2026 Life Time Grand Prix Preview: $590K Purse, International Stars Invade UNBOUND & Leadville

Words by James Ion - Photography provided by Life Time Grand Prix, Credit Dan Hughes

Gold Rush: The 2026 Life Time Grand Prix Redefines Elite Gravel

The Life Time Grand Prix enters its fifth season as gravel racing's undisputed heavyweight. Life Time unleashes a record $590,000 prize purse—55% above 2025—while locking each men's and women's field at 25 riders for 50 total combatants. Six iconic events from April's California opener through October's Ozark finale, bolstered by live broadcasts on four marquees, $2,500 finisher compensation for 11th+, and unprecedented athlete perks, cement this as pro gravel's new benchmark. International stars now anchor the roster alongside American crushers, proving the series commands global calendars. This is no longer a US showcase—it's a championship forging gravel's professional future.​

Prize money flows like championship road racing. The overall Grand Prix claims $350,000 ($175,000 per gender), cascading through 10th place: $50,000 to the champion, $33,000 for second, down to $7,000 for tenth. Individual events contribute $240,000, with UNBOUND Gravel 200 (May 30, presented by Shimano) and Leadville Trail 100 MTB (August 15, presented by Kenetik) each offering $60,000—North America's richest off-road single-day purses. Sea Otter Classic Gravel (April 16), Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival (September 19), Little Sugar MTB (October 11), and Big Sugar Gravel (October 17, presented by Kenetik) deliver $30,000 apiece to top-five men and women, series status irrelevant. A ground-breaking addition: $2,500 professional finisher pay for anyone placing 11th or lower overall after three-plus starts. Life Time covers all selected riders' entries, extends complimentary access to 185+ athletic clubs nationwide, and comps elite events like Silver Rush 50, Tahoe Trail 100, and Crusher in the Tushar. As Life Time President Media & Events Kimo Seymour states, this reflects "elevated commitment to professional off-road cycling."​

The calendar demands supremacy across disciplines, counting each rider's best five of six finishes:

Live coverage elevates Sea Otter, UNBOUND, Leadville, and Big Sugar via YouTube and digital platforms, building on 2025's fan surge. Pure gravel powerhouses falter on Leadville's 12,000-foot peaks; MTB specialists crack at UNBOUND's relentless miles. True champions master every surface.​

Selection promises meritocracy through a structured yet flexible framework. Applications ran October 27 to November 5 (withdrawals by November 10; roster announced November 11), targeting athletes 18+ by December 31, 2025, with mandatory three fan engagements and adherence to anti-doping and conduct codes. Automatic bids go to 2025's top-five overall and top U23 rider. A committee led by LTGP Director Sean Thurman fills 16+ slots based on 12-month results from Life Time staples—UNBOUND, Leadville, Big Sugar, Sea Otter, Chequamegon, Rad Dirt Fest, Crusher in the Tushar, Lutsen 99er—and global benchmarks like Cape Epic overall, BC Bike Race, UCI Gravel Worlds, and Traka. Wildcards revive post-UNBOUND: top-three men and women from applicants racing Sea Otter and UNBOUND join the series based on those results, with extras possible before July 1 dropouts.

Life Time touts a "refined, performance-based process," but the "sole discretion" clause invites scrutiny. While elite talent dominates the roster, some invitations defy strict alignment with published metrics, which again has left some scratching their heads. We have no doubt about the talent and the abilities of those selected however if this is truly to be a performance based or sporting process their needs to be ironclad transparency as gravel continues to professionalize

This issue aside the selection has delivered gravel's most international line-up, blending US dominance with worldwide pedigree. South Africa's Matthew Beers, Cape Epic overall winner, imports stage-race relentlessness. Fellow South African Marc Pritzen wields gravel sprint weaponry for UNBOUND and Big Sugar finales. Germany's Andreas Seewald, former world marathon MTB champion, eyes Leadville's thin air with proven altitude mastery.

Switzerland deploys Felix Stehli, Jan Stöckli, and Simon Pellaud, alpine-bred for technical suffering. Norway's Simen Nordahl Svendsen and Anton Stensby inject Nordic endurance.

The women's field surges similarly: Poland's Karolina Migoń—2025 UNBOUND Gravel 200 victor, Traka 360 champion, Gravel Earth Series silver—arrives primed for overall contention. Germany's Rosa Klöser, 2025 Gravel Earth Series winner and prior UNBOUND champion, joins seamlessly. Three-time US gravel champion Lauren Stephens returns post-hiatus to bolster domestic firepower.​

Defending series champion Sofía Gómez Villafañe—three-time LTGP winner—faces her sternest test against Alexis Skarda and Melisa Rollins, whose podium consistency spans gravel and MTB.

Men's standard-bearer Keegan Swenson—multi-LTGP titlist, marathon MTB world champion, full-calendar conqueror—will want his crown back, but Cam Jones' 2025 international breakthrough and Matthew Beers' ultra-engine loom large. Live broadcasts across four events intensify the stakes, forging deeper fan-athlete bonds as Life Time intended.

Favourites to Claim the Crown

Men's Top Three:1. Keegan Swenson – The benchmark. Unrivalled versatility across UNBOUND, Leadville, and the Sugars cements his multi-title reign. 2. Matthew Beers – Cape Epic mastery translates to podium threat on every distance. 3. Cam Jones – 2025's non-US winner proves international pedigree belongs.

Women's Top Three:1. Sofía Gómez Villafañe – Three-time champion defends with UNBOUND pedigree. 2. Lauren Stephens – Returning 3x US gravel champ eyes Big Sugar dominance. 3. Alexis Skarda – Podium machine across mixed calendar surfaces.

Dark Horses Poised to Shock

Men: Andreas Seewald channels world marathon championship engine into Leadville and Sugar MTB stages; Marc Pritzen lurks as 2025 South African XCM Champion.

Women: Karolina Migoń leverages her 2025 UNBOUND-Traka double for instant overall contention; Rosa Klöser wields Gravel Earth supremacy and US gravel experience for podium disruption.

Life Time's U23 expansion, broadcast infrastructure, and athlete ecosystem elevate the series beyond competition into sustainable pro platform. Half-million-dollar stakes demand adaptation across gravel's full spectrum.

The champions will emerge not from power alone, but from mastery of the unpredictable. The 2026 Life Time Grand Prix awaits those ready to seize it.