The opening round of the 2025 Lifetime Grand Prix series at Sea Otter Classic provided a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of professional gravel racing, as revealed in an in-depth conversation with elite racer Alex Wild. From cutting-edge equipment choices to remarkable power data, Wild's insights paint a picture of a sport reaching new heights of professionalism and performance.

The Power Behind the Performance

One of the most striking revelations from Wild's race analysis was the sheer intensity of the effort required to compete at the front of the field. The opening 20 minutes saw Wild averaging 352 watts raw power with a normalized power of 411 watts - numbers that would make many professional road racers take notice. Even more impressive was his sustained output over the full race distance: 343 watts normalized for 4 hours and 22 minutes.

To put these numbers in context, Wild shared that his training FTP (Functional Threshold Power) has increased from 380 watts last year to 400 watts in 2025 - representing a remarkable 5-8% year-over-year improvement. However, he emphasizes that raw numbers don't tell the whole story: "I think FTP is kind of just a dick-swinging thing at this point... I like to think of it as different mastery levels - how far into a race can you do that, how many times can you repeat that."

Equipment Evolution: Blending Road and Mountain Bike Innovation

Wild's equipment choices reflect the increasingly sophisticated approach to gravel racing, combining aerodynamic innovations from road cycling with off-road technology from mountain biking. His setup included:

* SRAM Transmission drivetrain with a 50-tooth chainring
* 22mm Air Track tire (front) and 50mm Tracer tire (rear)
* 40cm handlebars
* 165mm cranks
* Specialized Evade aero helmet
* Specialized aero base layer and socks


The Technical Edge

Wild emphasized how mountain bike skills continue to provide an advantage in gravel racing: "If we take half a second out of someone who doesn't know how to handle their bike out of every corner over 10 hours... there's a lot of corners and there's a lot of times when just efficiency of rolling through means that we're putting 5-10 watts less average over the whole day."


Race Strategy and Mistakes

Despite finishing an impressive 6th overall (5th in Grand Prix standings), Wild identified key moments where better execution could have improved his result. A missed feed zone and delayed bottle grab in the final lap proved costly: "Just that one to two seconds I let Keegan's wheel go was just the elastic snapping for me."


Looking Ahead

The performance at Sea Otter has given Wild confidence heading into the rest of the Lifetime Grand Prix series. His preparation for Unbound Gravel, the next major event, will include:

* A recovery week following Levi's GranFondo
* 2-3 weeks of high-volume training
* A 7-10 day taper into the event

Demonstrating Durability

Perhaps most impressively, Wild backed up his Sea Otter performance by racing the Fuego XL two days later, where he averaged 356 watts normalized for 4 hours and 5 minutes - numbers that even surprised him: "Even for me seeing 356 for 4 hours 2 days after probably the hardest gravel race of my life is just kind of unconceivable."


Conclusion

​Wild's detailed analysis of the Sea Otter Classic provides valuable insights into the evolving world of professional gravel racing. The combination of road racing power numbers, mountain bike technical skills, and sophisticated equipment choices demonstrates how the sport continues to develop. As the Lifetime Grand Prix series progresses, it will be fascinating to see how Wild and his competitors continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in off-road endurance racing.