<\/p>\n
As the Life Time Grand Prix winds its way into the second half of the season, it\u2019s headed a little bit further off road. First, Leadville. Now Chequamegon. The Wisconsin off-road classic is a bit uniuque. 62.9km, point-to-point from Haward to Cable. 80\u2019s style mountain biking, meaning very fast double track, singletrack and, with some unpredictable weather, always challenging conditions.<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\nCanada\u2019s Andrew L\u2019Esperance ran an interesting drop-bar Ibis hardtail for the Cheq\u2019s distinctive race profile. The unorthodox set up (banned at Leadville, but not at Chequamegon) seemed to pay off. L\u2019Esperance finished seventh out of a 12-rider group sprint for minor positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels so good after being so close to winning at Leadville; I was pretty determined to get a win. The only way to prove yourself after coming second is to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The win went to New Zealand\u2019s Matthew Wilson (Scott). Wilson was heartbreakingly close to beating dominant U.S. endurance racer Keegan Swenson in Coloraod. In Wisconsin, Wilson managed to drop Swenson to solo to the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels so good after being so close to winning at Leadville; I was pretty determined to get a win. The only way to prove yourself after coming second is to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
L\u2019Esperance initially stayed with Wilson\u2019s lead group of four when Wilson broke away for a second time. The Canadan was dropped from that group, then caught by the chasers and stayed with them to contest a wild-looking sprint.<\/p>\n
\u201dI tried to get away on the Fire Tower Climb, Keegan and I got a good gap and thought we might be able to stay away, but unfortunately the whole group came back,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cBut it gave me the confidence going into the final climb of the day. I gave it a nudge on the final climb, and four of us got away but I felt like I had the best legs in the group, so I kept riding hard, and I was able to get a gap and went full gas to the line and not look back.<\/p>\n
Brendan Johnston takes second with Swenson in third.<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\nThe Life Time Gran d Prix heads to Bentonville for the final two rounds of racing. Little Sugar keeps riders on flat bars while Big Sugar, the following week, is the mandatory LTGP gravel final. With gravel world championships overlapping with Little Sugar, and many LTGP riders headed to Australia for the occassion, the GP standings could see another shake up soon.<\/p>\n
On the women\u2019s side, Specialized\u2019s unstoppable Sofia G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e takes her third LTGP win of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cChequamegon is always such an unpredictable race. I found myself on the ground after a mud puddle due to losing traction and sadly taking out my good friend Melisa with me. I was able to make it back to the front of the peloton, but she was not,\u201d the Specialized racer said after the finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Fire Tower, I made sure to lead as I knew I could likely be fighting for traction as well, and near the top I was solo as Karolina had to unclip due to losing traction. After that, I was solo and had a consistent effort to the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karolina Mignon takes second, winning a spring atainst Sarah Lange.<\/p>\n
2026 Chequamegon Elite results (Top 5)<\/h2>\n
Women\u2019s results
1- Sof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e (2hr 14min 11sec)
2- Karolina Migo\u0144 (2hr 14min 27sec)
3- Sarah Lange (2hr 14min 27sec)
4- Lauren Stephens (2hr 17min 04 sec)
5- Paige Onweller (2hr 17min 04 sec)
Men\u2019s results
1- Matthew Wilson (1hr 57min 51sec)
2- Brendan Johnston (1hr 58min 49sec)
3- Keegan Swenson (1 hr 58 min 51 sec)
4- Torbj\u00f8rn Andre R\u00f8ed (1hr 59min 10sec)
5- Cameron Jones (1hr 59min 10sec)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n