{"id":258292,"date":"2025-11-12T07:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T07:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/258292\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T07:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T07:52:11","slug":"more-youth-more-international-life-time-announces-its-new-roster-of-athletes-for-the-2026-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/258292\/","title":{"rendered":"More youth, more international: Life Time announces its new roster of athletes for the 2026 Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Life Time Grand Prix<\/a> has announced its 2026 roster, with a cast of 20 men and 20 women hand-selected <\/a>for the world\u2019s premier endurance off-road series.<\/p>\n

The field once again will feature top gravel and mountain bike talent from North America and around the world as the series continues to grow into an institution on the global cycling calendar. While other series have emerged, Life Time remains the biggest fish in the gravel pond.<\/p>\n

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A big change heading into the 2026 season was both an increase in the overall prize purse, with $590,000 in total winnings <\/a>up for grabs, and a refined selection process. Before today, five men and five women were already guaranteed a spot in the 2026 roster by virtue of their top five finishes in the 2025 overall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This includes the returning champions Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e<\/a>, a former mountain bike Olympian and three-time Life Time Grand Prix winner, and Cam Jones,<\/a> the first international winner of the men\u2019s competition. Keegan Swenson<\/a> will also be returning, with a marathon world championship under his belt, as will Melisa Rollins, who has shown that her potential is only growing in the off-road space.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Griffin Hoppin and Ruth Holcomb earned their tickets to the series by winning the U23 series this year, providing a much-needed boost to the series’ credentials as a viable platform to develop American talent<\/a> in true professional, international competitions.<\/p>\n

As for the other spots? Here is the breakdown of who made the cut, what that means for the series, and who might be in the mix for the key wildcard places:<\/p>\n

Kl\u00f6ser, Mig\u00f3n, and Aguirre bring international talent to the women\u2019s field <\/p>\n

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\"Karolina\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Life Times)<\/p>\n

On the women\u2019s side, the big new additions are, first and foremost, the past two champions of Unbound Gravel<\/a>: Rosa Kl\u00f6ser<\/a>, the 2024 champion, and Karolina Migo\u0144<\/a>, the 2025 champion.<\/p>\n

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Both riders are from Europe, which is a significant development for the women, as the female side of the LTGP has typically skewed more toward North American riders than the men’s field. This year, with the inclusion of those two Europeans as well as South African Hayley Preen, Frenchwoman Cecile Lejeune, Kiwi Samara Sheppard, and Australian Courtney Sherwell, the competition is suddenly much more global.<\/p>\n

If Unbound is anything to go by, this should be a significant boon to the competitive balance of the women\u2019s season-long battle. While Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e<\/a> has won the last three Life Time Grand Prix editions, she last won Unbound<\/a> in 2022, the only year she didn\u2019t win the Grand Prix overall.<\/p>\n

That being said, the North American contingent remains strong, with Sarah Sturm<\/a> returning to the series, along with US national gravel champion Lauren Stephens<\/a>, after a season away from the competition. Those riders, plus the likes of Cecily Decker, Lauren De Crescenzo<\/a>, Melisa Rollins, and Gomez Villafa\u00f1e, should deliver a fiercely competitive 2026 season.<\/p>\n

2026 Life Time Grand Prix women\u2019s roster Morgan Aguirre \u2013 32, USALauren De Crescenzo <\/a>\u2013 35, USACecily Decker \u2013 27, USAMaude Farrell <\/a>\u2013 34, USASof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e <\/a>\u2013 31, ArgentinaStella Hobbs \u2013 32, USARuth Holcomb \u2013 22, USARosa Kl\u00f6ser<\/a> \u2013 29, GermanySarah Lange \u2013 34, USAEmma Langley \u2013 30, USACecile Lejeune \u2013 27, FranceKarolina Migo\u0144<\/a> \u2013 29, PolandPaige Onweller<\/a> \u2013 36, USAHannah Otto \u2013 30, USAHayley Preen \u2013\u00a027, South AfricaMelisa Rollins \u2013 30, USARuby Ryan \u2013 24, USASamara Sheppard \u2013\u00a035, New ZealandCourtney Sherwell \u2013\u00a037, AustraliaAlexis Skarda \u2013 36, USALauren Stephens<\/a> \u2013 39, USASarah Sturm<\/a> \u2013\u00a036, USAMerit and youth bolster the 2026 men’s roster<\/p>\n

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\"Cameron\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Life Time)<\/p>\n

While the Life Time Grand Prix has had a successful run in its first four seasons, one of the nagging criticisms was it did a poor job of giving young riders the best opportunity to survive<\/a>. From the outside, the vague selection process and the tendency to favour established names from other disciplines rather than homegrown talent were consistent questions.<\/p>\n

In 2026, it seems as if the organisation is making a concerted effort, as the roster seems to be oriented much more toward emerging talent as well as recent gravel and mountain bike results. These moves were made to reinforce the series as a true professional sports league rather than a series that puts selection value on things like social media following and pre-established stature.<\/p>\n

The youth additions to the roster are a clear example of this revamped emphasis on merit, as Griffin Hoppin<\/a> earned his way through this year’s tough season-long competition, Kyan Olshove found his way on the podium at a Life Time Grand Prix stop and a top-10 at another one, and Cobe Freeburn has consistently been touted as one of the biggest talents in the gravel pipeline in the United States. All three of those athletes are also under the age of 25.<\/p>\n

Additionally, of the international selections, five of the six new riders from overseas are 26 and under. Add to that this season’s breakout star Cam Jones<\/a>, who is only 25, and the international talent is magnitudes younger than in previous years. Once again, this is a huge stride Life Time is making to craft a series that is significantly more professional and global.<\/p>\n

Matthew Beers \u2013 31, South AfricaZach Calton \u2013 28, USACobe Freeburn \u2013 24, USAGriffin Hoppin \u2013 22, USABrendan Johnston \u2013 34, AustraliaCameron Jones \u2013 25, New ZealandAndrew L\u2019Esperance \u2013 34, CanadaBradyn Lange \u2013 26, USAPayson McElveen<\/a> \u2013 32, USASimen Nordahl Svendsen \u2013 26, NorwayKyan Olshove \u2013 23, USACole Paton \u2013 28, USASimon Pellaud<\/a> \u2013\u00a033, SwitzerlandMarc Pritzen \u2013 26, South AfricaTorbj\u00f8rn R\u00f8ed \u2013 28, NorwayAndreas Seewald \u2013 34, GermanyFelix Stehli \u2013 25, SwitzerlandAnton Stensby \u2013\u00a024, NorwayJan St\u00f6ckli \u2013\u00a026, SwitzerlandCaleb Swartz \u2013\u00a026, USAKeegan Swenson<\/a> \u2013 31, USAAlexey Vermeulen<\/a> \u2013\u00a031, USAThe battle for the wild cards <\/p>\n

\n

\"Image\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix)<\/p>\n

The 2026 season will see a return of the wild card process<\/a>, in which three men and women will be added to the roster after Unbound Gravel<\/a> based on cumulative results at the first two races of the series.<\/p>\n

With the restructuring of the selection process, the biggest name who will presumably be in this bucket is Dylan Johnson<\/a>. The prominent YouTuber and a top-10 finisher at Unbound in 2024, had terrible luck in 2025, with his season disrupted when he was hit by a truck and seriously injured. While he managed to miss only one race, it no doubt caused a massive disruption in his season. The new selection criteria explicitly state only results from the past year are considered, so that meant Johnson was out of luck, especially with his major early-season goal, Midsouth, disrupted by wildfires.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he knows what it will take to earn his way into the series in 2026.<\/p>\n

Potential men\u2019s wild card contenders: <\/p>\n

Dylan JohnsonRussell FinsterwaldMichael GarrisonMatthew Wilson<\/p>\n

The big name missing on the women’s roster is Haley Smith<\/a>. Smith, an Olympian from Canada, is the only other woman besides Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e to have won the series and she’s been a consistent face in the field. However, besides a big win at the Migration Gravel Race, 2025 was a below-par year for the Canadian. Still, it is a surprise to see her not on the roster. It is also another testimony to the depth of the 2026 selections.<\/p>\n

With Smith, there is no question she can be in the mix for a wild-card nod. The bigger question will be, does she want to try? The gravel calendar is broad, and after a few seasons in the Grand Prix, some riders, like Peter Stetina <\/a>and Heather Jackson<\/a>, have left the series behind for a schedule on their own terms. <\/p>\n

Potential women\u2019s wild card contenders: <\/p>\n

Haley SmithDani ShrosbreeEllen CampbellMichaela Thompson<\/p>\n

Explore More<\/p>\n


\nGravel racing
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