From 'homecoming' happiness to 'shoe kick in the kidneys', riders react to Life Time Grand Prix selections for 2026 off-road series

The majority of the invitation-only field for the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix was confirmed on November 11, providing relief to many of the 44 athletes. There were still six spots to be earned by wildcard selections after Unbound Gravel 200, with some usual suspects from previous Grand Prix seasons now on the outside looking in.

One of the notable absences on the roster was Texas-based Emily Newsom. She took to Instagram for a reaction the day following the Life Time news that she would not return, writing, "This fall has been one of the hardest in my career and that’s saying a lot because I’ve had some doozies. Yesterday it was a pointed shoe kick square in the kidneys reading that I wasn’t accepted into the Life Time Grand Prix."

Newsom was a mainstay in the invitation-only field for the first three seasons, earning fifth overall in 2022, the first year of the series. She did not receive an early invite back in 2025, having to go through a wildcard selection process, which left her on the sidelines of the series when she crashed out of Unbound Gravel 200.

While she said she had been confident her application would be accepted this time, Newson reflected on the reality that it was just part of the business of sport and she would take on the wildcard again as a challenge. It was a double hit of news for her, having learned two months ago she would not receive a new contract to race for PAS Racing either.

"It was definitely a disappointment, but [it's] a large part of being a professional cyclist," she told Cyclingnews Wednesday about the Life Time news. "Yes, I will pursue the wild card. Other than paying for Sea Otter and Unbound entries, I think the wild card is the way to go. If things go well, you're in, if they don't, well the two potentially poor results would affect the whole series, so I'd rather not do it then!

"I was not re-signed by Pas Racing. I had a feeling I wasn't based on rumblings within the team. I am looking at it as a positive thing since now I get to design my own kit, and showcase my sponsors, which I was not able to do on the Pas kits save for the bike brand.

"I love racing here in the US and so that is what I'll stick to. Whether others believe in me or not, will not determine how well I do. I know what I have to give, I know what it will take to be at the pointy end, and by golly I'm gonna do it."

On the opposite side of the spectrum, her PAS Racing teammate from this season, Morgan Aguirre, was accepted into the series for the first time. After road racing a few years with Fount Cycling Guild, she moved from Seattle, Washington to Spain three years ago and has enjoyed success with gravel racing, winning The Hills and Monaco Gravel Race and earning a third-place overall in the Gravel Earth Series for a second season.

"Really excited about it. I can honestly say it feels like hearing about college applications, I was that nervous," Morgan Aguirre told Cyclingnews about earning one of 22 invitations for the Grand Prix this week.

"Being accepted into the Life Time Grand Prix feels like a 'homecoming' of sorts - having started racing gravel over in Europe. I am very excited to be able to test myself amongst the very best back in the US. The Life Time Grand Prix has been a goal since I started racing, but the timing never felt right and I never felt ready. It's a series that takes 110% commitment and I'm beyond excited to be in a place where I can give it exactly that."

She told Cyclingnews in October that her goal was to race the Life Time Grand Prix, as it would give her the opportunity to move back to the US. She had only three US blocks of racing in the past two seasons, last year going fourth at Oregon Trail Gravel and CORE4, plus 13th at Lauf Gravel Worlds, which counted for points in the GES.

"It's like a homecoming," she said. "It's weird having started my [gravel] cycling career in Europe. Now I feel it's time to come back and race some Americans. It [LTGP] requires your full commitment."

She said she would still travel back and forth between Europe and US, but could live with family in Park City, Utah for altitude training and spend larger chunks of time in the US for all six Life Time events as well as races she'd like to try, like The Growler and The Mid South.

Wildcard hunts for men

US riders Dylan Johnson and Russell Finsterwald have been part of the Grand Prix since it launched in 2022, but their streaks ended with news on Tuesday. Johnson said he would focus on "wildcarding my way in next year".

"After four years in Life Time Grand Prix, I didn’t make the cut this time around, and that’s a good thing," Johnson wrote on Instagram.

"We’re talking about a professional sport here, and I’m not owed anything. The LTGP made a commitment to a merit based selection process which is exactly what they should do. My results weren’t good enough, and it’s as simple as that. I don’t think I would have felt amazing about getting a pity spot anyway, especially if that meant taking a spot from a more deserving rider.

"If I should have made it back in, then I can prove it by wildcarding my way in next year. Does that mean I feel fine about it? Fuck no. I’m devastated by how this year has gone."

His year included a missed chance to perform at Unbound Gravel due to recovery from a broken tibia, suffered when a drifter of a truck hit him on a training ride. Fellow competitor Payson McElveen suffered a hip fracture earlier at Sea Otter Classic and also missed Unbound. However, results mattered, as McElveen finished 11th in the series and Johnson finished 19th, with McElveen getting a coveted invite.

After three top 6 finishes out of four seasons, Finsterwald was not included as a returning rider for 2026.

"I did apply and while I’m not fully surprised I didn’t make it, I’m a little bummed. I hoped being a former winner of a LTGP round, top 5 finisher and top 5 contender in the first 3 editions would’ve helped my case despite a lackluster 2025 campaign, but no luck," he told Cyclingnews.

"I do understand and respect LTGP’s decision and plan to fight for one of the wild card spots. I’ve been making a lot of changes this off season which I feel will be conducive to getting me back to the best version of myself, and I look forward to proving I deserve to be apart of the series at Sea Otter and Unbound!"

This last season, Life Time introduced the wildcard entry system, based on results from opening rounds at Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound Gravel 200. Two of the seven participants will be back in 2026 - Cameron Jones and Andrew L'Esperance.

Jones, who made several trips from New Zealand to rise to the Unbound Gravel 200 victory and then the Grand Prix overall championship, earned automatic qualification to the 2026 series. Once L'Esperance earned his way back for a fourth Grand Prix with a wildcard, the Canadian went on to finish seventh overall, his second top 10 in four years.

The wildcard battle will begin anew for Newsom, Johnson and many others on April 16 at the Sea Otter Classic Gravel in Monterey, California.