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.
“Oh, it was like Christmas really," Sherwell told Cyclingnews as she looked back on the announcement from the sidelines of RADL GRVL in South Australia. “I wanted it for a couple of years now, so I'm really excited to be a part of it and I can't wait.”
Still it's not an experience without its challenges for an Australian rider but Sherwell is determined to make the most of the full US season of gravel racing.
“It's a huge year. It makes me nervous just thinking about logistics and that sort of thing but I'm excited to be heading back to the US and kicking off the racing season over there with the Belgium Waffle Ride [BWR] again in Arizona and excited to be a part of the Life Time Grand Prix."
She, however, is hoping for a smoother beginning this year when she lines up in Arizona to start her international season at the 166km BWR.
"I'll be using this first race as a bit of redemption." said Sherwell in a post on social media earlier this month. "Last year my race did not go to plan. l had a crash early on on the first dirt sector so I spent the rest of the day trying to chase.
"I just really didn't enjoy the day out there, I was on my own most of the day, so I'm hoping for a bit of a change of luck this time round and that I'll be competitive and on that podium."
Sherwell will then be taking on the Cactus Cup, a MTB stage race outside Phoenix from March 7-9, and after that she will begin the Life Time Grand Prix series at the opener in Monterey, California, April 10 at Sea Otter Classic Gravel.
"I want to be in the top 10 at least in the Grand Prix so I'll be aiming for that and going from there – that'll be my base – but most importantly I just want to enjoy the experience."
That, however, doesn't for a second mean she'll be doing anything less than going all out for results: "I'm there to race, like, I want to race hard. I want to be competitive, so, you know, let's go top five then..." a laughing Sherwell concluded.
