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Life Time Grand Prix: Cole Paton, Candice Lill claim race wins at Little Sugar MTB while Melisa Rollins climbs into series top 10 as women's runner-up

The Life Time Grand Prix delivered dramatic results at the Little Sugar Mountain Bike event in Bentonville, Arkansas, with standout performances from Cole Paton and Candace Lill securing solo victories in their respective elite races. Paton, representing Giant-RCC, dominated the men’s 100km event by breaking away from a seven-rider group in the final 24 miles, ultimately crossing the line in 4 hours, 6 minutes, and 38 seconds.

His win propelled him to fifth place in the series standings, while Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss) finished second, just 1 minute and 12 seconds behind, and Andreas Seewald (two-time MTB Marathon World Champion) took third. The top four riders all earned Life Time Grand Prix points, with Lange closing the gap on series leader Keegan Swenson to within six points.

Meanwhile, Lill, the reigning South African mountain bike XCO champion, rode solo for 55 miles in the women’s race before pulling away decisively on the technical ‘Ledges’ section, winning in 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 47 seconds. Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) finished a strong second, just 2 minutes and 20 seconds behind, securing the most Life Time Grand Prix points of the day for the women’s field and climbing into the series top 10 as runner-up.

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