The third annual Life Time Large Sugar Gravel offered by Mazda takes place this Saturday on the ‘gloriously chunky’ white gravel of rugged roads throughout northwest Arkansas and southern Missouri. The 104-mile ‘huge’ course heads deep into the Ozark Mountains for 7,000 ft of elevation achieve, so the professional riders on the entrance could solely decelerate to verify restricted course markings reasonably than to admire the autumn foliage lining the creeks and bluffs.
As soon as the white mud settles on the end line in Bentonville, Arkansas, the curtain name will give attention to 20 riders who will share within the $250,000 prize purse for the Life Time Grand Prix offered by Mazda collection. 2023 marks the second season for Grand Prix, an invitation-only area of 70 athletes competing in a compilation of seven off-road races unfold throughout the US, the finale at Large Sugar.
Present total leaders Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised) are anticipated to win the professional titles, with every incomes $25,000 in first-place payouts. Each locked up high factors as the most effective Grand Prix finishers within the first 4 races – Sea Otter Traditional’s Fuego XL MTB, Unbound Gravel 200, Crusher within the Tushar and Leadville 100 MTB. The duo additionally received gravel races at SBT GRVL. For Swenson, it will likely be his second consecutive Grand Prix total win, whereas Villafañe was second total in 2022.
The Grand Prix area is comprised of 35 girls and 35 males, with the highest 10 in every class sharing the large payday. These 10 riders, women and men, are decided by factors earned with begins at Large Sugar and 4 of the opposite six occasions, with scores from Large Sugar Gravel additionally serving as a tiebreaker if wanted.
Final yr, six girls had an opportunity to win the general title of the Life Time Grand Prix going into the Arkansas finale. Simply 5 factors separated the highest three girls – total chief Haley Smith, Sarah Sturm and Villafañe. Smith secured the general collection title with a Thirteenth-place end at Large Sugar, whereas Villafañe moved to second total forward of Sturm. Paige Onweller scored the solo victory at Large Sugar Gravel and moved into the highest 10 to earn a paycheck.
Swenson took a stable lead into the finale over Alexey Vermeulen and, with a second-place end at Large Sugar, secured the inaugural title. Utilizing his victory at Large Sugar, Russell Finsterwald moved to 3rd total within the standings, whereas Vermeulen retained second total.
Whereas Large Sugar could possibly be a parade-like experience for Swenson and Villafañe, and so they may race and win, count on a battle from different high Grand Prix contenders as they race for factors on the end line, which they’ll convert to money. A couple of riders may use factors from a high inserting at Large Sugar to interchange a low scoring from one other race and transfer up considerably.
Additionally, search for high worldwide riders to crash the occasion at Large Sugar as they combine it up for glory on US gravel.
Contenders – elite girls
Kasia Niewiadoma
Newly-crowned elite girls’s UCI Gravel World Champion Kasia Niewiadoma is anticipated to take the beginning line Large Sugar, based on organisers. The WorldTour highway professional would debut the rainbow jersey at this US race, making it her closing competitors of the season. “Trying so ahead to all this scrumptious vary of granolas and nut butters and to all of the bakeries with heat muffins and large cups of cappuccinos that open early sufficient to assist me battle jet lag,” she stated on Instagram.
Whereas the Arkansas race is 24 miles longer and has 1,600 extra ft of elevation achieve than Worlds, the numbers shouldn’t be a big barrier for her to problem on the entrance. In spite of everything, she additionally received the mountains classification on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this yr.
Alexis Skarda
The reigning US marathon mountain bike champion comes into Large Sugar Gravel with a stable maintain on second total within the Grand Prix standings. Her final gravel occasion was The Rad Filth Fest, the place she completed second to Lauren De Crescenzo throughout a 112-mile route at altitude. She took a silver medal on the inaugural US Gravel Nationwide Championships and certified for the UCI Gravel World Championships however remained within the US to give attention to home racing. Skarda was third at Large Sugar final yr.
Amity Rockwell
On the beginning record is Amity Rockwell, and like Niewiadoma, she’s not sidetracked with the Grand Prix. The previous Unbound Gravel champion earned one other signature victory of her stellar profession by profitable this yr’s multi-day Migration Gravel Race, which on her weblog, she referred to as “the only strongest expertise I’ve ever lived”. She additionally received The Traka 360 which together with the Kenyan stage race was a part of the brand new Gravel Earth Collection, the place she completed second total. The Arkansas race simply will not be lengthy sufficient for her to carry off a big group.
Crystal Anthony
A resident of Bentonville, Arkansas, Crystal Anthony would really like nothing greater than to rejoice on the end in her new hometown. She is presently sixth total within the Grand Prix, tied with Hannah Otto. Whereas Otto didn’t compete at Rad Filth Fest, Anthony hit the course exhausting for a third-place end. She additionally received a bronze medal on the US gravel nationals in Nebraska.
Contenders – elite males
Russell Finsterwald
Final yr’s males’s winner at Large Sugar is again for extra. He has targeted his season on the Grand Prix Collection, having completed second total final yr and is presently in fourth place behind Alexey Vermeulen, in second, and Cole Paton, in third. Finsterwald was dominant early with a second-place end at Sea Otter Traditional’s Fuego XL, after which within the seven-man dash at Unbound Gravel 200 solely to complete sixth.
“It is humorous, final yr going into Large Sugar, the collection appeared just about the identical, Alexey [Vermeulen] in second, Cole [Paton] third, I used to be in fourth. It was nonetheless attainable to get second final yr, and I did not fairly get sufficient factors on Alexey however was capable of leapfrog in entrance of Cole,” Finsterwald advised Cyclingnews about his goal to win Large Sugar once more to rank increased within the Grand Prix total. “It is somewhat trickier this yr as a result of we get to drop two races as an alternative of only one. I believe we have battle shaping up for nonetheless for second and third.”
Laurens ten Dam
The tall Dutch rider at all times excels on the gravel roads within the US, ending second at Unbound Gravel 200 and fourth the final two years. He’s received Gravel Locos prior to now and was tenth this yr on his late-spring US tour. After competing on the European Gravel Nationals and UCI Gravel World Championships, sixteenth and twenty fifth, respectively, he’s anticipated to line up on Saturday and enhance on final yr’s twelfth place at Large Sugar.
Alexey Vermeulen
The US highway professional turned gravel specialist is two-for-two in his final pair of begins within the Life Time Grand Prix. He received Chequamegon MTB after which The Rad Filth Fest, so brings loads of confidence into the 104-mile Arkansas race, the place he was fourth final yr. Vermeulen has a slim lead over Cole Paton for second place within the Grand Prix this yr however sufficient factors to carry off one other cost from Finsterwald. The Michigan native was the second-highest positioned US rider on the current Gravel World Championships, thirty third total, and is recharged to race again on US soil.
Cole Paton
Vuelta a España winner Sepp Kuss isn’t the one standout bike owner from Durango, Colorado. On the off-road facet, Cole Paton lives and trains within the Colorado Rockies and has had an excellent 2023 season, profitable a nationwide title on the US Marathon Mountain Bike championships. Whereas he had a grinding day at The Filth Rad Fest close to his house and completed out of the highest 10, his third-place finishes at Chequamegon MTB and Leadville 100 MTB have boosted him into third total within the Grand Prix. He was third final weekend at Little Sugar MTB, so carries stable kind into the acquainted hills of the Ozarks.