20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 16-22, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 1 7 6 5 Life Time SEA OTTER CLASSIC RIDGE RACERS The gravel race at Sea Otter Classic is 90 miles of high speeds, grinding climbs and slippery bends. By Erik Chalhoub 8 The trails at Fort Ord National Monument have a reputation for being tame, at least among hardcore mountain biking enthusiasts. That’s by design. They are made for multiple types of users, so equestrians, hikers and bikers can all share a path that’s not too hairy. But when dozens of bicyclists are jockeying for position side-by-side on these trails at speeds of up to 50 mph, where a slip on the gravelly terrain can end a race within a second, that’s when reputation gets thrown out the window. The Life Time Grand Prix gravel race kicks off the Life Time Sea Otter Classic on Thursday, April 16. It’s the season opener for the Grand Prix series, where 44 athletes compete in six races across the country for a $50,000 grand prize. At Sea Otter Classic, riders start and end on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca track, winding their way through Fort Ord for three 30-mile laps, each with 2,600 feet of elevation gain. Keegan Swenson, who has won the race on the men’s side four years in a row, is back in the lineup after suffering an injury while training in February. The 2025 women’s winner Haley Batten will not be in the lineup this year, leaving the field wide open. Read on to see what these top athletes will experience over the course of a grueling 90-mile race. Life Time Sea Otter Classic 9am-5pm Thursday-Saturday, April 16-18 and 9am-2pm Sunday, April 19. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $40/spectators Thursday-Saturday, $23/spectators Sunday. seaotterclassic.com. DAN HUGHES DAN HUGHES Grand Prix at a Glance COURTESY OF SEA OTTER CLASSIC DAVID SIGNOR
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==