Australian gravel champion Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz-SRAM) has been chasing the full US gravel racing experience for a number of years, with a slot in the Life Time Grand Prix series until now being the missing piece of the puzzle but this is the year it has all fallen into place.
The 36-year-old began to branch out from the Australian gravel scene last year focussing on the Belgian Waffle Ride Tripel Crown. She quickly added weight to her claim on a 2025 Life Time Grand Prix spot when she showed just how capable she was by claiming second overall in the three-race series behind Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Specialized).
That made it clear that Sherwell had what it took to be competitive among the best, but after having been disappointed in previous years, Sherwell – who also went on to sweep up the Australian marathon mountain bike national title in 2024 – certainly wasn't complacent when the invitations came out and she found her name was among the 22 women in the US-based Grand Prix.
