The Countdown is on to Crusher in the Tushar

June 25, 2024

Race details and current standings ahead of race three of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix

Beaver, Utah (Wednesday, June 25) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – 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.

This noted 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 (3,130 meters) above sea level at the Eagle Point Ski Resort.

Founded by legendary 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. To view full course details click here.

Both the men’s and women’s competitions are tantalizingly poised heading into the race with 2022 Crusher in the Tushar winner Haley Smith the new leader of the women’s competition on account of her being the highest-placed Life Time Grand Prix finisher at UNBOUND Gravel 200 (in fourth position). Sofia Gomez Villafane, who finished 15th at UNBOUND, sits just four points behind her in the overall standings and will be aiming to narrow the lead in Utah after her dominant display last year.

In the men’s competition, Keegan Swenson leads Payson McElveen by a single point and his confidence will be high given he’s won the two most recent editions of this race. Matthew Beers sits just two points further behind in third with Lachlan Morton up fourth position after his incredible success at UNBOUND. To view the current leaderboards click here.

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 6:40am with the women commencing at 6:45am, 15 minutes before the first amateur group gets going.

Provisional start lists for both the elite men’s and women’s races can be found here.

You can watch extended highlights from the opening two rounds of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix, and recaps of the last two editions of Crusher in the Tushar, on our official YouTube channel.

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.”

Get involved

As always, it is not just the pros who will be tackling the course, over 800 amateurs will also get the chance to test themselves against the world’s best riders, with single speed and tandem categories also taking part. Click to register here.

Life Time has partnered with a climate advocacy non-profit organization called 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 Expo at 2pm 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 hosting a panel at 4pm on Friday, July 12th.

Crusher in the Tushar is the third of seven iconic MTB and gravel events across the US which make up the Life Time Grand Prix. Sixty of the world’s best off-road endurance cyclists (30 men and 30 women) have been selected to battle it out for a record $300,000 prize purse, which will be split equally among the male and female athletes.

About the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda

The Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda is owned and produced by premier leisure brand, Life Time. It is among 30 iconic athletic events owned, produced and operated by the Company, including the Chicago Half Marathon, Garmin UNBOUND Gravel, and the Leadville Race Series. To learn more about Life Time athletic events, click here