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The roster of 70 invited athletes to compete in the second year of the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda was announced late Thursday, with defending champions Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson among those returning next year.
Organisers expanded the field of riders to 35 pro women and 35 pro male riders, up from 30 in each category in the inaugural season. As an extra incentive, Life Time will cover entry fees to series events for the selected athletes.
A few of the new contenders who did not participate in the inaugural series are Lauren De Crescenzo and Matt Beers. De Crescenzo, who mixes road and gravel racing with her Cinch Cycling pro team, won the Unbound Gravel 200 in 2021 and in 2022 finished second to winner and eventual Grand Prix overall runner-up Sofia Gómez Villafañe.
“I’m ready to compete in North America’s premiere off-road series,” De Crescenzo said in a Life Time media release. “I wasn’t ready in 2022, but I’ve put in the work by MTBing 3 times per week and racing cyclocross for the first time ever this off season. I’m ready to take on 2023 and go for the overall in the series.”
The winner of 2021 Cape Epic, South African Beers finished seventh this past year at Leadville MTB 100 but was not part of the series.
“I think I can show that racing in Europe isn’t the only way for South Africans to show their strength. And showing that gravel is becoming a viable option for riders in the future,” the 28-year-old from Cape Town said.
Among the other new names on the start lists this year are a group of cyclocross riders from France’s Caroline Mani and US riders Raylyn Nuss, the reigning Pan-American champion, and Crystal Anthony for the pro women, with the pro men’s field including former US elite men’s champion Eric Brunner and current US men’s single-speed champion Kerry Werner.
“After following this past season, I became interested in the format and the skill set required to win the overall. I think the most well-rounded cyclist comes out on top. I’m excited for the chance to be a part of the premiere gravel series in the world, and embrace the culture of gravel,” Nuss said.
Riders like Gómez Villafañe, Sarah Sturm, Emily Newsom, Alexey Vermeulen, Russell Finsterwald and Cole Paton – who were all near the top of the leaderboard in 2022 – are also returning to the fray.
There will be a significant alteration to the format, with the addition of a seventh event for 2023, which at this time remains undisclosed….
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