Now that the first two races of the Life Time Grand Prix series have been run and won the wildcard competition has been decided, with seven new riders joining the roster for 2026.
The three men and four women – due to the withdrawal of a pregnant Sarah Sturm – to earn the final spots available in this year's series are a mix of riders from the United States and beyond, with the performances across Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound Gravel the deciding factor.
The top wildcard qualifiers were experienced British gravel rider Danni Shrosbree (RCC) – who came 29th at Sea Otter and a strong ninth at Unbound 200 – and Olympian Martins Blums. Just last week the Latvian mountain biker was racing XCO at Nové Město, and now he has earned his spot in the series with 21st at Unbound and 13th at Sea Otter.
There were also a trio of riders from the United States joining the competition, Skyler Taylor (Pinarello-Q36.5) , Jenna Rinehart (Rene Herse) and Hannah Shell. Taylor was the top men's wildcard finisher at Unbound, taking 20th place ahead of Blums, and is coming off a strong 2025, winning the UCI Gravel World Series event Highlands Gravel as well as two stages of Oregon Trail Gravel and coming second overall.
Rinehart – an experienced Life Time athlete who came 17th overall last year and won Highlands Gravel just last month – secured her spot for another season with 27th place at Unbound and 18th at Sea Otter. Shell, another returnee, was 38th at Sea Otter and did enough at Unbound to secure the final spot and achieve her goal of getting back into the competition.
"3 years ago I found out I wouldn’t be returning to the Lifetime Grand Prix, and I was pretty gutted about it. Since then, it’s been my goal to earn my way back into the series," said Shell in an Instagram post. "And I am so proud to say that 23rd at Unbound put me 3rd overall in the wild card and officially a part of the Life Time Grand Prix."
There were also two new riders from New Zealand, Charlotte Clarke (Ventum) and Matthew Wilson (Scott Sports USA), making for a large contingent from the nation in the season after compatriot Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA - RCC) showed just how fruitful the wildcard path could be when he took one of the spots after winning Unbound and then captured the series overall as well. New Zealander born Samara Sheppard and Ruby Ryan were also among the original Life Time selection, which means the far-flung nation now has the biggest representation of riders from outside the United States.
Wilson, who came third in the road race at the New Zealand National Championships this year, had given himself a strong start to the wildcard race with 12th at Sea Otter and a 28th at Unbound sealed the deal. Clarke, who came 24th in the opening race, snared the wildcard position with 23rd at Unbound despite a tough run, when after being caught in the mud another rider hit her from behind, leaving her with just three gears for the 90 minutes until the first feed.
"Although I was well out of contention for the race itself, I kept fighting with the goal of hanging on to a Wild Card spot," said Clarke in an Instagram post. "In the end, I put together a ride I’m really proud of."
The Life Time Grand Prix series runs across six events, offering a season-ending $350,000 total top-10 purse, shared equally among elite women and men.
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