Although the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix ended in October, it’s not too early to look ahead to the 2026 season, as six Durango-based riders were announced as part of the 2026 roster on Nov. 11.
On the women’s side, Sarah Sturm returns to the Life Time Grand Prix after not being a part of the lineup last year. Maude Farrell also returns to the series after last competing in the series in 2023. Ruth Holcomb and Ruby Ryan will be first-time members of the women’s roster.
Life Time veteran Payson McElveen will compete in the series on the men’s roster. Cobe Freeburn will also compete as a first-time member of the men’s roster.
The 2026 Life Time Grand Prix will be the fifth installment of the series. The male and female winners of the series will each take home $50,000. There will be a $350,000 total top-10 purse split equally between the genders. With $240,000 in event prize money, there’s $590,000 in total athlete prize money, which is a 55% increase from 2025.
New to 2026 will be a professional finisher compensation of $2,500 for every athlete who finishes the Grand Prix outside the top 10 in the final standings.
The traditional race lineup is back with stops at Sea Otter Gravel, UNBOUND Gravel, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequamegon MTB Festival, Little Sugar MTB and Big Sugar Gravel.
Sturm returns as a member of the women’s roster after finishing 11th in 2024, fourth in 2023 and third in 2022. Farrell will return to the women’s roster after she finished 11th in 2022 and 19th in 2023.
Holcomb, 22, won the U-23 women’s Life Time title in 2025, giving her an automatic spot on the women’s roster. One of Holcomb’s best results of this year was her 10th-place finish in the elite women’s race at the Chequamegon MTB Festival.
Ryan, 24, from New Zealand, but based in Durango, is new to the gravel scene. Her best result of the year was her 12th-place finish in the elite women’s race at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.
“I'm excited,” Ryan said. “It's given me the chance now to focus fully on cycling, which is, my dream. So I really want to have a good year next year with some good, consistent buildup. I'm excited to now be acknowledged with the other girls, and I just want to get stronger and race and ride with them.”
Ryan was pleasantly surprised to be included in the field with her lack of gravel experience. She’ll have a busy offseason as her work visa in America has expired, so she’ll be heading back to New Zealand to train there. Ryan is planning on returning to America for the Life Time season, where she’ll be based out of Durango.
McElveen will return for his fourth Life Time season. He finished 12th in 2023, third in 2024 and 11th in 2025 after suffering a broken hip in the first round at Sea Otter. He showed strong form at the end of this season by finishing fifth in the elite men’s race at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.
Part-time Durango resident Cole Paton is also back for his fifth Life Time Grand Prix; he’s finished inside the top 10 all four years.
The newcomer on the men’s side from Durango is Freeburn. At 24 this season, Freeburn showed some impressive form this season when he finished fifth in the elite men’s race at the Chequamegon MTB Festival.
“I wanted to get in last year, but didn't quite make it, so I was very happy to get in this year,” Freeburn said.
Freeburn learned a lot in the Life Time races he did this year about how some riders are racing for points and some are racing for individual results.
Two notable omissions from the 2025 roster are Durango’s Michaela Thompson and Ellen Campbell.
Thompson had a strong debut in 2024, finishing 10th in the standings. But she took a step back and finished 13th this season. Campbell has competed in Life Time since its inaugural season in 2022, with her best finish of 11th in 2023. Campbell finished 19th this season.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
