Sea Otter Classic

Here is a quick recap of my race at the Sea Otter Classic, the opening event of the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix. 

Physical Update The most important takeaway from this weekend is my physical condition. Eight weeks after my accident, I was able to race the full 150km without any knee pain. Being able to ride entirely pain-free was the best news of the day and a significant milestone in my recovery.

 Race Dynamics and Strategy The conditions were similar to last year: a sunny day with very dry and loose gravel, making the corners quite slippery. The course consisted of three 48km & 1000m of elevation loops. The start was hectic, with a flat-out two-minute effort before the first descent, but I managed to position myself well in the top four.

The wind made the race tactical early on. I felt strong during the first loop and decided to take the initiative. I attacked and formed a breakaway with Magnus Bak Klaris and Anton Stensby. We built a gap of over one minutes. Eventually the chasing group caught us at the start of the third loop. 

The Finish I was sitting in the lead group of nine riders when I hit a rock and punctured one of the final descent. I lost about a minute plugging the tire. Fortunately, the plug held, allowing me to finish the race. I rode the remainder of the course solo, catching a few dropped riders to finish in 9th place.

 While 9th place is an average result on paper, I am satisfied with the performance given the circumstances of the past two months.