A 100K mountain bike race on the Ozark trails of Bentonville and Bella Vista, Arkansas, in the week before Big Sugar Gravel.
Life Time Little Sugar MTB
The Life Time Grand Prix on mountain bikes, a week before its final: 100 kilometers of Ozark trail, and no drop handlebars allowed.
- When
- Mid October
- Since
- 2023
- Most recent winner
- 🇺🇸 Cole Paton (2026)
- Also known as
- Little Sugar MTB
- Category
- Life Time Grand Prix
About Life Time Little Sugar MTB
Little Sugar MTB, officially Life Time Little Sugar MTB, is a mountain bike race in Bentonville and Bella Vista, Arkansas, held in October in the week before Big Sugar Gravel. Its 100K race runs on the Ozark trail systems Little Sugar, Back 40 and Slaughter Pen and is a round of the Life Time Grand Prix. Drop handlebars are banned, and 50K and 20K races are held the same day.
Also known as: Little Sugar MTB · Little Sugar
Little Sugar was first held in 2023, when Keegan Swenson won the men's race on the same time as Matt Beers and Haley Batten won the women's race by more than 11 minutes. Christopher Blevins won a three-man sprint in 2024. The race joined the Life Time Grand Prix in 2025, and Sofia Gomez Villafañe won the women's race in 2024 and 2025. Cole Paton and Candice Lill won the 2026 races. In 2026 the race pays $30,000 and counts for a series that pays $350,000, with $50,000 for each of its two winners.
The Life Time Grand Prix races here in the week before its final at Big Sugar Gravel, on Ozark trails with technical rock features and no drop handlebars. Two of the first three men's races ended with the leaders on the same time.
Life Time Little Sugar MTB winners
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 🇺🇸Cole Paton | 🇿🇦Candice Lill |
| 2025 | 🇳🇿Cameron Jones | 🇦🇷Sofia Gomez Villafañe |
| 2024 | 🇺🇸Christopher Blevins | 🇦🇷Sofia Gomez Villafañe |
| 2023 | 🇺🇸Keegan Swenson | 🇺🇸Haley Batten |
2026 edition
This edition is complete.
Life Time Little Sugar MTB course
The 100K course is listed by the organizer at 103 kilometers (64 miles) with about 5,800 feet of climbing. It starts at OZ Trails Bike Park in Bella Vista and finishes at The Momentary in Bentonville. Before the course was changed it ran from Coler Mountain Bike Preserve to downtown Bentonville. It crosses the Little Sugar and Back 40 trail systems and connects to Slaughter Pen, with technical rock features and climbs that alternate with fast descents. Support crews may meet riders at TH Rogers Lumber Yard at mile 26, and elite crews also at Veteran's Park at mile 47.
History
Eras and records
First edition
First run in 2023.