Big Sugar, the 2024 Lifetime Series Closer

The fans of off-road racing have seen an exhilarating season unfold, showing off the grit and determination of elite athletes as they push their limits. With the culmination of the Lifetime Grand Prix approaching, anticipation builds for the final showdown in Bentonville, Arkansas. 

In its third iteration, the best 4 out of 7 points series started off this year’s Grand Prix showcased an impressive lineup of 60 elite off-road athletes—30 men and 30 women—competing across six races for the coveted equally paid out prize purse of $300,000. The season kicked off in April at the iconic Sea Otter event in Monterey, California, featuring a challenging 100k mountain bike race. This was followed by UNBOUND Gravel, With Crusher in the Tushar being canceled due to wildfires the series became a best of 3 with, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequmegon MTB Fest, The Rad Dirt Fest, and culminates this weekend in Bentonville, Arkansas, with the Big Sugar Classic—a grueling 100-mile gravel race. While the top spots on the podium for top prize money and glory have already been claimed by defending champ Keegan Swenson, Sofia Gomez looks to be the victor (pending participation on Saturday) . With the end of the season approaching and substantial stakes on the line, the dusty roads of the Ozarks promise an exhilarating showdown.

On the women’s front, 2022 Lifetime Big Sugar champion Paige Onweller has made a remarkable comeback from an early-season injury, currently holding second place in the series with 90 points, just one point ahead of Alexis Skarda. Haley Smith, the 2021 Lifetime Grand Prix Women’s Champion, sits in fifth place overall with 83 points.

A huge talking point coming out of Unbound Gravel was the historic nine women sprint finish where Paige took third overall in the elite women. The women’s only race format of a delayed start after the men, and a ~30 minute gap to the start gun of the general field, has now been reproduced at Lifetime events and other races around the country as they discovered the opportunities it provided for a cleaner and fairer women’s race. 

While Sofia has clinched her win (if she starts the race on Saturday), the rest of the podium is up for grabs. With Hannah Otto coming off an illness that prohibited her from racing The Rad, she’s now had back to back drop races in the last two events- but even with those two drops, she is now sitting in 6th… Which just goes to show how this upcoming race could shake up the current leaderboard. 

On the men’s side, Keegan Swenson has already clinched the series win with an impressive 105 points after winning 4 of the 5 events so far. Among the top ten contenders are well-known athletes like Payson McElveen who is currently in second place, 2024 Unbound champion Lachlan Morton, and the Traka360 champion Peter Stetina.

For Keegan, the only race in the series so far that he took a loss at, was Unbound. There, Lachlan Morton edged out of a two men sprint over Chad Haga. Lachlan now sits 5th going into the final event, and only eight points back from Payson McElveen. For those not yet on the leaderboard, but looking at a step on the podium, they may have a chance. Dylan Johnson sits only two points back from tenth place contender, Torbjorn Andre Roed, the 2023 Big Sugar champion.

The Big Sugar Classic serves as the ideal finale to encapsulate the season. Spanning 105 miles of rugged, dusty gravel roads that wind into Southern Missouri, the course presents a relentless challenge with 7,000 feet of elevation gain. While the race itself is sure to be fiercely contested, the event transcends mere competition. With a two-day expo, a kids’ crit, and a Gravel Rave kicking off the off-season festivities after the sun sets on race day, Big Sugar stands as a shining celebration of community, the hard work of the past season, and the enduring passion that drives these athletes in their sport.

This year has offered these athletes more opportunities and races than ever, with many recently competing in the UCI Gravel Worlds Championships in Belgium on October 5th and 6th, and Ranxo Gravel in Spain just last weekend. The combination of a rigorous stateside schedule and international travel have these competitors undoubtedly ready for a well-deserved break… But the ground work is already being laid for next year. The applications for the 2025 Lifetime Grand Prix are open, although next year’s rendition will look a little different. The field will be limited to 50 athletes (25 men and 25 women) with six wild card spots to be handed out after the second event of the year, and features changes in the event line-up.

For now, all eyes are on Bentonville as these men and women give it their all, for the last time this season, in hopes of climbing up the steps of the podium- not only for this one event, but for the season as a whole in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series.