The 2024 Lifetime Grand Prix Kicks Off with the Fuego XL 100km Today at the Sea Otter Classic

The 2024 Life Time Grand Prix kicks off today with the Fuego XL 100k race taking place during the Sea Otter Classic. The Life Time Grand Prix is now in its third year and will see 60 athletes competing, with the winners of the men's and women's overalls taking $30,000 each.

Keegan Swenson will attempt to win the series for the third time in the row, in a field including Russell Finsterwald, Cole Paton and former UCI WorldTour riders, Alex Howes and Lachlan Morton. Click for the full men’s field here.

Reigning Fuego XL 100k and overall series champion, Sofia Gomez Villafane, is part of a women's field that includes Nove Mesto World Cup winner and 2022 series champion, Haley Smith, Lauren De Crescenzo, and 2023 series runner up, Alexis Skarda. Click for the full women’s field here.

Sixteen riders will be competing for the very first time, including two-time Tour de France finisher, Petr Vakoč, 2023 Gravel Worlds runner-up, Chase Wark, and Ugandan up-and-comer, Jordan Schleck. New faces on the women’s roster include multiple New Zealand and Oceania MTB champion, Samara Sheppard, one-time USA ski star, Cecily Decker, and former Australian road, MTB and cyclo-cross champion, Peta Mullens.

There are seven events in the Lifetime Grand Prix series, including three mountain bike races and four gravel events. The events are the Fuego XL 100K kicking off the season on April 19, Unbound Gravel 200, Crusher in the Tushar, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, Rad Dirt Fest, and finally, the Big Sugar Gravel on October 19.


New for 2024:

New for 2024 are a revised scoring system, which will increase the points difference between the top six finishers of each race from one to two (i.e. the first place finisher will receive 35 points, second place 33, third place 31 points, and so on). This means there is even more to fight for at the very top of the standings. In addition, the elite men and women will have separate start times at all seven events, making each race more competitive and easier to follow.

The $300,000 in prizing will be split equally between the men's and women's fields and awarded as follows:




Follow along:

Not in Monterey? You can watch live coverage of the women’s race on the Life Time Grand Prix Instagram stories here, and the men’s race on the Sea Otter Classic Instagram stories here. Racing started at 9am Pacific.

Regular updates and live timing splits from each race will be provided by Athlinks on the Life Time Grand Prix leaderboard page. Viewers also will be able to watch extended highlights of each round on the official Life Time Grand Prix YouTube channel.

Watch the 2023 video highlights here.


Favourites for the overall:

Here are some of the favourites for the overall, with descriptions from the event organizer:

Women:

Alexis Skarda (United States)
An uber-consistent rider, Skarda earned no-less than four Life Time Grand Prix podiums last season (at the Sea Otter Classic, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequamegon MTB Festival and The Rad Dirt Fest), eventually finishing just six points behind Sofia Gomez Villafane in second place overall. It’s highly likely the two-time US National MTB Champion will be right up there again at the top of the standings.

Haley Smith (Canada)
Smith's name will be forever etched in history as the first-ever winner of the women’s Life Time Grand Prix. Her triumph at the 2022 Crusher in the Tushar played a huge part in achieving that success, and she backed up her overall victory with a third-placed finish last season. The 30-year-old Canadian has also enjoyed a fine start to the season, claiming second at the Belgian Waffle Ride and then sprinting to fourth place in last month's Mid South Gravel.

Peta Mullens (Australia)
A new face for the 2024 Series, Mullens is one of the most decorated riders on the startlist having claimed an incredible 12 national road, track, MTB and cyclo-cross titles in her native Australia. The 36 year old claims the Life Time Grand Prix challenge will “surpass anything I’ve ever done before” and is looking forward to “an amazing journey and life experience”.


Samara Sheppard (New Zealand)
The sole New Zealander on the 2024 lineup, Sheppard is another debutant aiming to impress. The 33 year old began her athletic career as a runner but since switching to cycling she’s notched up multiple New Zealand and Oceania titles as well as a victory on the UCI World Cup. Third place at last month’s Cape Epic alongside Sofia Gomez Villafane also means she should be in fine form for the Fuego XL 100k.

Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Argentina)
After missing out on the 2022 title by just four points, Villafañe proved unstoppable during the opening four rounds of the 2023 Series, claiming victory at the Sea Otter Classic, Crusher in the Tushar and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. All eyes will be on the Argentine again as she battles to regain her place at the top of the standings, especially having recently wrapped up third place at Cape Epic with Samara Sheppard.


Men:

Alexey Vermeulen (United States)
The 29 year old from Boulder, Colorado, has finished runner up in the last two Series and will be aiming to make it to the top step this time around. Vermeulen ended last season on a high, winning both the Chequamegon MTB Festival and Rad Dirt Fest before taking second at Big Sugar Gravel, and his all-round abilities make him a force to be reckoned with.


Cole Paton (United States)
Paton ended the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix with no-less than five top-five finishes, making it onto the podium on three separate occasions. A victory in the Series has so far eluded the 26 year old from Durango, Colorado, but he’ll be looking to end that run in 2024 and will be sporting the iconic stars and stripes having won the Marathon Mountain Bike Marathon National Championship last September.

Keegan Swenson (United States)
The 30 year old from Park City, Utah, is attempting to achieve a hat-trick of successes this season after dominating the first two years. In both 2022 and 2023 Swenson won the first four Life Time Grand Prix events (Sea Otter Classic, UNBOUND Gravel, Crusher in the Tushar and Leadville Trail 100 MTB) and will be the man to beat again this time around.

Matthew Beers (South Africa)
The 30 year old earned himself a top-three finish at Crusher in the Tushar last season before claiming his first South African Gravel Championships title. Earlier this year, Beers also wrapped up his third Cape Epic title in the space of four years alongside fellow Life Time Grand Prix competitor Howard Grotts. If he can avoid bad luck, we expect him to be right in contention in 2024.

Petr Vakoč (Czech Republic)
Arguably the highest-profile newcomer this season, Vakoč impressed by crossing the line in second at the 2023 UNBOUND Gravel (not competing in the Life Time Grand Prix) and also claimed two UCI World Series victories. The two-time Tour de France finisher has one of the field’s biggest engines and his racecraft should mean he’s battling for wins again this season.





Details on how to win the overall Life Time Grand Prix title:

- To be eligible for the overall Life Time Grand Prix title, riders must start at least five of the seven events and compete at the season-concluding Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda, which also will serve as a points tiebreaker if necessary. Athletes who choose to start every Series event may drop their two lowest scoring rounds as winners are determined by the five best finishes in the overall standings.

- 2023 male and female riders who finished in the top 15 overall were invited back for 2024 and additional riders were selected based on race resumes and past performances.

- Prize money will be awarded to the top 10 highest-scoring riders over the course of the series.

- While 60 riders have been selected to take part in the Series, other amateur and elite riders may compete alongside them during each individual race.


2024 Life Time Grand Prix event list:

April 19 – Fuego XL 100k at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental
A two-lap marathon MTB contest racking up 7,800 feet of climbing over approximately 70 miles of unforgiving Californian terrain. Only the strongest and most technically gifted riders will earn the title El Campeon de Fuego. Click to find out more here.

June 1 – 200 Mile Gravel at Life Time UNBOUND Gravel
This classic event is by far and away the longest race of the Series and sees riders test their endurance and character to the highest limit as they tackle the long and unrelenting Flint Hills gravel roads. Click to find out more here.

July 13 – 69 Mile Gravel at Life Time Crusher in the Tushar
Arguably the toughest 69 miles of the entire Series, Crusher in the Tushar features a 60/40 split of gravel to tarmac and forces riders to scale two monster climbs before they arrive at the summit of Eagle Point. Click to find out more here.

August 10 - 100 Mile MTB at Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik
Starting at 10,152 feet and amassing approximately 12,000 feet of elevation over 100 gueling miles, the Race across the Sky is the ultimate test of grit, guts and determination, making it one of the most prestigious cross-country MTB events in the world. Click to find out more here.

September 14 – 40 Mile MTB at Life Time Chequamegon MTB Festival presented by Trek
This spectacular MTB race takes athletes on a rollercoaster ride across the American Birkebeiner Ski Trail, with back-to-back climbs and a multitude of surfaces, serving up a real war of attrition before the winner is crowned at the Great Hall in Cable. Click to find out more here.

September 28 – 110 Mile Gravel at Life Time The Rad Dirt Fest
This out-and-back trek takes in the towering Spanish Peaks and expansive mesas for which Southern Colorado is famous - complete with 10,613 feet of climbing and a host of uniquely challenging terrain along the way. Click to find out more here.

October 19 – 100 Mile Gravel at Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda
100 miles of gloriously chunky gravel and 7,000 feet of remote, rugged and spectacular climbing across the Ozark Mountains awaits the riders before the curtain falls on the 2024 series in Bentonville. Click to find out more here.