The Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda returns for the third race of the series on Saturday, July 13th with the Life Time Crusher in the Tushar.
According to Life Time, this event in Beaver, Utah, is… ‘arguably the toughest 69.9-mile race on the planet and is the only gravel contest in the world to feature a true mountain-top finish, sitting 10,268 feet (3,130m) above sea level at the Eagle Point Ski Resort.’
Founded by pro cyclist Burke Swindlehurst in 2011, Crusher in the Tushar amasses over 10,000 feet of climbing as the riders traverse the Tushar Mountains and Fishlake National Forest.
As always at Crusher in the Tushar, both the elite men’s and women’s races have separate starts, although the timings have been adjusted this year to create additional separation between the two fields. The elite men will start at 06:40 local time with the women commencing at 06:45, 15 minutes before the first amateur group gets going.
Over 800 amateurs will also get the chance to test themselves on the same course faced by many of the world’s best riders, with single speed and tandem categories also taking part.
Kimo Seymour, Life Time President Media & Events, said “I don’t think there’s another bike race in North America that features more suffering on a mile-per-mile basis than Crusher in the Tushar, and that always makes for a thrilling and awe-inspiring watch.
“The Life Time Grand Prix is really taking shape as a whole host of interesting stories are coming to life. For the first time since the start of the 2023 season we have a new female leader in Haley Smith, and the top three men are split by just three points.
“Crusher is one for the climbing specialists who can handle high altitudes, and we’re super excited to see how the race will play out.”
Life Time has partnered with climate advocacy non-profit Protect Our Winters and will be hosting a panel with Life Time Grand Prix riders Peter Stetina, Sarah Sturm, Payson McElveen and Anna Gibson at the event expo at 14:00 on Friday, July 12th.
This year Life Time has also partnered with the Ride or Die Collective on a series of group rides and seminars intended to pave the way for women to take on the Crusher. Ride or Die will be fielding a full team of women taking on this year’s event, including Life Time Grand Prix athlete Emily Newsom, and will be hosting a panel at 16:00 on Friday, July 12th.
Crusher in the Tushar is the third of seven MTB and gravel events across the US which make up the Life Time Grand Prix. 60 elite off-road endurance cyclists (30 men and 30 women) have been selected to battle it out for a record US$300,000 prize purse, which will be split equally among the male and female athletes.
A revised scoring system, which will increase the points difference between the top six finishers of each race from one to two (i.e. the first place finisher will receive 35 points, second place 33, third place 31 points, and so on). This means there is more to fight for at the very top of the standings.
The elite men and women will have separate start times at all seven events, aiming to make each race more competitive and easier to follow.
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