Info
Rules, Scoring & Prize Purse
Now in its fifth season, the Life Time Grand Prix is the professional league for off-road cycling in North America. Fifty elite athletes — 25 women and 25 men — compete across six of the country’s most iconic mountain and gravel races in a best-five-of-six format.
Prize Purse Breakdown
Life Time will pay out a total of $350,000 in prize money in 2026 for the Life Time Grand Prix and an additional $240,000 at the 6 individual events that make up the series. This exciting change increases the prize pool by 55% over 2025.
Overall Prize Purse
The Life Time Grand Prix will have $200,000 dedicated solely to the top 10 overall men and women in the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix. Prize money will be split evenly between men and women, and awarded to the top 10 based on highest cumulative points following the conclusion of the 6th and final race of the series.
| Place | Amount |
| 1 | $50,000 |
| 2 | $33,000 |
| 3 | $21,000 |
| 4 | $16,000 |
| 5 | $13,000 |
| 6 | $10,500 |
| 7 | $9,000 |
| 8 | $8,000 |
| 9 | $7,500 |
| 10 | $7,000 |
Events Prize Purse
| Event | Amount |
| Sea Otter Gravel | $30,000 |
| UNBOUND Gravel | $60,000 |
| Leadville Trail 100 MTB | $60,000 |
| Chequamegon MTB Festival | $30,000 |
| Little Sugar MTB | $30,000 |
| Big Sugar Gravel | $30,000 |
| Life Time Grand Prix | $350,000 |
| Total | $590,000 |
Athlete Finisher Compensation
Athletes ranked 11 and up who complete the full season (minimum three finishes) receive $2,500 professional finisher compensation.
Athlete Benefits:
- Complimentary entry to all six LTGP events
- Complimentary entry to all* Life Time events nationwide
- Complimentary Life Time club access (10 guest passes, valued at $600/year)
- Professional media exposure through Life Time channels
*Excluding the Leadville Stage Race
2026 SELECTION PROCESS
-
Applications will open on Monday, October 27 and close on Wednesday, November 5
-
Selections will be made on Tuesday, November 11
-
Applications will be evaluated based on performances over the past 12 months at Life Time-owned and select national and international off-road events.
- Athletes must be 18 years or older by December 31, 2025. Life Time retains sole discretion to evaluate athletes and determine the final roster.
SCORING
- Only the 22 men and 22 women selected before the first two events will appear on the leaderboard before Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano.
- After UNBOUND Gravel, the leaderboard will be updated and re-scored to:
- Remove any athlete’s points who drops out of the series.
- Include the selected Wild Card athletes’ results for Sea Otter Gravel and UNBOUND Gravel.
- After the completion of the 4th event, each athlete’s lowest scored race will be removed from the scoring to reflect their drop race. This gives the most accurate standings going into the last event.
Points will be awarded at each event as follows:
| Place | Points |
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 3 | 26 |
| 4 | 24 |
| 5 | 22 |
| 6 | 20 |
| 7 | 19 |
| 8 | 18 |
| 9 | 17 |
| 10 | 16 |
| 11 | 15 |
| 12 | 14 |
| 13 | 13 |
| 14 | 12 |
| 15 | 11 |
| 16 | 10 |
| 17 | 9 |
| 18 | 8 |
| 19 | 7 |
| 20 | 6 |
| 21 | 5 |
| 22 | 4 |
| 23 | 3 |
| 24 | 2 |
| 25 | 1 |
RULES
Selection Process:
- 25 men and 25 women will be selected for the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix.
- 22 men and 22 women will be selected and announced on 11/11/2025
- 6 Wild Card spots (3 men and 3 women) will be announced after Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano on May 30, 2026. To be selected as a Wild Card, athletes will have had to applied for the 2026 LTGP and compete in the 2026 additions of Life Time Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Life Time UNBOUND Gravel 200.
- In addition to the 6 Wild Cards spots mentioned above, more availability may open if any of the LTGP athletes (22 men and 22 women) drop out. These additional Wild Card spots will be determined by Life Time.
- All prospective participants must fill out the application between October 27 and November 5, 2025 at 11:59 CT in order to be considered.
- Automatic entry will be granted for the top 5 overall men and women and two U23 champions of the previous season.
Event Participation:
- Participants must start 5 of the 6 events in order to be eligible for an overall prize.
- Example: if you start only 4 events of the series, you are not eligible for the Life Time Grand Prix prize purse
- Athletes will be removed from the series as soon as they become ineligible for prize money and will no longer be scored in the Life Time Grand Prix. If an athlete starts 5 but does not finish 5, they will be at a disadvantage for points, but may remain in the series
- The final event in the series, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel, will be mandatory for all and serve as a tiebreaker in the event of a tie.
- All prize purse eligible athletes must attend the awards ceremony. This includes both event podiums and the overall Life Time Grand Prix awards ceremony.
-
To be eligible for the $2,500 finisher compensation, athletes must complete the full Life Time Grand Prix season with a minimum of three official finishes, and finish 11th place or higher in the standings.
- All athletes must attend a minimum of 3 fan engagement activations throughout the year.
- Fan engagement activations are pre or post-race events such as shakeout rides or autograph signings that enable interaction between fans and athletes. This may also include community events in associate with the host community such as trail days, or the Life Time Foundation. This abides in our collective goal to build and foster fandom around cycling in North America, and give back to the communities who open their doors for us.
- Athletes are eligible for overall prizes and awards at each individual event.
- Every event in the Life Time Grand Prix series will provide separate starts for elite men and women.
- The six 2026 Life Time Grand Prix events include:
- Life Time Sea Otter Gravel presented by Continental
- Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano 200
- Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik
- Life Time Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival
- Life Time Little Sugar MTB
- Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Kenetik
Entry Fees & Prize Purse:
- All athletes receiving payouts of greater than $600 will be required to fill out a W9.
- Entry fees for all six events will be covered by Life Time.
Doping Control:
- No participant in the Life Time Grand Prix can be under a current doping ban.
- All athletes are subject to random doping controls at Life Time Grand Prix events.
2025
Scoring
- Only the 22 men and 22 women selected before the first two events will appear on the leaderboard before Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano.
- After UNBOUND Gravel, the leaderboard will be updated and re-scored to:
- Remove any athlete’s points who drops out of the series.
- Include the selected Wild Card athletes’ results for Sea Otter Gravel and UNBOUND Gravel.
- After the completion of the 4th event, each athlete’s lowest scored race will be removed from the scoring to reflect their drop race. This gives the most accurate standings going into the last event.
Points will be awarded at each event as follows:
| Place | Points |
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 3 | 26 |
| 4 | 24 |
| 5 | 22 |
| 6 | 20 |
| 7 | 19 |
| 8 | 18 |
| 9 | 17 |
| 10 | 16 |
| 11 | 15 |
| 12 | 14 |
| 13 | 13 |
| 14 | 12 |
| 15 | 11 |
| 16 | 10 |
| 17 | 9 |
| 18 | 8 |
| 19 | 7 |
| 20 | 6 |
| 21 | 5 |
| 22 | 4 |
| 23 | 3 |
| 24 | 2 |
| 25 | 1 |
Rules
Selection Process:
- 25 men and 25 women will be selected for the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix.
- 22 men and 22 women will be selected and announced on 11/7/2024
- 6 Wild Card spots (3 men and 3 women) will be announced after Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano on May 31, 2025. To be selected as a Wild Card, athletes will have had to applied for the 2025 LTGP and compete in the 2025 additions of Life Time Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Life Time UNBOUND Gravel 200.
- In addition to the 6 Wild Cards spots mentioned above, more availability may open if any of the LTGP athletes (22 men and 22 women) drop out. These additional Wild Card spots will be determined by Life Time.
- All prospective participants must fill out the application between October 14 and October 28, 2024 at 11:59 PST in order to be considered.
- The 2025 LTGP will have no automatic acceptance.
Event Participation:
- Participants must start 5 of the 6 events in order to be eligible for an overall prize.
- Example: if you start only 4 events of the series, you are not eligible for the Life Time Grand Prix prize purse
- Athletes will be removed from the series as soon as they become ineligible for prize money and will no longer be scored in the Life Time Grand Prix. If an athlete starts 5 but does not finish 5, they will be at a disadvantage for points, but may remain in the series
- The final event in the series, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel, will be mandatory for all and serve as a tiebreaker in the event of a tie.
- All prize purse eligible athletes must attend the awards ceremony. This includes both event podiums and the overall 2025 Life Time Grand Prix awards ceremony.
- All athletes must attend a minimum of 2 fan engagement activations throughout the year.
- Fan engagement activations are pre or post-race events such as shake out rides or autograph sessions that enable interaction between fans and athletes. This abides in our collective goal to build and foster fandom around cycling in North America.
- Athletes are eligible for overall prizes and awards at each individual event.
- Every event in the Life Time Grand Prix series will provide separate starts for elite men and women.
- The six 2025 Life Time Grand Prix events include:
- Life Time Sea Otter Gravel presented by Continental
- Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano 200
- Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik
- Life Time Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival
- Life Time Little Sugar MTB
- Life Time Big Sugar Gravel
Entry Fees & Prize Purse:
- All athletes receiving payouts of greater than $600 will be required to fill out a W9.
- Entry fees for all six events will be covered by Life Time.
Doping Control:
- No participant in the Life Time Grand Prix can be under a current doping ban.
- All athletes are subject to random doping controls at Life Time Grand Prix events.
Prize Purse
Life Time will pay out a total of $200,000 in prize money in 2025 for the Life Time Grand Prix and an additional $180,000 at the 6 individual events that make up the series.
Overall Prize PURSE
The Life Time Grand Prix will have $200,000 dedicated solely to the top 10 overall men and women in the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix. Prize money will be split evenly between men and women, and awarded to the top 10 based on highest cumulative points following the conclusion of the 6th and final race of the series.
| Place | Amount |
| 1 | $20,000 |
| 2 | $16,000 |
| 3 | $13,000 |
| 4 | $11,000 |
| 5 | $9,500 |
| 6 | $8,000 |
| 7 | $7,000 |
| 8 | $6,000 |
| 9 | $5,000 |
| 10 | $4,500 |
Event Prize PURSE
Each individual Life Time Grand Prix event will have $30,000 in prize money up for grabs, totaling $180,000. Athletes do not need to be part of the Life Time Grand Prix to be eligible for event prize money. This prize money will pay 5-deep for both men and women and be awarded as follows:
| Place | Amount |
| 1 | $5,000 |
| 2 | $4,000 |
| 3 | $3,000 |
| 4 | $2,000 |
| 5 | $1,000 |
U23 Program
New in 2025, the Life Time Grand Prix U23 Program is a new initiative designed to identify and nurture young talent by providing opportunities to gain invaluable experience and compete alongside top athletes in the nation’s premier off-road cycling series.
2024
Scoring
| Place | Points |
| 1 | 35 |
| 2 | 33 |
| 3 | 31 |
| 4 | 29 |
| 5 | 27 |
| 6 | 25 |
| 7 | 24 |
| 8 | 23 |
| 9 | 22 |
| 10 | 21 |
| 11 | 20 |
| 12 | 19 |
| 13 | 18 |
| 14 | 17 |
| 15 | 16 |
| 16 | 15 |
| 17 | 14 |
| 18 | 13 |
| 19 | 12 |
| 20 | 11 |
| 21 | 10 |
| 22 | 9 |
| 23 | 8 |
| 24 | 7 |
| 25 | 6 |
| 26 | 5 |
| 27 | 4 |
| 28 | 3 |
| 29 | 2 |
| 30 | 1 |
Rules
Selection into the Life Time Grand Prix℠
- 30 men and 30 women will be selected for the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix
- All prospective participants must fill out the application in order to be considered
- Athletes applying from outside of the US will be required to show that they have proper travel logistics (visas) in place to be in the US for all 7 events
Event Participation
- Participants must start 5 of the 7 events in order to be eligible for an overall prize
- Example – if you start only 4 events of the series, you are not eligible for Life Time Grand Prix prize money
- Athletes will be removed from the series as soon as they become ineligible for prize money, and will no longer be scored in the Life Time Grand Prix. Athletes who drop out, or become ineligible, are encouraged to participate in remaining events, but they will race in the Pro/Open category, not in the Life Time Grand Prix.
- The final event in the series, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel, will be mandatory for all and serve as a tiebreaker in the event of a tie on points
- All prize purse eligible athletes must attend the awards ceremony
- All athletes must attend a minimum of 2 fan engagement activations throughout the year
- Fan engagement activations are pre or post-race events such as a spin out ride or autograph session that enable an interaction between fan and athlete. This abides in our collective goal to build and foster fandom around cycling in North America.
- Athletes are eligible for overall prizes and awards at each individual event
- Every event in the Life Time Grand Prix series will provide separate starts for the men and the women elite fields
- The 2024 Life Time Grand Prix Events will include the same 7 event as in 2023 including:
- Life Time Sea Otter presented by Continental Fuego XL 100K
- Life Time Unbound Gravel 200
- Life Time Crusher in the Tushar
- Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB
- Life Time Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival presented by Trek
- Life Time Rad Dirt Fest
- Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda
Entry Fee Dues & Prize Money
- All athletes receiving payouts of greater than $600 will be required to fill out a W9
- Entry Fees for all seven events will be covered by Life Time
Doping Control
- No participant in the Life Time Grand Prix can be under a current doping ban
- All athletes are subject to random doping controls at Life Time Grand Prix events
Prize Purse
The Life Time Grand Prix℠ will pay out to the top 10 based on highest cumulative points following the conclusion of the 7th and final race of the series. The total purse will be $300,000, split equally between men and women.
| 1st | $30,000 |
| 2nd | $24,000 |
| 3rd | $20,000 |
| 4th | $17,000 |
| 5th | $14,000 |
| 6th | $12,000 |
| 7th | $10,000 |
| 8th | $8,500 |
| 9th | $7,500 |
| 10th | $7,000 |
Note: 3 events within the series (Crusher in the Tushar, Chequamegon MTB Festival, Sea Otter Classic) have event prize purses. Life Time Grand Prix participants are eligible to receive these dollars should they land on the overall podium.