Mads Würtz Schmidt continues off-road dominance at Ranxo Gravel one week after Unbound 200 plunder, Life Time Grand Prix expands U23 rosters, and more – Gravel Bits

European gravel champion Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) followed his solo victory a week ago at Unbound Gravel 200 with another single-handed rampage at Ranxo Gravel in Spain. His winning time of 4:34:53 was five minutes ahead of a chasing group with five riders, led across the line by Kevin Kühn (Heizomat-Cube) in second, who was four seconds ahead of Julian Siemons (GVA Gold).

Strung out across the finish rolled the rest of the chasers, Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) in fourth, Joel Roth (BIXS Race Team) in fifth and Danny van Lierop (Heizomat-Cube) in sixth.

The European marathon mountain bike champion Rosa van Doorn (Buff-BH Team) outpaced Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) on the grassy straightaway to win the elite women’s division by five seconds, completing the course in 5:19:01. Axelle Dubau-Prevot (EF Education-Oatly) trailed another 34 seconds later for third, with Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) a distant fourth.

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“Huh, I definitely didn’t expect this one. First gravel race of the year on an amazing course,” Van Doorn said on Instagram.

Würtz Schmidt has gone four-for-four in Gravel Earth Series events this season and has a substantial lead over Drechou in the men’s overall standings, with Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing) third. Dubau-Prevot sits at the top of the women’s leaderboard, ahead of Aguirre in second and Wright in third.

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In previous years, Ranxo Gravel served as the decisive final round of the Gravel Earth Series. This year the 160km long route, with 1,930 metres of elevation gain from Ponts, Spain, was moved to June as the fifth race in the series, the finale taking place at The River by the Traka in Bouillon, Belgium on September 6.

Rosa van Doorn wins Ranxo Gravel 2026, her first gravel race of the season (Image credit: @GravelEarthSeries | @ranxogravel | @rsalanova)FoCo Fondo gravel race adds live stream

Expanded U23 Program confirms 32 riders for Life Time Grand Prix compeition

A total of 12 women and 20 men were named to the 2026 rosters for the second edition of the Life Time Grand Prix U23 Program. Series organisers, Life Time, expanded the number of participants from 10 in each division after strong showings in the two qualifying races.

Results from Life Time’s first two rounds of the Grand Prix, Sea Otter Classic Gravel (90 miles) and Unbound Gravel 100, served as the races within each race for rankings of riders between the ages of 18 and 22. They will next compete in the remaining Grand Prix schedule for overall rankings after Big Sugar Gravel, with the top pair earning roster spots in the 2027 elite LTGP lineup. Four of the six total races are required.

“We originally planned to select 10 young women and men, but the depth of talent this year made it clear that we had an opportunity to expand. By expanding the roster and introducing race entry support, we are doubling down on our commitment to building a stronger development pipeline and creating more opportunities for the next generation of elite off-road cyclists,” said Michelle Duffy, director of the Life Time Grand Prix.

Race entry fees will be covered for the U23 riders through the remainder of the season by Life Time, which Duffy said helps eliminate barriers of access and cost for many riders who are students or work full-time.

After two events so far this year, USA’s Kylee Hanel has won two races to lead the women’s standings, while Canadian Oskar Stack-Michasiw used a U23 second place at Unbound Gravel to move into the men’s lead. Inaugural winners of the U23 Program were Ruth Holcomb and Griffin Hoppin, now part of the invitation-only Grand Prix lineup this season.

U23 Women’s RosterLauren Aggeler, Colorado, USASamantha Campbell, Colorado, USAAlex Charles, Utah, USAEllory Clason, Michigan, USAKatelyn Cook, Idaho, USABrooke Darby, Colorado, USAKylee Hanel, Oregon, USAScarlett Hardie, Colorado, USASamantha Johnson, Tennessee, USACourtney Merrill, Idaho, USALacie Munns, Utah, USAEmily Stapleton, Pennsylvania, USAU23 Men’s RosterIsaac Allred, Minnesota, USARyker Brand, Utah, USAAero Fisher, California, USAJason Freihofner, California, USACalvin Horner, Kansas, USAJake Johansen, Arizona, USAHolden Krizek, Colorado, USAFinn McKenzie, Marlborough, New ZealandLuke Mosteller, Georgia, USARyder Ritchie, California, USAOllie Rutberg, Colorado, USAJacob Schneller, Kansas, USABraeden Sellinger, Arizona, USAJack Spang, California, USAOskar Stack-Michasiw, Saskatchewan CanadaKash Steele, California, USAJacob Stutz, California, USAElliot Thornblade, Montana, USANoah Warren, Alabama, USAJonas Woodruff, California, USA