Life Time Grand Prix announces 2023 athletes

This article originally appeared on Velo News

Drum roll, please.

Life Time has announced the 70 athletes who have been selected to compete in the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix series presented by Mazda.

It’s a mix of new and familiar faces for the second edition of the series, with 10 additional riders and one additional race upping the ante for the $250,000 prize purse.

Life Time unveils details of 2023 Grand Prix series

Reigning champions Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson will both be back in 2023, as will six more of the top-10 women from 2022. Every rider in last year’s men’s top-10 is returning in 2023.

According to Life Time, over 200 athletes applied for a spot in the series.

New and notable riders on the women’s side include 2021 Unbound Gravel champ Lauren De Crescenzo, Panamerican cyclocross champ Raylyn Nuss, five-time French national cyclocross champion Caroline Mani, and Ironman pro Heather Jackson.

Six nations will be represented, including the US, Canada, Australia, England, France, and South Africa, and with an age range of 19-47 years of age.

On the men’s side, South African marathon MTB champ Matt Beers will join other Grand Prix newcomers like Brennan Wertz, ‘cross pro Eric Brunner, and teen phenom Ian Lopez de San Roman.

The US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and South Africa will be represented on the men’s side, with Canadian Rob Britton, 38, as the oldest male and Lopez de San Roman the youngest at 19.

Colorado is the most heavily-represented state, with 11 women and eight men calling the Centennial state home.

The Grand Prix is a seven-race points-based series, with riders’ overall results based on their six best finishes. The races are the same as in 2022, with a new, yet-to-be-announced ‘wild card’ event. The series kicks off in April at Sea Otter. Big Sugar Gravel in October will serve as a mandatory tie-breaker.

2023 Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda

• April 22: Fuego XL 100K cross-country mountain bike race at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California

• June 3: 200-mile Garmin Unbound Gravel presented by Craft Sportswear in Emporia,
  Kansas

• July 8: 69-mile Life Time Crusher in the Tushar presented by The Creamery in Beaver,
  Utah

• August 12: 104-mile Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Leadville, Colorado

• September 16: 40-mile Life Time Chequamegon MTB presented by Trek in Cable, Wisconsin

• October 21: 100-mile Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda in Bentonville,
  Arkansas (mandatory tie breaker)

• Wild card event: the seventh event will be announced on January 11

Elite women

1. Crystal Anthony, 42, Bentonville, Arkansas

2. Ella Bloor, 27, Kingston, Australia

3. Chelsea Bolton, 33, Park City, Utah

4. Ellen Campbell, 25, Durango, Colorado

5. Catherine Colyn, 26, Paarl, South Africa

6. Lauren De Crescenzo, 32, Atlanta, Georgia

7. Rebecca Fahringer, 33, Bend, Oregon

8. Maude Farrell, 31, Redwood City, California

9. Sofia Gomez Villafane, 28, Heber City, Utah

10. Emma Grant, 31, Reading, England

11. Isabella Hyser, 19, Huntsville, Alabama

12. Heather Jackson, 38, Bend, Oregon

13. Isabel King, 32, Los Angeles, California

14. Caroline Mani, 35, Besancon, France

15. Holly Mathews, 34, Longmont, Colorado

16. Sarah Max, 47, Bend, Oregon

17. Deanna Mayles, 29, Colorado Springs, Colorado

18. Julie Momber, 35, Grand Rapids, Michigan

19. Jessica Mullins, 44, Littleton, Colorado

20. Angela Naeth, 40, Brewster, Massachusetts

21. Emily Newsom, 39, Fort Worth, Texas

22. Raylyn Nuss, 31, St. Louis, Missouri

23. Paige Onweller, 33, Grand Rapids, Michigan

24. Hannah Otto, 26, Millcreek, Utah

25. Jenna Rinehart, 38, Mankato, Minnesota

26. Hannah Shell, 31, Longmont, Colorado

27. Danielle Shrosbree, 28, London, England

28. Alexis Skarda, 33, Grand Junction, Colorado

29. Haley Smith, 29, Waterloo, Quebec,

30. Sarah Sturm, 32, Durango, Colorado

31. Starla Teddergreen, 43, Longmont, Colorado

32. Caroline Tory, 32, Snowmass, Colorado

33. Leah Van der Linden, 28, Boulder, Colorado

34. Ruth Winder, 29, Nederland, Colorado

35. Anna Yamauchi, 22, Truckee, California

Elite men

1. Matthew Beers, 28, Cape Town, South Africa

2. John Bortselmann, 31, Lincoln, Nebraska

3. Robert Britton, 38, Victoria, British Columbia

4. Eric Brunner, 24, Boulder, Colorado

5. Zach Calton, 25, Ogden, Utah

6. Griffin Easter, 31, Park City, Utah

7. Russell Finsterwald, 31, Colorado Springs, Colorado

8. Howard Grotts, 29, Durango, Colorado

9. Lance Haidet, 24, San Luis Obispo, California

10. Alex Howes, 34, Nederland, Colorado

11. Dylan Johnson, 27, Brevard, North Carolina

12. Brendan Johnston, 31, Canberra, Australia

13. Andrew L'Esperance, 31, Halifax, Nova Scotia

14. Bradyn Lange, 23, Mendocino, California

15. Taylor Lideen, 33, Bentonville, Arkansas

16. Konny Looser, 33, Hinwil, Switzerland

17. Payson McElveen, 29, Durango, Colorado

18. Lachlan Morton, 30, Boulder, Colorado

19. Tasman Nankervis, 27, Bendigo, Australia

20. Logan Owen, 27, Bremerton, Washington

21. Cole Paton, 25, Cashmere, Washington

22. Kiel Reijnen, 35, Bainbridge Island, Washington

23. Adam Roberge, 25, Prevost, Quebec

24. Nathan Spratt, 27, Salt Lake City, Utah,

25. Peter Stetina, 35, Santa Rosa, California

26. Keegan Swenson, 28, Heber City, Utah

27. Kyle Trudeau, 29, Tucson, Arizona

28. Alexey Vermeulen, 28, Boulder, Colorado

29. Kerry Werner, 31, Vinton, Virgina

30. Brennan Wertz, 25, Mill Valley, California

31. Innokenty Zavyalov, 31, Minneapolis, Minnesota

32. Tobin Ortenblad, 28, Santa Cruz, California

33. Ryan Standish, 29, South Salt Lake, Utah

34. Jack Odron, 20, Denver, Colorado

35. Ian Lopez De San Roman, 19, Sebastopol, California

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