The season ends with all four Driftless riders in the top 10 of the Life Time Grand Prix
The Trek Driftless crew closed their Life Time Grand Prix campaign with the Big Sugar Classic on a pristine fall day at one of cycling’s most offroad-crazy locales. Bentonville, Ark., is one of the best dirt destinations in the world, and Paige Onweller, Torbjorn “Toby” André Røed and Russell Finsterwald paid their respects with some blistering racing.
Onweller won Big Sugar in 2022, and was itching to throw down with her powerful engine once again. Halfway through the 100-mile race, she was in the midst of an elite pack of nine riders at the front. Riders attacked repeatedly from there, and a trio of Sofia Gomez Villafañe, Melissa Rollins and Cecily Decker finally got away with 15 miles to go. Onweller chased gamely, but couldn’t quite haul them in, taking fourth.
Paige Onweller leading out the pack.
Russell Finsterwald taking the handoff.
“I had no legs in the last hour. I was trying so hard to bridge back there at the end, but couldn’t quite close it,” Onweller said after the race. “But I’m happy with it. Just to be in the mix, fighting for the win is always what the goal is, right? And not every day is perfect. But I felt like I fought the whole way today, and I stayed smart and had no mechanicals, so I’m really proud of today and the whole season I had.”
The men’s race featured two more former Big Sugar winners from the Driftless pack in Røed and Finsterwald. Unfortunately, an early puncture hamstrung Røed’s ambitions, but he fought back gamely to secure ninth on the day. Finsterwald’s day was even more adventurous. He struggled during the middle fifth of the race and fell back to 29th place on the road. But then he linked up with Peter Stetina, and together the two steely gravel vets worked together to pick their way up the field. Finsterwald would finish 12th.
Toby's "after" photo.
Battle station.
“Big sugar is one of my favorite races of the season. It’s just a hectic day of racing, like crazy downhills, punchy climbs, tons of guys flying, flatting everywhere. It’s just carnage out there,” Finsterwald said after the race. “I had a rough patch between miles 40 to 60, and was going backwards for a bit. But then the legs came alive. Linked up with Pete Stetina, and we were collecting bodies out there for a while.
“So stoked to close the season out with good legs, at least in the latter half of the race.”
All four Driftless riders finished in the Top 10 of the final Life Time Grand Prix standings. Onweller led the way, taking third among the women, with a highlight third-place finish at Unbound Gravel. Haley Hunter Smith sat out Big Sugar after taking the start so that she could focus on her recovery from the chronic breathing issues that plagued her season. But even with the setbacks, she was fifth on the women’s overall, thanks to her incredible grit at races like Unbound (4th) and Sea Otter (4th).
Onweller and Haley Hunter Smith celebrating on the final overall women's podium.
Onweller across the line.
Finsterwald finished sixth overall on the men’s standings thanks to one of the most consistent seasons in the field, highlighted by a 12th place finish at Unbound and a sixth place finish at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Røed was just five points behind in the standings to finish eighth, though he saved his best performances for two of the biggest races that weren’t part of the series, both sprint finishes: A season-opening win at Mid South, and a lung-busting second-place at SBT GRVL.
Now it’s time for rest. (Mostly, Onweller will be taking on Ice Man Cometh in her home state of Michigan as a little treat.) Staying off the bike is, counterintuitively, one of the first and most important steps to coming back even stronger in 2025.
“It’s been a wild season. I wouldn’t say it was my best season ever. That kind of makes you hungry going into the off season,” Finsterwald said. “Right now, I’m just super excited for the offseason to just rest, give the body a break and build towards a better next year. But I still had some results that I’m proud of. Today, I moved up to sixth in the Grand Prix overall, so not bad [laughs].”
Finsty and Toby celebrating the end of a hard season.
That's a wrap.
Results matter, but they remain just one part of the Driftless mission. There’s also the experience of gravel itself, and the chance to be ambassadors to one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Marquee events like those in the Life Time Grand Prix matter, but so do boundary pushing journeys like Finsterwald’s attempt at the Transcordilleras, or Røed’s pasta-filled tour through Europe, or Onweller coming off of serious injury even stronger, and still progressing in a sport that she started full-time in her 30s.
Smith may have had the hardest year of the four, battling health issues that kept her from performing to her full capabilities (though, to be clear, ranking among the Top 5 fastest women in gravel qualifies as “crushing it” by any other standard.) But her perseverance day-after-day embodied the spirit of adventure as well as anything can. She pushed forward despite the obstacles, not knowing what she might find ahead. She knows as well as anyone that good things come to those who take that approach.
“What a doozy of a year! I can’t thank everyone — my team, sponsors, friends, family, coach — enough for helping me get through this year. How special to be supported by people and brands that don’t ditch you in the hard times,” Smith wrote after Big Sugar. “While I’ve been ‘off’ for a few weeks, I’m heading into offseason proper today and taking a little break from the Internet and training. I’m not gonna ride my bike this week, but you should go ride yours!”
