After seven months of racing, it all came down to the final weekend of racing in the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix. The men’s title chase was the tightest in series history, and the women’s podium was yet to be solidified as well.
But when severe weather swept across the Ozarks on Saturday morning, everything changed. With heavy rain, lightning and tornado threats in the forecast, race officials shortened the Big Sugar Gravel course from 100 to 50 miles just 90 minutes before the start, setting the stage for a fast, chaotic finale.
Cam Jones pushes Keegan Swenson off his throne
Dark clouds loomed as the elite men rolled out from downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, for the final race of the season. The shortened 50-mile course promised fast racing, but even the pros couldn’t outride the approaching downpour and flashes of lightning.
South African mountain biker Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road) seized control of the race early and never looked back. After forming a three-man move with Matthew Wilson (Santa Cruz) and Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) in the opening miles, Beers pressed on when Wilson suffered a late mechanical, soloing to victory with a commanding margin of more than three minutes.
Behind, Griffin Easter (Opicure Foundation) overcame cramps in the closing stretch to out-sprint Amos for second place.
In the post-race interview, Beers described the course as ‘gnarly’ and said his race tactic had been to go full gas and commit 100% to avoid the chaos and confusion in the peloton behind.
While Beers took the day’s honours, the biggest story belonged to Cameron Jones (Scott-Shimano). After winning Unbound and Little Sugar, The New Zealander entered the finale just one point behind three-time series champion Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz–SRAM htSQD). But Swiss rider Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) was also just a single point behind, and Norwegian Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless) sat another point back. With plenty of points on offer, Jones, a wild card in the series, had to reach the finish ahead of all three in order to win. And he did just that. His fifth-place finish was enough to secure the overall Life Time Grand Prix title, unseating Swenson after his dominant three-year reign, and earning $20,000 for the series win, plus $5,000 for the day’s victory.
Swenson finished 11th, unable to match the front pace on the shortened, high-intensity course. His performance saw him drop from series lead, off the podium, in fourth place.
Pellaud finished in second on the series podium and Røed in third.
Women’s Race: Villafañe Seals Perfect Season with Sprint Win
(Image credit: Life Time)
On the women’s side, Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Specialized Off-Road) capped off a stellar season with another victory, her third consecutive overall Grand Prix title. The Argentine never placed lower than third in any of the six rounds and took three wins, including Bentonville’s finale.
Villafañe outsprinted U.S. national gravel champion Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) and Stella Hobbs (MAAP–Wahoo) in a reduced bunch finish to close out the series in dominant form.
Although she only needed to start in Bentonville to secure the title, Villafañe again proved unstoppable. Despite the weather, the last-minute course change, and a tense peloton, she remained composed.
Early aggression from Emily Newsom briefly animated the front group, but with the field largely intact into the final 10 kilometres, positioning became everything. Stephens launched first on the paved run-in, yet Villafañe countered with a sharp acceleration on the final rise to take the win by six seconds. Hobbs followed shortly after to complete the podium.
Further back, the battle for second overall in the series remained tight, with Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) doing just enough to edge Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) in the final standings. They finished eighth and 13th in Bentonville, respectively.
