Life Time has unveiled the Wild Card roster for the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix, with athletes competing for six remaining spots in the elite off-road cycling series.
Three men and three women will earn their way into the full series following the first two events of the season, joining the professional field to chase a record US$350,000 equal-pay prize purse.
The Wild Card programme gained attention following the 2025 season, where Cameron Jones entered as a Wild Card and secured the overall men’s title. This year’s selection process requires athletes to contest both the Life Time Sea Otter Classic on April 16, 2026, and Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano on May 30, 2026.
The top performers across these two events combined will be awarded a spot in the 2026 series.
Kimo Seymour, Senior Vice President of Events at Life Time and Director of the Life Time Grand Prix, said “The Wild Card selection has quickly become one of the most anticipated elements of the Life Time Grand Prix, and the calibre of the 2026 roster reflects the incredible depth we’re seeing in off-road cycling today.
“Asking athletes to perform at both Sea Otter and UNBOUND Gravel gives us a clear picture of who is prepared for the intensity of the Grand Prix. It’s a route that proved its value last season – Cameron Jones famously turned a Wild Card opportunity into a championship run – and we expect this year’s field to bring the same level of ambition.”
Cameron Jones, 2025 Life Time Grand Prix winner, said “The Wild Card spots are proof that the Life Time Grand Prix cares about finding the strongest riders on the scene.
“It gave me the chance to prove that a Wild Card entry isn’t just a filler spot, it’s a chance for a genuine contender to shake up the standings. I truly believe that the talent pool is deep enough now that we may well see another Wild Card take the overall title in 2026.”
The full list of athletes competing for the 2026 Wild Card spots includes:
Women’s Wild Card Roster
- Mikayla Arends – Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Gabriella Arnold – Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Laurie Arseneault – Bromont, QC, Canada
- Anet Barrera – Zapopan, JA, Mexico
- Charlotte Clarke – Timaru, New Zealand
- Leslie Ethridge – San Francisco, CA, USA
- Natalia Franco Villegas – Telico Plains, TN, USA
- Elizabeth Hermolle – Blackpool, United Kingdom
- Siena Hermon – Big Bear City, CA, USA
- Michelle Howe – Tucson, AZ, USA
- Caitlyn Kellogg – Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- MJ Lopez Aguirre – Chandler, AZ, USA
- Colleen Maher – Brevard, NC, USA
- Deanna Mayles – Colorado Springs, CO, USA
- Cristina Harner – Lafayette, CO, USA
- Emily Newsom – Fort Worth, TX, USA
- Lejla Njemcevic – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Florence Normand – Quebec, Canada
- Laurel Quinones – San Francisco, CA, USA
- Jenna Rinehart – Mankato, MN, USA
- Hannah Shell – Longmont, CO, USA
- Danielle Shrosbree – Poole, United Kingdom
- Sierra Sims – Roanoke, VA, USA
- Haley Smith – Waterloo, QC, Canada
- Jen Tavé – Redwood City, CA, USA
- Michaela Thompson – Durango, CO, USA
- Sofia Waite – Wheat Ridge, CO, USA
Men’s Wild Card Roster
- Carter Anderson – American Fork, UT, USA
- Martins Blums – Priekuli, Latvia
- Caleb Bottcher – Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Hayden Clarke – San Antonio, TX, USA
- Cole Davis – Roseville, CA, USA
- Andrew Dillman – Fairdale, KY, USA
- Derek Dotlich – Indiana, USA
- Griffin Easter – Park City, UT, USA
- Nicolò Ferrazzo – Volpago Del Montello, Italy
- Russell Finsterwald – Colorado Springs, CO, USA
- Kyle Fry – Shuniah, ON, USA
- Julien Gagné – Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Truman Glasgow – Alpine, UT, USA
- Joe Goettl – Sandy, UT, USA
- Lance Haidet – San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
- Piotr Havik – Gouderak, Netherlands
- Cole House – Oneida, WI, USA
- Dylan Johnson – Brevard, NC, USA
- Yusuf Johnson – Baltimore, MD, USA
- Kyle Kalish – Columbus, IN, USA
- Nathan Knowles – Tucson, AZ, USA
- Lasse Konecny – Breckenridge, CO, USA
- Alban Lakata – Lienz, Austria
- Michael Lambert – Platteville, WI, USA
- Mathijs Loman – Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Sampo Malinen – Lahti, Finland
- Justin McQuerry – Austin, TX, USA
- Leandro Messineo – Open Door, Argentina
- Daxton Mock – Lake Mills, WI, USA
- Lawrence Naesen – La Gleize, Belgium
- Henry Nelson – Durango, CO, USA
- Amaette Nsek – Ontario, CA, USA
- Gustave Orain – Girona, Spain
- Jonas Orset – Oslo, Norway
- Ethan Overson – Superior, CO, USA
- Ethan Pauly – Victoria, BC, Canada
- Georwill Perez Roman – Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
- Cullen Perkey – Englewood, CO, USA
- Matt Pike – Longmost, CO, USA
- David Ramon Rubinat – Corona, CA, USA
- Jacob Richards – Ogden, UT, USA
- Adam Roberge – Prévost, QC, Canada
- Brody Sanderson – Severn, ON, Canada
- Miguel Santillanes Garcia – El Paso, TX, USA
- Tim Savre – Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Rogan Smart – Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
- Marcus Spratt – Millcreek, UT, USA
- Nathaniel Spratt – Millcreek, UT, USA
- Travis Stedman – Durban, South Africa
- Nathan Surowiec – Forest Hill, MD, USA
- Skyler Taylor – San Anselmo, CA, USA
- Jose Eduardo Tijerina Cuesta – Monterrey, Mexico
- Daniel Van Der Walt – Bellville, South Africa
- Jacob Velasco – Rocklin, CA, USA
- Cory Wallace – Jasper, AB, USA
- Chase Wark – Winona, MN, USA
- Alex Wild – San Jose, CA, USA
- Matthew Wilson – Maungatautari, New Zealand
Following the initial two events, the qualified athletes will join the series for the remaining four rounds. These include the Leadville Trail 100 MTB on August 15, 2026, the Chequamegon MTB Festival on September 19, 2026, and the season-ending events in Arkansas: Little Sugar MTB on October 11, 2026, and Big Sugar Gravel on October 17, 2026.
Life Time, the event organiser, operates an extensive portfolio of athletic country clubs and endurance events across North America.
