Mads Würtz Schmidt continues off-road dominance at Ranxo Gravel one week after Unbound 200 plunder, Life Time Grand Prix expands U23 rosters, and more - Gravel Bits

European gravel champion Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) followed his solo victory a week ago at Unbound Gravel 200 with another single-handed rampage at Ranxo Gravel in Spain. His winning time of 4:34:53 was five minutes ahead of a chasing group with five riders, led across the line by Kevin Kühn (Heizomat-Cube) in second, who was four seconds ahead of Julian Siemons (GVA Gold).

Strung out across the finish rolled the rest of the chasers, Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) in fourth, Joel Roth (BIXS Race Team) in fifth and Danny van Lierop (Heizomat-Cube) in sixth.

The European marathon mountain bike champion Rosa van Doorn (Buff-BH Team) outpaced Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) on the grassy straightaway to win the elite women's division by five seconds, completing the course in 5:19:01. Axelle Dubau-Prevot (EF Education-Oatly) trailed another 34 seconds later for third, with Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) a distant fourth.

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"Huh, I definitely didn’t expect this one. First gravel race of the year on an amazing course," Van Doorn said on Instagram.

Würtz Schmidt has gone four-for-four in Gravel Earth Series events this season and has a substantial lead over Drechou in the men's overall standings, with Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing) third. Dubau-Prevot sits at the top of the women's leaderboard, ahead of Aguirre in second and Wright in third.

In previous years, Ranxo Gravel served as the decisive final round of the Gravel Earth Series. This year the 160km long route, with 1,930 metres of elevation gain from Ponts, Spain, was moved to June as the fifth race in the series, the finale taking place at The River by the Traka in Bouillon, Belgium on September 6.

FoCo Fondo gravel race adds live stream

A new live stream of the elite races at FoCo Fondo presented by Fat Tire will feature as part of the 11th edition of the Fort Collins, Colorado gravel race, taking place July 19. The broadcast will be shown on the YouTube channel of event organisation Bike Sports (bikesportsco), founded in 2016 by athletes Zack and Whitney Allison.

A total prize purse $15,000 is on the line in the 120-mile Triple Dog Dare distance, the longest of four routes, with payouts 10 deep for elite men, elite women and non-binary/gender expansive divisions, all with separate starts.

Last year Torbjørn Røed out-sprinted Alexey Vermeulen in the elite men's division while Lauren Stephens defended her title, 14 minutes ahead of runner-up Courtney Sherwell.

The event's non-profit beneficiary, Friends of FoCo Fondo, expands their reach in 2026 with the addition of 30 para-cycling athletes in a scholarship program. This initiative provides access to registration, housing, and educational resources who might not otherwise have a path to the start line. It is the sixth year for the scholarship program, which has helped more than 100 riders to date.

“We want to keep growing FoCo Fondo with a diverse participation base for the right reasons. Our event, who it benefits, who shows up, and how it feels, is all made better by having people of all types participating," Zack Allison said.

Expanded U23 Program confirms 32 riders for Life Time Grand Prix compeition

A total of 12 women and 20 men were named to the 2026 rosters for the second edition of the Life Time Grand Prix U23 Program. Series organisers, Life Time, expanded the number of participants from 10 in each division after strong showings in the two qualifying races.

Results from Life Time's first two rounds of the Grand Prix, Sea Otter Classic Gravel (90 miles) and Unbound Gravel 100, served as the races within each race for rankings of riders between the ages of 18 and 22. They will next compete in the remaining Grand Prix schedule for overall rankings after Big Sugar Gravel, with the top pair earning roster spots in the 2027 elite LTGP lineup. Four of the six total races are required.

"We originally planned to select 10 young women and men, but the depth of talent this year made it clear that we had an opportunity to expand. By expanding the roster and introducing race entry support, we are doubling down on our commitment to building a stronger development pipeline and creating more opportunities for the next generation of elite off-road cyclists," said Michelle Duffy, director of the Life Time Grand Prix.

Race entry fees will be covered for the U23 riders through the remainder of the season by Life Time, which Duffy said helps eliminate barriers of access and cost for many riders who are students or work full-time.

After two events so far this year, USA's Kylee Hanel has won two races to lead the women's standings, while Canadian Oskar Stack-Michasiw used a U23 second place at Unbound Gravel to move into the men's lead. Inaugural winners of the U23 Program were Ruth Holcomb and Griffin Hoppin, now part of the invitation-only Grand Prix lineup this season.

U23 Women's Roster

• Lauren Aggeler, Colorado, USA
• Samantha Campbell, Colorado, USA
• Alex Charles, Utah, USA
• Ellory Clason, Michigan, USA
• Katelyn Cook, Idaho, USA
• Brooke Darby, Colorado, USA
• Kylee Hanel, Oregon, USA
• Scarlett Hardie, Colorado, USA
• Samantha Johnson, Tennessee, USA
• Courtney Merrill, Idaho, USA
• Lacie Munns, Utah, USA
• Emily Stapleton, Pennsylvania, USA

U23 Men's Roster

• Isaac Allred, Minnesota, USA
• Ryker Brand, Utah, USA
• Aero Fisher, California, USA
• Jason Freihofner, California, USA
• Calvin Horner, Kansas, USA
• Jake Johansen, Arizona, USA
• Holden Krizek, Colorado, USA
• Finn McKenzie, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Luke Mosteller, Georgia, USA
• Ryder Ritchie, California, USA
• Ollie Rutberg, Colorado, USA
• Jacob Schneller, Kansas, USA
• Braeden Sellinger, Arizona, USA
• Jack Spang, California, USA
• Oskar Stack-Michasiw, Saskatchewan Canada
• Kash Steele, California, USA
• Jacob Stutz, California, USA
• Elliot Thornblade, Montana, USA
• Noah Warren, Alabama, USA
• Jonas Woodruff, California, USA