VBR TWENTY24 Melisa Rollins Top-Ten in Life Time Grand Prix

Sea Otter Classic - Fuego XL hosted international competition

ROANOKE, Virginia — April 22, 2024 — It's good to be back in Roanoke VA after almost a month on the road, week three of travel began with a six hour drive from Redlands up to the central coast of California with stops in Santa Barbara to see teammate Ruth Holcomb and a walk on Pismo Beach then to the final destination for this week, Monterey, CA for The Life Time Sea Otter Classic , a four-day celebration of cycling and regarded as the most comprehensive gathering of cycling enthusiasts in the world. The event began in 1991 and is held at the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway and combines recreational and competitive events and an expo amidst a festival atmosphere attracting over 70,000+ fans from around the world.

I returned to Sea Otter for the first time in a few years. With the demise of Interbike, it's one of the very few opportunities to connect in-person with the cycling industry. It was great to spend time with team partners and friends. I spent hours walking the expo sharing team news and stories of Virginia and my goals for the team through the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Melisa Rollins was our starter in the event which is hosts race #1 of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix series that includes 7 iconic off-road events, 60 of the world’s best cyclists and a $300,000 prize purse. With three road stage races under her belt already this season, Melisa started the race with a solid fitness base, she was going to need it for almost five hours of fire roads and mountain trails.

The 68 mile course offered three feed zones and William Makowski from Virginia Tech covered one of them. Two years ago the team visited Virginia Tech and met the engineers behind smart road technology, we also had the opportunity to meet students and researchers from several science departments including Will Makowski, Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Candidate who is developing the science of bicycle helmet fit, as well as the processes for custom fit, 3D printed bicycle helmets. Will attended the Sea Otter conference and assisted us in the feed zone for Melisa's race, we loved having part of our Virginia community in California.

I get to spend a few days in Roanoke before I head back to California for a quick four-day trip to honor and celebrate the life of Tim Brennan, friend to many and our very first team mechanic who was such an integral part of the team in its formative days.

- Have a productive and happy week, Nicola

For Melisa's report please continue reading

Photo above: Rollins leading the second chase by John Holderness

Melisa Rollins Fuego XL report

The famous Sea Otter Classic mountain bike race has been a long standing pinnacle for US spring mountain bike racing, and this year, also marked the start of the Lifetime Grand Prix. The festival weekend is always a fun one, it brings together old friends and new, and is an important time of year to connect and reconnect with sponsors. Though the Sea Otter course is not super technical in nature, it is fast and dusty, and having a background in racing mountain bikes is crucial to be a top competitor. This year, the course was two 34 miles laps, climbing a total of 8600 ft in the 68 miles.

My preparation for Sea otter looked different than most. After finishing up the final stage of the 5-day Redlands Classic with the rest of my teammates, Nicola and I packed up the car and headed north for Monterey. After a few days of recovering and traveling to and from the expo for course recon and last minute sponsor obligations, I started to feel race ready again.



I felt great in my preparation and when race day came, I was feeling super excited to race on my mountain bike! It was a balmy 50 degrees and foggy at the start, setting the tone for the daunting day ahead.

Photo below: Rollins on the single track by John Holderness

Photo above: Finish line smiles by John Holderness

The race began with an all out effort as we climbed up the iconic Laguna Seca raceway track. The start was absolutely crucial because at the top of the climb riders pinched into a long single track descent where passing would be basically impossible. Knowing the impact of the start, I lined up super early and was happy with my start position. Unfortunately, when the commentator said “go”, the girl next to me veered into my bars and sent me flying into my top tube, requiring me to fully unclip and remount near the back of the group. In a panic I surged my way to the front, and luckily was able to make it near the front as we approached the single track. Elbows were flying and holding position was difficult for me as we dove down the descent, but I eventually settled in and tried to relax as much as possible. 

After the first descent I noticed gaps start to grow between the people in front of me and in a mad effort to get closer to the front I tried passing in the grass to no avail. When I finally was able to make it around, the leaders had gone and I was left chasing. Eventually I was joined by 4 others and we made up the main chase group of the day. We worked together to try to make the junction to the leaders, periodically hearing reports of our progress from spectators. 

On our second lap our group remained the same, though we started to pick up a few riders who had been shattered from the pace of the group ahead. As we entered the final feed zone, there was a big attack that split our group, and each woman rode the final 10 miles alone. 

Photo above: by John Holderness

Support at these long endurance races is critical for a successful day. I was lucky enough to have the help of Will Makowski from Virginia Tech, as well as 2 additional helpers from The Feed in the feed zones. They handed off bottles to me 5 different times during the race, all at critical moments.

My tire choice was also perfect for the race. I went with the Kenda Booster Pro 2.4, and I found that they gripped perfectly in the dusty California single track.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 10th on the day! This is a result I’m proud of, as mountain biking has not been a main focus for me over the last year and a half. For the next few months I will continue to focus on the road, my next races being Tour of the Gila and Elite Road National championships. In July I will return to the dirt for Crusher in the Tushar—the 3rd stop in the Lifetime Grand Prix, as I will be skipping out on Unbound Gravel (stop #2).

Thanks for reading, Melisa

Up next for Melisa is UCI Tour of the Gila Stage Race in Silver City, New Mexico April 24-28 where she will be joined by Jennifer Valente, Marlies Mejias, Sofia Arreola, Emma Langley and Emily Ehrlich. 

Photo above: Finish line by John Holderness

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