2026 LIFE TIME GRAND PRIX WILD CARD ROSTER UNVEILED
Six athletes will earn their way into the series and chase a record $350,000 equal-pay prize purse.
| With under two months to go until the opening round of the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix, the Wild Card roster has been confirmed. Last season, Cameron Jones stunned the cycling world, riding into the series as a Wild Card and charging all the way to the 2025 overall men’s title. Jones’ success story instantly elevated the Wild Card program into one of the most closely watched entry points in elite off‑road competition, an increasingly competitive one. “The Wild Card selection has quickly become one of the most anticipated elements of the Life Time Grand Prix, and the caliber of the 2026 roster reflects the incredible depth we’re seeing in off-road cycling today,” said Kimo Seymour, Senior Vice President of Events at Life Time and Director of the Life Time Grand Prix. “Asking athletes to perform at both Sea Otter and UNBOUND Gravel gives us a clear picture of who is prepared for the intensity of the Grand Prix. It’s a route that proved its value last season — Cameron Jones famously turned a Wild Card opportunity into a championship run — and we expect this year’s field to bring the same level of ambition.” Just as last year, three spots in each of the men’s and women’s fields will be filled following the completion of the Life Time Sea Otter Classic, which takes place on Thursday, April 16th, and Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano on Saturday, May 30th. Wild Card athletes must contest both events, and the top performers across the two races combined will earn themselves a spot in the 2026 series. |
| Women Mikayla Arends – 29, Kelowna, BC, Canada Gabriella Arnold – 29, Indianapolis, IN, USA Laurie Arseneault – 28, Bromont, QC, Canada Anet Barrera – 27, Zapopan, JA, Mexico Charlotte Clarke – 23, Timaru, New Zealand Leslie Ethridge – 35, San Francisco, CA, USA Natalia Franco Villegas – 30, Telico Plains, TN, USA Elizabeth Hermolle – 31, Blackpool, United Kingdom Siena Hermon – 23, Big Bear City, CA, USA Michelle Howe – 37, Tucson, AZ, USA Caitlyn Kellogg – 31, Scottsdale, AZ, USA MJ Lopez Aguirre – 23, Chandler, AZ, USA Colleen Maher – 33, Brevard, NC, USA Deanna Mayles – 32, Colorado Springs, CO, USA Cristina Harner – 30, Lafayette, CO, USA Emily Newsom – 42, Fort Worth, TX, USA Lejla Njemcevic – 31, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Florence Normand – 23, Quebec, Canada Laurel Quinones – 27, San Francisco, CA, USA Jenna Rinehart – 41, Mankato, MN, USA Hannah Shell – 41, Longmont, CO, USA Danielle Shrosbree – 31, Poole, United Kingdom Sierra Sims – 28, Roanoke, VA, USA Haley Smith – 32, Waterloo, QC, Canada Jen Tavé – 35, Redwood City, CA, USA Michaela Thompson – 23, Durango, CO, USA Sofia Waite – 22, Wheat Ridge, CO, USA |
| Men Carter Anderson – 23, American Fork, UT, USA Martins Blums – 30, Priekuli, Latvia Caleb Bottcher – 24, Palmerston North, New Zealand Hayden Clarke – 22, San Antonio, TX, USA Cole Davis – 26, Roseville, CA, USA Andrew Dillman – 31, Fairdale, KY, USA Derek Dotlich – 28, Indiana, USA Griffin Easter – 34, Park City, UT, USA Nicolò Ferrazzo – 34, Volpago Del Montello, Italy Russell Finsterwald – 34, Colorado Springs, CO, USA Kyle Fry – 36, Shuniah, ON, USA Julien Gagné – 31, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada Truman Glasgow – 25, Alpine, UT, USA Mikayla Arends- 29, Kelowna, BC, Canada Joe Goettl – 33, Sandy, UT, USA Lance Haidet – 28, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA Piotr Havik – 31, Gouderak, Netherlands Cole House – 37, Oneida, WI, USA Dylan Johnson – 30, Brevard, NC, USA Yusuf Johnson – 22, Baltimore, MD, USA Kyle Kalish – 29, Columbus, IN, USA Nathan Knowles – 24, Tucson, AZ, USA Lasse Konecny – 22, Breckenridge, CO, USA Alban Lakata – 46, Lienz, Austria Michael Lambert – 27, Platteville, WI, USA Mathijs Loman – 26, Eindhoven, Netherlands Sampo Malinen – 26, Lahti, FInland Justin McQuerry – 30, Austin, TX, USA Leandro Messineo – 46, Open Door, Argentina Daxton Mock – 24, Lake Mills, WI, USA Lawrence Naesen – 33, La Gleize, Belgium Henry Nelson – 23, Durango, CO, USA Amaette Nsek – 26, Ontario, CA, USA Gustave Orain – 24, Girona, Spain Jonas Orset – 35, Oslo, Norway Ethan Overson – 25, Superior, CO, USA Ethan Pauly – 25, Victoria, BC, Canada Georwill Perez Roman – 32, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Cullen Perkey – 22, Englewood, CO, USA Matt Pike – 28, Longmost, CO, USA David Ramon Rubinat – 28, Corona, CA, USA Jacob Richards – 26, Ogden, UT, USA Adam Roberge – 28, Prévost, QC, Canada Brody Sanderson – 26, Severn, ON, Canada Miguel Santillanes Garcia – 32, El Paso, TX, USA Tim Savre – 35, Minneapolis, MN, USA Rogan Smart – 28, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa Marcus Spratt – 30, Millcreek, UT, USA Nathaniel Spratt – 30, Millcreek, UT, USA Travis Stedman – 23, Durban, South Africa Nathan Surowiec – 23, Forest Hill, MD, USA Skyler Taylor – 30, San Anselmo, CA, USA Jose Eduardo Tijerina Cuesta – 22, Monterrey, Mexico Daniel Van Der Walt – 24, Bellville, South Africa Jacob Velasco – 23, Rocklin, CA, USA Cory Wallace – 41, Jasper, AB, USA Chase Wark – 29, Winona, MN, USA Alex Wild – 33, San Jose, CA, USA Matthew Wilson – 24, Maungatautari, New Zealand |
| “The Wild Card spots are proof that the Life Time Grand Prix cares about finding the strongest riders on the scene,” said Cameron Jones, overall men’s winner of the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix. “It gave me the chance to prove that a Wild Card entry isn’t just a filler spot, it’s a chance for a genuine contender to shake up the standings. I truly believe that the talent pool is deep enough now that we may well see another Wild Card take the overall title in 2026.” The men’s and women’s rosters for the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix have already been announced. The countdown to the opening round of the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix is now on. |