The world of cycling and outdoor sports descended on Monterey, California, for day one of the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental.
Taking place from April 18-21, 2024, the first day of the world-renowned event – Industry Day – brought brands and bike industry leaders together alongside fans and racers of all abilities in a celebration of two wheeled culture and competition.
World-renowned cycling and outdoor brands reveal their latest innovations
Out of the record 1,100 brands in attendance, more than 50 brands gave cycling fans and the international media the opportunity to see their latest releases on US soil for the first time on day one; including new products from Parlee Cycles, POC, Peaty’s Products, ION, and Abbey Bike Tools.
Elite racers from around the world took on amateurs and enthusiasts in Road Race and Enduro MTB races.
In the Elite Men’s Road Race, Irish two-time Vuelta a España stage winner Nicolas Roche romped to an incredible solo victory, crossing the line 23 seconds ahead of Brennan Wertz, with fellow Californian Adam White 28 seconds further back in third after a thrilling 68-mile trek around the Fort Ord National Monument.
In the Elite Women’s Road Race it was Nicole Steinmetz who emerged triumphant, outsprinting Caroline Wreszin at the culmination of a thrilling two-way Californian tussle, with Canadian Cynthia Pham rounding out the podium.
In the Elite Men’s Enduro MTB, Cody Kelley (Utah) took the top spot with his time of 08:39.02, six seconds ahead of runner-up Jake Keller (California), and eight seconds in front of Nikolas Nestoroff (California).
In the Elite Women’s Enduro MTB, New Zealander Raewyn Morrison tasted victory, stopping the clock on 09:47.78 after four gripping stages. France’s Julie Duvert was nine seconds behind in second with Porsha Murdock (Oregon) in third.
DAY 2: PRO ATHLETES, PRODUCT PREVIEWS AND FUEGO XL 100k
The world’s cycling media preview embargoed products from 20+ brands
The 34th edition of Sea Otter Classic is hosting 1,100 brands, with more than 20 choosing the event to give international and local cycling media world-first access to products and stories that won’t be available to the public until late 2024 and early 2025.
An excess of 50 brands have launched products so far, with many others offering first-time viewings on US soil, including new road bikes from Parlee, FiftyOne, Bridge, and Moots; special-edition wheels from Mavic; a limited-edition Ibis mountain bike handmade in the USA; and unique Fox Racing goggles for use with half-shell helmets.
2024 Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda kicked off with the Fuego XL 100k
History repeated itself in the opening race of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda, with Keegan Swenson (United States) winning his third consecutive Fuego XL 100k and Sofia Gomez Villafane (Argentina) also repeating her 2023 success.
Those results put Swenson and Villafane at the top of the men’s and women’s overall standings with 35 points respectively, with Alexey Vermeulen (USA) and Samara Sheppard (New Zealand) both taking home 33 points, and Matthew Beers (South Africa) and Hannah Otto (United States) two points further behind.
700 athletes, including other elite racers, amateurs and keen enthusiasts took part in the challenging two-lap marathon event covering approximately 70 miles and 7,800 feet of elevation.
Amateurs and enthusiasts went head to head in eMTB and Dual Slalom races
In the Bulls eMTB Race presented by Bosch, it was Nick Mackie (United States) who emerged triumphant as first man after 15km (three lap) race in a time of 27min 45sec with Florencia Espineira (Canada) taking the win for the women in 29min 2sec. Overall, more than 120 racers took part in the unique eMTB event built to challenge modern eBikes and their riders over a circuit featuring steep climbs and technical descents.
A Sea Otter fan-favorite, the Fox Racing Dual Slalom presented by Pinkbike, kicked off today for beginner, intermediate and para racers. Riders battled it out side-by-side down identical tracks high above the roaring crowds at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, testing their technical skills against rollers, berms and flat corners designed by Kyle Strait of Strait Acres: one of the best slalom riders and builders in the world.
Fox Racing Dual Slalom champions were:
- Kaitlyn Verfuerth (Category: Para Female)
- Sam Danniels (Category: Para Male)
- Kyle Deguzman (Category: Beginner Men 19-29)
- Max Gaughan (Category: Beginner Men 30-39)
- Charlie Mahoney (Category: Beginner Men 40-49)
- Nathan Smith (Category: Beginner Men 50+)
- Shiloh Clark (Category: Intermediate Men 19-29)
- Evan Kinzey (Category: Intermediate Men 30-39)
- Naoki Mesuda (Category: Intermediate Men 40-49)
- Scott Clark (Category: Intermediate Men 50+)
Day 3: RACING IGNITES HUGE CROWDS ON DAY THREE OF LIFE TIME SEA OTTER CLASSIC
Racing was the order of the day as the world of cycling and outdoor sports descended on Monterey, California, for day three of the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental. Road and Circuit races descended on the asphalt of Laguna Seca and Monterey County throughout the morning while off-road racers took on the Gravel and Dual Slalom tracks of Fort Ord.
Taking place from April 18-21, 2024, the third day of the world-renowned event brought brands and industry leaders together with cycling fans and racers of all ages and abilities in a celebration of cycling history, innovation and competition.
Fox Racing Dual Slalom presented by Pinkbike
Huge crowds turned out to see the world’s best MTB talent take part in the Fox Racing Dual Slalom presented by Pinkbike and it was Nikolas Nestoroff who had them on their feet after he defeated Mitch Ropelato in the Men’s Final.
Martha Gil also blazed a trail in the Women’s Final, descending like a demon on the technical track to outpace Raewyn Morrison, denying third-placed Jill Kintner a 12th win.
Gravel race
In the Elite Men’s Gravel Race, Californian Brennan Wertz went one better than his second place in Thursday’s Road Race by wrapping up a sensational win, four seconds ahead of Canadian Robert Britton. Another Californian, Matthew Wiebe, took the third step on the podium by crossing the line 46 seconds further behind.
Australia’s Cassia Boglio won the Elite Women’s event by edging out Californian Flavia Oliveira Parks after a thrilling battle between the duo. Fellow Californian Jen Tavé took third, three minutes and 50 seconds behind Boglio.
Circuit race
In the Elite Men’s Circuit Race, Cody Berta (California) proved the fastest finisher, outsprinting Beckett McVoy (Colorado) and Shane Curtis (California) by one second.
Elisa Luo (California) celebrated victory in the Elite Women’s Circuit Race, again one second ahead of Monterey local Hannah Stackpole and Alabama’s Elyse Gallegos.
DAY 4: LIFE TIME SEA OTTER CLASSIC ENERGIZES THE NEXT GENERATION OF RACERS AND RIDERS
The next generation of cycling fans, racers and shredders took center stage for the concluding day of the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental in Monterey, California.
The fourth day of this international festival of cycling brought children, families, and riders of all ages and abilities together with much-loved sports brands for the not-to-be-missed finale.
Every child aged 12 and under received free entry to the festival this year, but on Sunday’s Family Day, up to two adults also received complimentary passes if attending with a little one.
Family-friendly off-road adventures
New for 2024, the Family Off-Road Tour presented kids and parents with an ideal introduction to the world of unpaved riding, taking them on a 10-mile trail of the best of Fort Ord’s fire roads and single track. Kids of all ages, whether on their own bikes or sharing with their parents, were also able to experience the fun of riding the e-bike friendly trails alongside hundreds of families, friends and adventurous kids.
Inspiring girls to take to the trails
Girls aged between 8-13 had the opportunity to meet some of the biggest female names in mountain biking today, with the Little Bellas Sea Otter Camp giving them a supportive environment to test their skills and enjoy the MTB trails around Laguna Seca. Icons of mountain biking inspired kids to keep pedalling and try racing for the very first time.
Energizing junior mechanics
Park Tool’s Junior Mechanic Show taught a packed audience the physics of bicycles, while their Junior Mechanic Activity Table gave children the chance to get hands-on with the parts that make up their bike, and get a close-up look at how they work.
Teaching the stars of the future
The woom Kids’ Zone was bigger and better than ever this year, giving children an enclosed space to hone their budding bike skills on obstacles for all ages and skill levels. Combined with free kids races and rallys, there were plenty of opportunities to stretch skills and build confidence at any age and on any bike – from balance bikes to full-suspension rigs.
Jill Kintner (Washington) backed up her third-placed finish in the Elite Dual Slalom by storming to victory in the Elite Downhill. The MTB legend tamed the track in a time of 2min 8sec, just 0.89 seconds ahead of four-time US National Enduro Champion Amy Morrison (Nevada). Canada’s Raewyn Morrison, who took silver in yesterday’s Dual Slalom, completed the top three in 2min 10.93sec.
The 2024 Life Time Sea Otter Classic Elite Enduro champion, Cody Kelley (Utah), added another win to his resume, completing the Downhill course in 1min 55.02sec. UCI Downhill Junior World Champion Ryan Pinkerton (California) crossed the line just over one second behind, in a time of 1min 56.09sec. Neko Mulally (North Carolina) meanwhile, locked in the last place on the podium with his time of 1min 56.25sec.
An all-new Fuego XC tests the best
Featuring a redesigned course for 2024, close to 200 racers took on 21 miles and 3,500 feet of elevation over the sandy climbs and flowing singletrack of Fort Ord’s diverse landscape.
One Sea Otter’s long-standing events, the iconic XC race proved a close battle between the top three men, with Robbie Day (Colorado) coming out on top in a time of 1h 18min 26sec, closely followed by Californian Justin Peck (1h 18min 43sec) and Georgia’s Michael Garrison (1h 18min 56sec).
The women’s race was also hotly contested, with Scout Wellmeier triumphant in 1h 38min 05sec, with Hannah Wood (Utah) hot on the heels of the young Californian in 1h 29min 41sec. Caroline Mani (Colorado) completed the podium in a time of 1h 42min 11sec.
Photos courtesy Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental
