Takeaways from the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix

Dominance, new names, and impressive performances

The Life Time Grand Prix season wrapped up this month in Arkansas, concluding the third season of the nation’s top cycling series. Alexey Vermeulen snagged the win in the men’s race after bridging up to the breakaway and then dropping Simen Nordahl Svendsen and Colby Simmons. Sofia Gomez Villafane also won from a break, powering ahead of Melisa Rollins and Cecily Decker in the final hour of racing. 

Now that the final results are in, here are my takeaways from the season. 

What will stop Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafane? 

The power couple from Utah once again claimed overall titles in the Grand Prix. While the title hunt was closer than in previous seasons, it was still obvious for the past several months that it would be a tall order for another rider to unseat both Swenson and Villafane. 

I’ll be the first to say that it all feels a bit anticlimactic. Dominance can be inspiring, but it can also be boring. The same discussion is being had as the cycling world grapples with riders like Tom Pidcock and Tadej Pogacar.

It’s clear that Life Time are seeking to shakeup the series next year with their 2025 changes. Less racing at altitude, gravel at Sea Otter, and technical mountain biking in Arkansas could shake things up. Swenson and Villafane are still extremely talented, but the changes will give others a fighting chance. 

New riders rise into the spotlight 

One of my favorite stories from the year is Melisa Rollins’ win at Leadville. Rollins has been around the circuit for a while, but the 28-year-old finally got her breakout win in Colorado’s high mountains. She also strung together the rest of the season to finish second overall. After listening to this podcast, she’s become one of my favorite riders on the scene. 

Another Leadville revelation was Michaela Thompson. Those who followed Thompson knew her potential, and she finally proved herself to the world in August. After Big Sugar, she finished in 10th overall. 

Up in third overall, Paige Onweller overcame an ankle injury to bounce back for Unbound and the rest of the season. The former Big Sugar winner may have to work on her mountain biking for next season, but living and training in Bentonville will serve her well. 

When Torbjørn Røed won Big Sugar last year, he hadn’t yet committed to off-road racing. Still planning to race a split schedule of road and gravel in 2024, he then got into the Grand Prix and signed with Trek Driftless. It was a good bet for the Norwegian living in the USA as he finished eighth overall. 

Alex Wild isn’t new to the scene either, but the Californian rode strong at Chequamegon to ultimately take seventh overall. He’s an inspiration to the working man, balancing racing with working full-time for Specialized Bicycles. 

An international flair 

International riders continue to bring more talent into the Grand Prix fields. On the men’s side, Matt Beers of South Africa and the Aussie Brendan Johnston made sure that ⅖ of the top five have an accent. Lachlan Morton also managed a top-10 overall despite riding his bike around the continent of Australia. 

Villafane is Argentinian but lives in the US, so she gets lumped in with the Americans, similar to Morton. Peta Mullens joined the women’s field from Australia, finishing 21st overall, and Danni Shrosbree joined from Great Britain but pulled out of the series. Next year’s calendar will be more friendly to those coming from far away so we’ll see who makes the cut on the roster. 

McElveen’s comeback 

When the Grand Prix ushered in a new era for American racing in 2022, Payson McElveen was sitting injured on the sidelines. Injury, mechanicals, and illness plagued his 2023 campaign, but things turned around for the Texan in 2024. His third place overall is the perfect underdog story, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next year. 

What was your favorite story from this year? Let me know in the comments.