What a experience it’s been for Cameron Jones (Scott-Shimano) on the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix. After risking wildcard entry and going all-in at Unbound Gravel 200, the place he took the win, he backed it up with one other victory at Little Sugar MTB final weekend, leaping to second on the sequence leaderboard.
Going into Large Sugar Traditional, the sixth and ultimate race of the sequence, Jones knew precisely what he needed to do to clinch the general title – simply end forward of his three key rivals. Jones was tied with Simon Pellaud (Tudor Professional Biking), sitting only one level behind three-time sequence champion Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz htSQD), and one level forward of Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless).
“I’d achieved all of the numbers so I knew who I needed to beat and could not see any of them in entrance of me within the end. So yeah, do what I needed to do,” Jones instructed Cyclingnews after ending fifth at Large Sugar in Bentonville, Arkansas on Saturday.
With that in thoughts, he didn’t let the information of the course being shortened by half, from 100 miles to 53.9 miles, as a result of extreme climate, influence his technique.
“I wasn’t too involved to listen to the shorter course. And I really feel like I used to be as aggressive as anybody there. There have been a couple of, fairly lots of people, attempting to assault the entire time, however there’s solely sure individuals I used to be involved about. I used to be fairly aggressive as nicely, made few strikes of my very own, and that type of ended up bringing again many of the teams, aside from the 2 Matts up the highway, who, yeah, nobody was catching them,” Jones mentioned.
“The people who had been up there within the entrance weren’t going to beat me within the sequence. And so, I simply needed to take into account myself with the individuals who may and attempt to make their life as onerous as potential.
“It was fairly hectic for a bit, like I taken my glasses off as a result of they had been, like, sweaty, and I dusted up. And yeah, you simply, like, squinting, attempting to see by means of the spray of the individual in entrance of you. Yeah, type of relax a bit earlier than the end.”
“Then I simply made positive I used to be positioned on the entrance earlier than any of the hills and up there in direction of the entrance, so going into the dash. After which as soon as I launched it, I used to be simply attempting to consider what was on the road. And went as deep as I may to the top.”
“I took a few CO2s and gels out of my pocket and chucked a water bottle in my again pocket. However nah, simply the identical. It was in all probability a bit much less of a technical course, however setup is already as quick as you will get. So good on any situations.”
Jones’ setup included his Scott Addict Gravel RC with 2026 colour-way, 50-tooth chainring, Schwalbe G-One RX PRO 50 tyre on the entrance and a forty five within the again, and ‘in all probability’ he mentioned 23psi within the entrance and 26psi on the again.
“Large, lengthy, low stem, aero cockpit. I acquired these little like dash shifters below my bike laptop, second shift once I’m in a time trial place at this time.”
And sure, Jones did go into time trial place. “The course was much less technical than the opposite one, so I did a couple of occasions, like firstly, on the finish,” he mentioned. “Would possibly as nicely be as environment friendly as potential.”
Jones crossed the road in fifth place, a bit over 4 minutes behind the race winner Beers, and extra importantly, forward of ninth-placed Pellaud, Tenth-placed Røed and Twelfth-placed Swenson. The wildcard turned large winner scored a $20,000 US examine for his elite males’s title, a portion of the Life Time pay out of $200,000 in prize cash shared by the highest 10 males and prime 10 ladies.
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