Big Sugar: Life Time Grand Prix ends with a storm!

Words James Ion - Photography provided by Life Time Grand Prix.

Bentonville, Arkansas (Saturday, October 18) — Sofía Gómez Villafañe and Matthew Beers brought the curtain down on the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix with emphatic victories at Big Sugar Gravel, while Cameron Jones sealed the men’s overall title in a nail-biting finale that went right down to the wire.

Forecasts of heavy rain forced organisers to shorten the Bentonville season-closer to 50 miles, but if anything, that made the racing even more explosive — and the drama no less.

Beers Breaks Through

South African powerhouse Matthew Beers lit the fuse early, driving a three-man move with Matthew Wilson and Riley Amos (Team USA MTB). When Wilson suffered a late mechanical, Beers pushed on alone, holding his advantage all the way to the finish to claim his first-ever Life Time Grand Prix win.

“I’m really good at this type of effort coming from the mountain bike side,” Beers said. “I’ve been wanting to win one of these for so long. It was a shortened race, so a different dynamic, but I’m just glad to finally get it done.”

Behind him, Griffin Easter out-sprinted Amos for second, while Julien Gagne crossed in fourth. The battle for the overall raged just behind, with Keegan Swenson, Simon Pellaud, Torbjørn Andre Røed and Cameron Jones marking each other in a tense tactical game.

When the dust settled, Jones launched first in the finishing sprint and held it all the way to the line — taking fifth on the day, but more importantly, the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix overall title.

“Today was exciting,” Jones said. “The shorter course suited me, and we just marked everything that moved. I knew it would come down to the sprint, and there was a lot on the line. I’ve proven I belong here.”

Gómez Villafañe: Chaos, Controlled

For Sofía Gómez Villafañe, chaos is comfort. Already secure in the women’s overall after Little Sugar MTB, she lined up intent on finishing her season in style — and did just that.

The women’s race saw attack after attack neutralised until the closing miles, when Gómez Villafañe and Lauren Stephens (the U.S. national gravel champion) surged clear. Lauren De Crescenzo and Melisa Rollins tried to follow but couldn’t make the junction.

In the end, Gómez Villafañe distanced Stephens to take a solo victory, completing a clean sweep in Bentonville with wins at both Little and Big Sugar Gravel.

“I thrive in chaos,” she said. “With the uncertainty around the weather and course changes, I knew it would deliver exciting racing. I reconned the route with Matthew [Beers] yesterday, and that might have been smart — I knew exactly where to go all-in. To win both here and wrap the overall is a perfect finish to the year.”

Stephens held on for second, with Stella Hobbs leading home the bunch for third ahead of Alexis Skarda and Courtney Sherwell.

U23 and Series Notes

The inaugural U23 category also crowned its winners, with Alexandra Charles and Jonas Woodruff taking top honours in the women’s and men’s fields.

With the 2025 season now complete, Life Time confirmed that the top five overall finishers in both the men’s and women’s standings — along with the U23 winners — will receive automatic qualification for the 2026 series.

A Year Defined by Momentum

The Life Time Grand Prix continues to evolve — from introducing U23 and Wild Card entries to expanding live coverage across Unbound Gravel, Leadville Trail 100, and Big Sugar.

“The weather kept us on our toes today,” said Michelle Duffy, VP of Marketing at Life Time Events. “We shortened the course to keep riders safe, but the racing was electric. This season has been one of the most dynamic yet, and it’s been incredible to share it live with fans around the world.”

Final Standings Highlights

• Men’s Overall Winner: Cameron Jones

• Women’s Overall Winner: Sofía Gómez Villafañe

• Men’s Race Winner (Big Sugar): Matthew Beers

• Women’s Race Winner (Big Sugar): Sofía Gómez Villafañe

• U23 Winners: Jonas Woodruff & Alexandra Charles

Gómez Villafañe ends 2025 with another dominant display, Jones completes a dream debut season as a Wild Card turned champion, and Beers finally breaks his duck.

The season may have been cut short by weather, but Bentonville delivered — fast, fierce, and full of storylines, just the way gravel should be.