, 42, Bentonville, Ark.
- Ella Bloor, 27, Kingston, Australia
- Chelsea Bolton, 33, Park City, Utah
- Ellen Campbell, 25, Durango, Colo.
- Catherine Colyn, 26, Paarl, South Africa
- Lauren De Crescenzo, 32, Atlanta, Ga.
- Rebecca Fahringer, 33, Bend, Ore.,
- Maude Farrell, 31, Redwood City, Calif.
- Sofia Gómez Villafañe, 28, Heber City, Utah
- Emma Grant, 31, Reading, England
- Isabella Hyser, 19, Huntsville, Ala.
- Heather Jackson, 38, Bend, Ore.
- Isabel King, 32, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Caroline Mani, 35, Besancon, France
- Holly Mathews, 34, Longmont, Colo.
- Sarah Max, 47, Bend, Ore.
- Deanna Mayles, 29, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Julie Momber, 35, Grand Rapids, Mich.,
- Jessica Mullins, 44, Littleton, Colo.
- Angela Naeth, 40, Brewster, Mass.
- Emily Newsom, 39, Fort Worth, Texas
- Raylyn Nuss, 31, St. Louis, Mo.
- Paige Onweller, 33, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Hannah Otto, 26, Millcreek, Utah
- Jenna Rinehart, 38, Mankato, Minn.
- Hannah Shell, 31, Longmont, Colo.
- Danielle Shrosbree, 28, London, England
- Alexis Skarda, 33, Grand Junction, Colo.
- Haley Smith, 29, Waterloo, Quebec
- Sarah Sturm, 32, Durango, Colo.
- Starla Teddergreen, 43, Longmont, Colo.,
- Caroline Tory, 32, Snowmass, Colo.
- Leah Van der Linden, 28, Boulder, Colo.
- Ruth Winder, 29, Nederland, Colo.
- Anna Yamauchi, 22, Truckee, Calif.
Pro men's field 2023
- Matthew Beers, 28, Cape Town, South Africa
- John Bortselmann, 31, Lincoln, Neb.
- Robert Britton, 38, Victoria, British Columbia
- Zach Calton, 25, Ogden, Utah,
- Griffin Easter, 31, Park City, Utah
- Russell Finsterwald, 31, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Howard Grotts, 29, Durango, Colo.
- Lance Haidet, 24, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
- Alex Howes, 34, Nederland, Colo.
- Dylan Johnson, 27, Brevard, NC
- Brendan Johnston, 31, Canberra, Australia
- Andrew L’Esperance, 31, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Bradyn Lange, 23, Mendocino, Calif.
- Taylor Lideen, 33, Bentonville, Ark.
- Konny Looser, 33, Hinwil, Switzerland,
- Payson McElveen, 29, Durango, Colo.
- Lachlan Morton, 30, Boulder, Colo.
- Tasman Nankervis, 27, Bendigo, Australia
- Logan Owen, 27, Bremerton, Wash.
- Cole Paton, 25, Cashmere, Wash.
- Kiel Reijnen, 35, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
- Adam Roberge, 25, Prevost, Quebec
- Nathan Spratt, 27, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Peter Stetina, 35, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- Keegan Swenson, 28, Heber City, Utah
- Kyle Trudeau, 29, Tucson, Ariz.
- Alexey Vermeulen, 28, Boulder, Colo.
- Kerry Werner, 31, Vinton, Va.,
- Brennan Wertz, 25, Mill Valley, Calif.
- Innokenty Zavyalov, 31, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Tobin Ortenblad, 28, Santa Cruz, Calif.
- Ryan Standish, 29, South Salt Lake, Utah
- Jack Odron, 20, Denver, Colo.
- Ian Lopez De San Roman, 19, Sebastopol, Calif.
