Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda took place on the hinterland roads of Northwest Arkansas and Southern Missouri on October 22nd. The event had a field of more than 1,500 riders ranging in age from 14 to 78, representing 44 states and eight countries.
Two distances were on offer: the marquee Big Sugar, a 104-mile course of challenging roads through the Ozarks with approximately 7,000 feet of elevation gain; and the 52-mile Lil Sugar, which serves up a similarly challenging and equally picturesque ride over a shorter distance.
Big Sugar was the final event in the six-race Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda. Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson won the overall series in its inaugural year, each taking home US$25,000, with the other top nine men and women finishers awarded portions of the US$250,000 prize purse from Life Time.
“We are thrilled by the success of this weekend’s events, which were the culmination of a huge undertaking by our team, brand partners, athletes and the city of Bentonville,” said Kimo Seymour, President of Events and Media at Life Time.
“Big Sugar Gravel was the perfect end cap to a successful season and finale of the inaugural Life Time Grand Prix.”
Women’s Big Sugar winner
Paige Onweller, 33, of Grand Rapids, MI, with a time of 5:33:05
Men’s Big Sugar winner
Russell Finsterwald, 31, of Colorado Springs, CO, with a time of 4:57:59
Non-Binary Big Sugar winner
Bonnie Branson, 46, of Edmond, OK, with a time of 7:46:49
Women’s Lil Sugar winner
Betsy Welch, 41, of Boulder, CO, with a time of 3:02:58
Men’s Lil Sugar winner
Will Stoffel, 40, of Bentonville, AR, with a time of 2:46:45
Non-Binary Lil Sugar winner
Abi Robins, 33, of Austin, TX, with a time of 5:15:35
