Haley Smith (Maxxis Factory Racing) secured her place on the top step of the podium and in the history books as the first pro women’s champion of the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda series in October.
While she is the defending champion, Smith will still have to submit an application to race the series again, Life Time offering a one-week window for interested athletes from December 1-7. The roster will be expanded in 2023 to include 35 women and 35 men in the pro category and will be announced on December 15.
In a recent interview with Cyclingnews, Smith said winning the series was a goal but not her ‘focus’.
“Yes, I will apply again. I’m not looking to defend the title, though; that’s a backwards view. I’m looking to perform my best and try to compete for NEW wins – much more of a forward view. I’m not trying to repeat anything; every year is a new challenge,” Smith explained. “Even with the same races, no event will be exactly the same from year to year.”
The series title came with a heavy wooden trophy, and a hefty $25,000 cash prize, which was part of an overall $250,000 purse split evenly among the top 10 of each pro category. Smith said she earned a lot more than those prizes, as the six-race series helped her “find a love for bikes again”.
“My result at Big Sugar wasn’t great, but I just felt so happy after that race because of the whole year. It’s cool to win the Grand Prix, but more than that, it’s just cool to be a part of this and be a member of this community,” Smith said on the November instalment of her podcast, OffRoads InRoads (opens in new tab), co-hosted with her husband and fellow MTB pro Andrew L’Esperance.
“And for the first time, I think I actually understand why people like to ride bikes who do it not as a career or as a means to get to the Olympics.”
The Canadian off-road professional, who earned bronze medals in mountain biking at the Commonwealth Games and World Cup circuit, adjusted to endurance gravel events quickly and pulled ahead in the rankings after the fourth event in the series, Leadville Trail 100 MTB.
She secured the overall title at Big Sugar Gravel with a 13th placing in Bentonville, Arkansas, and her 138 total points were four points better than the duo of Sofia Gomez Villafane and Sarah Sturm, who tied with 134 points. On the men’s side, Keegan Swenson dominated the series with four victories to finish 13 points ahead of Alexey Vermeulen and 18 points…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…