| Watch live coverage of this iconic race in Bentonville for the very first time on Saturday, October 18th |
| Bentonville, Arkansas (Wednesday, October 15th): The 2025 Life Time Grand Prix will reach a gripping conclusion at the Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Kenetik on Saturday, October 18th with no-less than four riders still in contention for the overall men’s title. The series has never been tighter at this stage in the season with three-time champion Keegan Swenson sitting top of the leaderboard with 98 points, but he is just one point ahead of Simon Pellaud and Cameron Jones, who are currently occupying joint second spot, with Torbjørn Andre Røed only one point further behind that duo in fourth. Jones powered himself into contention last Sunday by winning the Life Time Little Sugar MTB, a result that also came off the back of an equally hard-fought victory at the Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano in May. The fact Jones is going for the overall title is even more incredible given he began the season as a Wild Card athlete. And while Sofía Gómez Villafañe only needs to start the race on Saturday to wrap up her third straight overall in the women’s competition, there remains a whole lot to fight for further down the standings with just two points separating Cecily Decker and Melisa Rollins for the runners-up spot, and only seven points splitting fourth and ninth positions. |
| Like Villafañe, Ruth Holcomb and Griffin Hoppin also have unassailable leads in the U23 competition with both riders winning their place on the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix on account of them being the highest-placed athletes in their category at Little Sugar. Access the latest standings in the U23 Program by clicking HERE, and find out all about the competition by clicking HERE. As with all Life Time Grand Prix events, the races are open to other elite athletes and this year is no different, with Lauren Stephens, Sarah Sturm, Gwen Gibson and Madigan Monroe included in a star-studded women’s roster, and Lachlan Morton, Tobias Kongstad, Mattia De Marchi and Riley Amos also set to be among the frontrunners in the men’s race. |
| Quotes from some of the main contenders Cecily Decker – currently sitting second in the women’s 2025 Life Time Grand Prix “I opted to skip Little Sugar as I had a back injury after Chequamegon and couldn’t get enough time on my mountain bike to be adequately prepared for it. I’ve been training on my road bike instead, and luckily, my back is pretty much 100% again now, so whilst the decision wasn’t intentional, I think it was the right call. “I’m not feeling any pressure heading into Big Sugar because I’ve had a really good season so far. That said, I’ve put a lot into my last training block and I would like to get a good result in Bentonville. I’m excited to have a good race and not too worried about the standings, or points.” Simon Pellaud – currently sitting joint second in the men’s 2025 Life Time Grand Prix “After a bad start at Little Sugar I’d managed to get myself in a good position, but then after around two hours, my lower back started to seize up and I was completely blocked. I couldn’t pedal my bike and ended up walking for a bit, having to stop to keep stretching it out. I was so close to not finishing, but thankfully I managed to keep going and found my legs again in the closing stages. I know I’m in good shape generally, and I really wanted to finish Little Sugar because it’s important preparation for Big Sugar, where everything is still to play for. “I’ll definitely be visiting a massage therapist before Saturday, and I’ll try and relax for a few days at least. I’ll also be out reconning the course as much as I can – focusing on the most important sections – and then, we’ll see what I can do. It’s going to be a fun finale at Big Sugar and a great end to the series.” Melisa Rollins – currently sitting third in the women’s 2025 Life Time Grand Prix “My skills weren’t really suited to Little Sugar as on singletrack, I’m still very much a work in progress. I put a lot of work into that race, and even though I didn’t have the best of starts, I got my head down and just tried to see what I could do. That’s when I started feeling better, started overtaking people, and gaining some momentum. “To get third last weekend is honestly one of my proudest results, because going into it, I was super scared and not in a good headspace. Over the last three weeks I’ve crashed around 10 times, and even ended up getting stitches which were taken out right before Little Sugar. Honestly, my attention is only just turning to Big Sugar now, and I’ll obviously be doing everything I can there to end my season on a high.” Keegan Swenson – leader of the men’s competition “Little Sugar didn’t go as I’d planned and it ended up being a pretty eventful day. I suffered from repeated punctures and a few riders very generously offered me their wheels. I basically just did everything I could to stay ahead of Simon [Pellaud] and Torbjørn [Andre Røed] as they are right behind me on the overall leaderboard. That was my goal – trying to make it to the finish line – and it became very much a day of survival. Since then I’ve been trying to recover as much as I can so I’m ready to go again at Big Sugar on Saturday.” |
| Updated route for 2025 This physically demanding race, which starts and finishes in downtown Bentonville, has been updated for 2025 and includes a new aid station at Rockford Grange, which comes at the 74-mile mark, and features a custom-cut trail directing riders into this former Olympic training facility. In total, the race clocks in at 99.6 miles, which is 5.66 miles shorter than last year’s route, but features 827 additional feet of remote, rugged climbing. As always, the course is also packed with ‘gloriously chunky’ gravel and off-camber descents, with the Ozark Mountains providing a stunning backdrop to the finale of the 2025 series. The new 100-mile route is available to pre-ride virtually through the Big Sugar Gravel’s official virtual cycling partner, ROUVY. View the Pro/Elite course map by clicking HERE Follow the action live for the very first time The race will be streamed live, in its entirety, for the very first time, presented by Orange Seal. Fans across the world can watch all the action unfold via the official Life Time Grand Prix YouTube channel and Life Time app, beginning at 7:10am CDT with uninterrupted coverage of both the elite men’s and women’s events, and post-race interviews. Following completion of both races, there will be a finish line camera through the 12-hour mark so every finisher (both professional and amateur) can be seen crossing the line. Live, on-course video updates for the men’s and women’s will be shared on the official Big Sugar Classic and Life Time Grand Prix Instagram pages, respectively. Regular timing splits will also be provided by Athlinks and live GPS tracking for the entire elite field will be available on Enabled Adventure. Fans will also be able to watch highlights on the official Life Time Grand Prix YouTube channel from Sunday, October 19th onwards. |
| Celebrate the world’s best after party Not long after the action has concluded in Bentonville, attention will quickly turn to the legendary Gravel Rave, which is back by popular demand on Saturday evening at The Momentary in the heart of Bentonville. The greatest party in cycling is set to be bigger than ever this year, with globally recognized DJ, podcast host and style tastemaker Brandi Cyrus jetting in to deliver a live headline set that’ll get even the most tired athletes back on their feet. The Gravel Rave starts at 6:00pm and guests will witness the crowning moments of the 2025 series and enjoy gourmet food catered by Chef Biju Thomas before dancing the night away on the dance floor. All Life Time Big Sugar Gravel participants receive a complimentary ticket, and additional tickets are now available for $50. To learn more about the 2025 Series, visit www.lifetimegrandprix.com and follow along on YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook. |
