Previewing the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix

5 Questions with LTGP newcomer Chase Wark, who-to-watch, and more

👋 Good morning and happy … Thursday! Welcome to the Front Pack newsletter, your source for all things endurance. Click here for the web edition.

Yes. We’re coming to you a day earlier this week. That’s because we’re dedicating the newsletter to The Life Time Grand Prix which kicks off tomorrow, Friday, April 19 at 9 a.m. PT with the Sea Otter Classic. It’s a great race series so if you haven’t, tune in.

Also. Do me a solid and share today’s edition with one friend (or 10). If they like what they read, ask them to subscribe.

Stay moving…✌🏼 – Scott

Get to Know the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix

🚴 In it’s 3rd season, the Life Time Grand Prix is a seven race, off-road series that pits the top 30 male cyclists and top 30 female cyclists against each other in both gravel and mountain bike racing. With a prize purse of $300,000, riders are selected based on a range of criteria including, but not limited to, their race resume and past race performances, their interest in becoming a part of the Life Time Grand Prix, and how the rider is helping to grow cycling in the U.S. through their activities.

Friday’s race is the Sea Otter Classic, taking place in Monterey, CA. A mountain bike event and festival that’s been around for 30 years, the main event is the Fuego XL 100k; a two-lapper that is roughly 70 miles and has 7,800 feet of elevation change. Keegan Swenson, and Sofia Gomez Villafane took the win last year, with Swenson winning in 2022 too.

The (Predictable) Top Riders

🚴 If you haven’t paid attention, 30 year old Keegan Swenson has dominated the men’s field the last two years. At 5’10/ 146lbs, the dude only has gas. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise because he’s been dominating racing for over 10 years, it’s just now coming with bigger notoriety and fatter paychecks. For example, at the 2023 Leadville 100 mtn bike event, he crushed the course record which stood since 2015 by 15 minutes.

🚴 On the women’s side, Sofia Gomez Villafane has established herself as the strongest female in the field, winning the 2023 LTGP. But she’s also interestingly made mention that she almost didn’t want to compete in 2024 telling Cycling News in March, “I actually wasn’t gonna apply for 2024 [Life Time series]. Then I started working on my calendar and I figured I’m gonna be doing four of those events anyway, what’s adding one more to maybe try to get some prize money?” So while Villafane has only continued with her winning ways through the first quarter of 2024, is she focused enough to win the series and keep Alexis Skarda, Haley Smith, Sarah Sturm and others off her back.

What to watch for in ‘24

Power Cycling Couple, Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafane will be forced to break-up due to an unfair advantage. But seriously. Can Swenson 3-peat – will his competition game plan to make sure he doesn’t happen? Meanwhile, Villafane won 4 of the 5 LTGP races she entered in 2023. Does she have 2024 in the bag?
Setups. Let’s get real. We all want to see what setups the male and female pros are running. How wide are their tires? What customized kits and new paint jobs are they rocking. You know. The important stuff 🤭.
Alexey Vermeulen has been the next best competitor the last two years. Will he get over the hump. Will Willie compete by seasons end?
Unbound Gravel. Last year was mud, the year before was heat. Will 2024 have mud….and heat?
OGs like Lachlan Morton, Peter Stetina, and Heather Jackson are back for another season. Both males finished 5th and 6th respectively in 2024, with Jackson settling for 14th.
Haley Smith flipped from 1st overall in 2022 to 3rd last year. She’s a dog so we’re excited to see if the Canadian she can get back on top in 2024.
Cole Paton was a baby faced noob in 2022 and finished 4th. Then was still baby faced but finished 3rd in 2023. Pumped to see him take yet another step in 2024.
New to this years tour is 12x Australian National Champion Peta Mullens, and MN native Chase Wark (below). Can the unknown of these two help or hurt their debut season.

5 Questions with LTGP athlete Chase Wark

🚴 We’re excited to highlight a rider we’ve been watching the last year. With an aggressive style of racing, results that stack up with the best, and that HED 180 disc wheel that’s become a part of his signature look, Chase Wark got the call to be a part of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix on March 19th and will battle it out against Keegan Swenson, Cole Paton, Lachlan Morton and the rest of the pro field this season. After a strong 2023 that saw him take 2nd at Gravel Worlds, he’s won Rock Cobbler and finished 2nd at Valley of Tears behind Swenson in 2024.

Wark is One to Watch

It’s good to have you and congrats again. Thank you for taking the time ahead of Sea Otter to answer our questions.

How stoked are you? From getting that call to knowing the season is finally here. What are your expectations and does it feel weird to call yourself a rookie?

To get that last minute call up to the Life Time Grand Prix was pretty crazy. I almost shed a tear in the Subway car that I was in when I got the call. The call up was so late I really haven’t had time to hone in on my mountain biking skills, so my goal for Sea Otter is just to not be last out of all the LTGP racers. I haven’t even thought of myself as a rookie, but I guess I am a rookie in the series since for some people this will be their 3rd year in it. The biggest advantage they probably have is knowing how to prepare, race, and recover for these events, whereas I’m just winging it, at least for Sea Otter. My expectations are to have good a Unbound, Chequamegon, and Big Sugar since I’ve done those events before and they suit me. For Sea Otter, Tushar, Leadville, and The Rad, I’ll be asking for advice from other riders on what to expect, and hopefully get a surprise result or two at those events.

How has the invite changed your thinking heading into 2024. Has your training changed knowing who you’ll be going up against all season long? Or has it changed?

My thinking has had to become more selfish and focused on myself now that I’m in the LTGP. I am a huge advocate that pros should race local races when they can, but I’ve had to take 4 local events off my calendar since I’ll be out of state either racing or acclimating to altitude. I’ll still be hosting my own grassroot gravel events, Granny’s Gravel Grinder and The Hotdish, so I’ll still have some focus on the local MN gravel community. My training hasn’t changed too much, I did add more mountain bike rides in my late March and early April block. My main focus for the first half of the season is still Unbound so I’ve put in a couple 40 hour weeks already and several 30 hour weeks, I’ve just done some of my long rides on the mountain bike on trails instead of the gravel bike.

When it comes to strategy, you’re not going to tell us but I’d imagine every race will be different in some way. But you’re clearly here because you’re a top rider. What are some core principles you’ll try and stick with throughout the season that got you here in the first place?

My biggest core principles are to make sure to keep it fun and stay safe. If I can do those two things that means I won’t have any burnout and I’ll have motivation to train consistently throughout the year which I think some folks struggle with. My racing strategy has always been the same, make sure to be in a good position in the important spots of the race and hopefully the legs can help do the rest. Positioning is something I think I have an advantage over a lot of my competitors since I come from a road race/crit racing background and I still incorporate that into my training. Nutrition and equipment choices will also be a part of the strategy each weekend. Sometimes I’ll be a weight weenie and other races will be focused on being as aero as I can be, even if it does look a little goofy.

Which race this season are you most excited about and why?

I’m most excited for Unbound. The long course, the fiddling and testing equipment, and just the brutalness of the day are things I really enjoy about Unbound. There’s so much planning and training that goes into it. I think that gives me an advantage since a lot of the folks in the series just seem to take their talent for granted and don’t train for the long day or take the hours and days to tinker with their equipment to get every marginal gain possible. Some may think that’s dorky that there’s a couple of us “marginal gain enthusiasts” in the field, but since I’m not one of those riders who’s been on national championship podiums since I was a junior or U23, I need to put in the extra work and dial in every last piece of equipment. One of my favorite quotes is “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” and I think that’s especially true at an event like Unbound.

I’ve got to ask the question. You battled 2x LTGP champ Keegan Swenson at Valley of Tears (TX) this year, ultimately taking second place. It was such an impressive showing on your part. What did you learn walking away from that race and how will anyone take the crown from Keegan in 2024?

I walked (more like hobbled since I crashed in the race) away from the race knowing that Keegan isn’t unbeatable. I think some of those races like Leadville and Tushar where it’s simply just a W/kg test, he probably can’t get beat. In a flatter race where drafting, aerodynamics, and equipment choices all add up, I think he can get beat. He just has to be outsmarted which is really hard to do since he also thinks about every small piece of equipment. I would still put my money on him for the overall series, but I think in some races this year you’ll see him get beat whether it’s by luck, or folks outsmarting him or working against him!

The Rewatchables

Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.

Why You Should Give A Sh*t About Bike Festivals Like Sea Otter: Every year for the past 30+ years, thousands and thousands of athletes, bike brands, media and consumers head to Monterey for the Sea Otter Classic bike festival. Join Christina Chappetta for a run down on what makes this event so important to the bike calendar.