December 13/21 8:55 am - 6 Canadians Selected for Life Time Gravel/MTB Series

Posted by Editoress on 12/13/21
 

Next season will see the introduction of a new U.S. six event series of gravel and mountain bike races, called the Life Time Grand Prix. All six events already exist; they are now linked under the umbrella of the Series, with standings and an overall prize purse.

The Canadians selected for the Series are: Olympic mountain biker Haley Smith (Norco Factory), triathletes Rach McBride and Angela Naeth for the women, and retired roadie Rob Britton, mountain biker Andrew L'Esperance (Norco Factory) and road racer Adam Roberge for the men.

Haley Smith

Rob Britton (center) was the 2019 ITT Champion, Adam Roberge (far right) was 3rd

Andrew L'Esperance

Rob Britton retired from Rally Cycling and the pro road circuit at the end of this season, but will shift his efforts to the Life Time Series for 2022: "I'm over the moon to be selected for the Life Time Grand Prix next year. I really didn't think I would get a spot! I have some pretty big objectives now and that's really exciting. It's been a long time since I've been this motivated going into a season. I'm looking forward to sharing my future plans with everyone soon but for now I'll just say that I'm incredibly grateful to Life Time for this opportunity to race the biggest events with the biggest stars on the scene."

Haley Smith spoke about how her plans (and her husband Andrew L'Esperance) came to include the Series:

"There are quite a few reasons why both Lespy and I are excited to add these endurance/gravel events into our calendar. The simplest reason is just for variety: we've been doing the same thing for a while now, and nothing injects energy into the system quite like novelty and variety! Another reason is that I see this as a way to develop my skills as a racer and to progress and challenge myself in new ways. I also just really enjoy this type of racing, and as we know, happy people race faster. The exposure that a race series like this offers can't be ignored either, and the earning potential that goes along with it. Lastly ... bike racing, for me, is about exploration; of the self and the environment. This race series is going to be a deep dive into those things, and I find that really invigorating."

"No, I wouldn't say this is a career focus shift. I think I just needed something new post-Olympics. I needed to expand my horizons and give myself a chance to breathe after the last 5 years chasing the Olympic Dream. I still have the same performance goals, I've just added a few additional ones to my dream board."

"Yes, I'll still be doing World Cup racing! I likely won't race the full World Cup calendar this year (I do need a bit of a break from the international travel and race schedule so that I can recover from the last Olympic cycle), but you'll still see me at many of the World Cup races this year, and I'm still chasing personal bests on that circuit. I knew that I needed to take a small step away in order to be back at my best on that circuit, and I know I'm far from done with World Cup racing. There's still a ton I want to achieve in that field!!!"

Initially limited by invitation to 40 riders (20 men and 20 women), it was expanded to 60 riders (30 for each gender), after some 200 applied to participate. Six Canadians have been selected; three women and three men. Of the remaining 55 riders, all but three are American - Former WorldTour rider Laurens Ten Dam (Netherlands), Lachlan Morton (Australia) and Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) are the only other non-American participants.

The list of participants includes a broad mix of gravel and mountain bike riders, plus some triathletes. Many are former pros; either semi-retired or retired.

The Life Time Grand Prix Series events consist of:

• April 9th - Fuego 100K cross-country mountain bike race at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey, California
• June 4th - 200 mile Unbound Gravel in Emporia, Kansas
• July 9th - 70 mile Crusher in the Tushar in Beaver, UT
• August 13th - Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Leadville, Colorado
• September 17th - 40 mile Chequamegon MTB in Cable, Wisconsin
• October 22nd - 100 mile Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, Arkansas

Elite Women
Whitney Allison, 33, Fort Collins, CO
Kaysee Armstrong, 31, Knoxville, TN
Lea Davison, 38, Jericho, VT
Evelyn Dong, 36, Park City, UT
Rebecca Fahringer, 32, Bend, OR
Maude Farrell, 30, Mill Valley, CA
Helena Gilbert-Snyder, 22, El Cerrito, CA
Sofia Gomez Villafane, 27, Heber City, UT
Rose Grant, 39, Columbia Falls, MT
Erin Huck, 40, Boulder, CO
Isabel King, 30, Los Angeles, CA
Kristen Legan, 36, Longmont, CO
Rach McBride, 42, Vancouver, Canada
Angela Naeth, 39, South Easton, MA
Katerina Nash, 44, Emeryville, CA
Amanda Nauman, 32, Lake Forest, CA
Amber Neben, 46, Lake Forest, CA
Emily Joy Newsom, 38, Fort Worth, TX
Flavia Oliveira-Parks, 40, Castro Valley, CA
Hannah Otto, 26, Salt Lake City, UT
Paige Peters, 32, Grand Rapids, MI
Kathy Pruitt, 38, Saratoga, CA
Amity Rockwell, 28, San Francisco, CA
Melisa Rollins, 26, Salt Lake City, UT
Hannah Shell, 30, Boulder, CO
Alexis Skarda, 32, Grand Junction, CO
Haley Hunter Smith, 28, Uxbridge, Canada
Sarah Sturm, 32, Durango, CO
Moriah Wilson, 25, Mill Valley, CA
Ruth Winder, 28, Boulder, CO

Elite Men
Eddie Anderson, 23, Richmond, VA
Josh Berry, 31, Tucson, AZ
Jeremiah Bishop, 45, Harrisonburg, VA
John Borstlemann, 30, Lincoln, NE
Rob Britton, 37, Victoria, Canada
Stephan Davoust, 26, Durango, CO
TJ Eisenhart, 27, Ivins, UT
Russell Finsterwald, 30, Colorado Springs, CO
Howard Grotts, 28, Missoula, MT
Lance Haidet, 23, San Luis Obispo, CA
Alex Howes, 33, Nederland, CO
Dylan Johnson, 26, Brevard, NC
John Keller, 24, Boulder, CO
Ted King, 38, Richmond, VT
Andrew L'Esperance, 30, Halifax, Canada
Ashton Lambie, 30, Lincoln, NE
Bradyn Lange, 22, Austin, TX
Taylor Lideen, 31, Phoenix, AZ
Payson McElveen, 28, Durango, CO
Lachlan Morton, 29, Girona, Spain
Logan Owen, 26, Bremerton, WA
Cole Paton, 24, Durango, CO
Kiel Reijnen, 35, Bainbridge Island, WA
Adam Roberge, 24,  Prévost, Canada
Peter Stetina, 34, Santa Rosa, CA
Colin Strickland, 35, Austin, TX
Keegan Swenson, 27, Heber City, UT
Laurens Ten Dam, 41, Oudorp, Netherlands
Alexey Vermeulen, 26, Pinckney, MI
Alex Wild, 29, San Jose, CA

Next season will see the introduction of a new U.S. six event series of gravel and mountain bike races, called the Life Time Grand Prix. All six events already exist; they are now linked under the umbrella of the Series, with standings and an overall prize purse.

The Canadians selected for the Series are: Olympic mountain biker Haley Smith (Norco Factory) and triathlete Rach McBride for the women, and retired roadie Rob Britton, mountain biker Andrew L'Esperance (Norco Factory) and road racer Adam Roberge for the men.

Rob Britton retired from Rally Cycling and the pro road circuit at the end of this season, but will shift his efforts to the Life Time Series for 2022: "I'm over the moon to be selected for the Life Time Grand Prix next year. I really didn't think I would get a spot! I have some pretty big objectives now and that's really exciting. It's been a long time since I've been this motivated going into a season. I'm looking forward to sharing my future plans with everyone soon but for now I'll just say that I'm incredibly grateful to Life Time for this opportunity to race the biggest events with the biggest stars on the scene."

Haley Smith spoke about how her plans (and her husband Andrew L'Esperance) came to include the Series:

"There are quite a few reasons why both Lespy and I are excited to add these endurance/gravel events into our calendar. The simplest reason is just for variety: we've been doing the same thing for a while now, and nothing injects energy into the system quite like novelty and variety! Another reason is that I see this as a way to develop my skills as a racer and to progress and challenge myself in new ways. I also just really enjoy this type of racing, and as we know, happy people race faster. The exposure that a race series like this offers can't be ignored either, and the earning potential that goes along with it. Lastly ... bike racing, for me, is about exploration; of the self and the environment. This race series is going to be a deep dive into those things, and I find that really invigorating."

"No, I wouldn't say this is a career focus shift. I think I just needed something new post-Olympics. I needed to expand my horizons and give myself a chance to breathe after the last 5 years chasing the Olympic Dream. I still have the same performance goals, I've just added a few additional ones to my dream board."

"Yes, I'll still be doing World Cup racing! I likely won't race the full World Cup calendar this year (I do need a bit of a break from the international travel and race schedule so that I can recover from the last Olympic cycle), but you'll still see me at many of the World Cup races this year, and I'm still chasing personal bests on that circuit. I knew that I needed to take a small step away in order to be back at my best on that circuit, and I know I'm far from done with World Cup racing. There's still a ton I want to achieve in that field!!!"

Initially limited by invitation to 40 riders (20 men and 20 women), it was expanded to 60 riders (30 for each gender), after some 200 applied to participate. Five Canadians have been selected; two women and three men. Of the remaining 55 riders, all but three are American - Former WorldTour rider Laurens Ten Dam (Netherlands), Lachlan Morton (Australia) and Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) are the only other non-American participants.

The list of participants includes a broad mix of gravel and mountain bike riders, plus some triathletes. Many are former pros; either semi-retired or retired.

The Life Time Grand Prix Series events consist of:

• April 9th - Fuego 100K cross-country mountain bike race at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey, California
• June 4th - 200 mile Unbound Gravel in Emporia, Kansas
• July 9th - 70 mile Crusher in the Tushar in Beaver, UT
• August 13th - Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Leadville, Colorado
• September 17th - 40 mile Chequamegon MTB in Cable, Wisconsin
• October 22nd - 100 mile Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, Arkansas

Elite Women
Whitney Allison, 33, Fort Collins, CO
Kaysee Armstrong, 31, Knoxville, TN
Lea Davison, 38, Jericho, VT
Evelyn Dong, 36, Park City, UT
Rebecca Fahringer, 32, Bend, OR
Maude Farrell, 30, Mill Valley, CA
Helena Gilbert-Snyder, 22, El Cerrito, CA
Sofia Gomez Villafane, 27, Heber City, UT
Rose Grant, 39, Columbia Falls, MT
Erin Huck, 40, Boulder, CO
Isabel King, 30, Los Angeles, CA
Kristen Legan, 36, Longmont, CO
Rach McBride, 42, Vancouver, Canada
Angela Naeth, 39, South Easton, MA
Katerina Nash, 44, Emeryville, CA
Amanda Nauman, 32, Lake Forest, CA
Amber Neben, 46, Lake Forest, CA
Emily Joy Newsom, 38, Fort Worth, TX
Flavia Oliveira-Parks, 40, Castro Valley, CA
Hannah Otto, 26, Salt Lake City, UT
Paige Peters, 32, Grand Rapids, MI
Kathy Pruitt, 38, Saratoga, CA
Amity Rockwell, 28, San Francisco, CA
Melisa Rollins, 26, Salt Lake City, UT
Hannah Shell, 30, Boulder, CO
Alexis Skarda, 32, Grand Junction, CO
Haley Hunter Smith, 28, Uxbridge, Canada
Sarah Sturm, 32, Durango, CO
Moriah Wilson, 25, Mill Valley, CA
Ruth Winder, 28, Boulder, CO

Elite Men
Eddie Anderson, 23, Richmond, VA
Josh Berry, 31, Tucson, AZ
Jeremiah Bishop, 45, Harrisonburg, VA
John Borstlemann, 30, Lincoln, NE
Rob Britton, 37, Victoria, Canada
Stephan Davoust, 26, Durango, CO
TJ Eisenhart, 27, Ivins, UT
Russell Finsterwald, 30, Colorado Springs, CO
Howard Grotts, 28, Missoula, MT
Lance Haidet, 23, San Luis Obispo, CA
Alex Howes, 33, Nederland, CO
Dylan Johnson, 26, Brevard, NC
John Keller, 24, Boulder, CO
Ted King, 38, Richmond, VT
Andrew L'Esperance, 30, Halifax, Canada
Ashton Lambie, 30, Lincoln, NE
Bradyn Lange, 22, Austin, TX
Taylor Lideen, 31, Phoenix, AZ
Payson McElveen, 28, Durango, CO
Lachlan Morton, 29, Girona, Spain
Logan Owen, 26, Bremerton, WA
Cole Paton, 24, Durango, CO
Kiel Reijnen, 35, Bainbridge Island, WA
Adam Roberge, 24,  Prévost, Canada
Peter Stetina, 34, Santa Rosa, CA
Colin Strickland, 35, Austin, TX
Keegan Swenson, 27, Heber City, UT
Laurens Ten Dam, 41, Oudorp, Netherlands
Alexey Vermeulen, 26, Pinckney, MI
Alex Wild, 29, San Jose, CA