The Big Sugar 100 2026 is 99.5 miles of rugged Ozark gravel out of downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, the season ending finale of the Life Time Grand Prix. Here's your course breakdown and Best Bike Split race plan for race day.
If you're lining up for Big Sugar in 2026, you're racing into the last chapter of the gravel season. This isn't a race built around one signature climb or a single technical section. It's nearly 100 miles of loose, rocky Ozark backroads that roll from the first pedal stroke to the last, and by mile 80 the terrain has usually done more damage to a rider's legs than any single hill could. The course rewards durability and fueling discipline over raw power, which makes it a deceptively easy race to blow up in.
Big Sugar 100 History & 2026 Race Details
Life Time announced Big Sugar in 2019, and the race debuted in 2021 after a pandemic postponement, drawing 766 riders across two distance options in its first year. The event became the finale of the Life Time Grand Prix when the series launched in 2022, and it has grown into one of the largest gravel weekends in the country since, pulling more than 2,600 riders from dozens of states and countries in recent editions. The name comes from Sugar Creek, which the course follows and crosses repeatedly through the Ozark highlands of northwest Arkansas and southern Missouri.
For 2026, Big Sugar runs as race six of six in the Life Time Grand Prix, the finale that decides the series. An elite field of 25 men and 25 women, selected through a performance based process that includes top finishers from 2025, the top U23 athlete, and wild card spots awarded after Unbound Gravel, will be racing for a share of the series' $590,000 prize purse on the same roads as thousands of age group and citizen riders. Everyone rolls out from Bentonville's downtown square, which means the opening miles carry the same positioning stakes as any big field gravel race before the course spreads out into the highlands.
Big Sugar 100 Course Map & Elevation Breakdown
The route leaves downtown Bentonville and climbs into the Ozarks almost immediately, trading pavement for rarely maintained gravel roads that stay loose and rocky for nearly the entire distance. Riders describe the surface as demanding constant attention, sharp embedded rock that punishes anyone running the wrong tire pressure and rewards anyone who dialed it in during recon. There's no shortage of climbing, but it comes in short, punchy pitches stacked one after another rather than in a few defining walls, so the course rarely lets a rider settle into a rhythm for long.
The first major checkpoint comes at Pineville, just over the Missouri border around mile 37, where the field crosses through a proper aid station before turning back toward Arkansas. The second checkpoint sits at Rockford Grange around mile 73, the last real resupply before the closing miles. Between and beyond these checkpoints the course threads through Sugar Creek valley, with water crossings that range from a shallow splash to hub deep depending on recent rain, plus a handful of narrow bridges and a marked highway crossing in the closing third of the course where marshals hold traffic for riders. The final miles run back into Bentonville on rolling gravel that never fully lets up, closing out a course that punishes anyone who arrives at mile 80 already empty.
Bentonville, AR Weather Forecast for Race Day
Mid October in Bentonville runs mild by day and genuinely cool by morning. Daytime highs typically sit near 70 degrees, with early race hour temperatures well into the 40s before the sun climbs. The month sees roughly ten days with measurable rain and about a one in three chance of rain on any given day, and when storms do roll through the Ozarks this time of year they can be sudden and severe. The 2025 edition was cut from 100 to 50 miles just 90 minutes before the start when tornado warnings moved through the region, a reminder that late fall weather in this part of Arkansas can change the plan on short notice. Riders should check the forecast in the days leading into race week and be ready to adjust tire choice and layering for a course that can go from dusty to greasy without much warning.
How to Pace the Big Sugar 100: BBS Race Plan Strategy
Big Sugar is often talked about as a tire pressure and fueling race rather than a pure power race, and that's exactly why pacing matters so much here. There's no single climb to save yourself for, just a hundred miles of terrain that never stops asking questions. A BBS race plan for the Big Sugar 100 2026 will:
- Set your target for the long rolling middle of the course. With climbing distributed across dozens of short, punchy pitches rather than a few defining walls, the biggest pacing mistake most riders make is redlining every rise instead of holding a number they can repeat for six or seven hours.
- Give the checkpoints their own numbers. The Pineville and Rockford Grange aid stations split the race into distinct thirds, and knowing your target power and fueling plan for each section keeps a bad patch in the middle from turning into a blown up finish.
- Set a realistic ceiling for the rocky, technical surface. Constant micro braking and line choice on loose gravel cost real energy that a flat power number doesn't capture. A plan built around this course accounts for that hidden tax instead of assuming smooth road efficiency.
- Account for the closing miles. The run back into Bentonville comes after the last aid station and nearly 90 miles in the legs, and riders who go into it without reserves are the ones who fade in the final hour. A plan that anticipates this stretch keeps you from arriving there already spent.
Interactive Race Plan and Course Map
This power plan was modeled for an athlete with an average CdA of 0.3414, an FTP of 250 watts and weighing 165 lbs. Want to see what your time would be on the 2025 Big Sugar Classic 100 course? Try the Time Analysis feature below, where you can quickly adjust Drag, Power, Weight and Crr to your own values. Check out our demo race plan to see what a premium race plan looks like.
| Interval | Int. Time | Total Time | Int. Dist. | Total Dist. | Grade | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:03:05 | 00:03:05 | 0.99 mi | 0.99 mi | -0.33 % | 19.14 mph | 129 w |
| #2 | 00:02:17 | 00:05:23 | 0.83 mi | 1.82 mi | -2.33 % | 21.65 mph | 1 w |
| #3 | 00:05:17 | 00:10:41 | 1.58 mi | 3.40 mi | +0.49 % | 17.92 mph | 146 w |
| #4 | 00:11:52 | 00:22:33 | 3.38 mi | 6.78 mi | +1.16 % | 17.09 mph | 164 w |
| #5 | 00:00:15 | 00:22:49 | 0.09 mi | 6.87 mi | -3.49 % | 20.34 mph | 4 w |
| #6 | 00:05:23 | 00:28:12 | 1.39 mi | 8.26 mi | +0.67 % | 15.45 mph | 181 w |
| #7 | 00:00:55 | 00:29:07 | 0.33 mi | 8.59 mi | -3.44 % | 21.70 mph | 18 w |
| #8 | 00:03:32 | 00:32:40 | 0.91 mi | 9.50 mi | +1.74 % | 15.44 mph | 195 w |
| #9 | 00:06:37 | 00:39:18 | 2.13 mi | 11.63 mi | -0.92 % | 19.26 mph | 129 w |
| #10 | 00:00:26 | 00:39:44 | 0.20 mi | 11.83 mi | -7.74 % | 26.92 mph | 0 w |
| #11 | 00:01:43 | 00:41:28 | 0.30 mi | 12.13 mi | +4.41 % | 10.36 mph | 227 w |
| #12 | 00:00:18 | 00:41:46 | 0.06 mi | 12.19 mi | -2.93 % | 12.75 mph | 6 w |
| #13 | 00:00:10 | 00:41:57 | 0.04 mi | 12.23 mi | +1.48 % | 14.85 mph | 193 w |
| #14 | 00:00:26 | 00:42:24 | 0.19 mi | 12.42 mi | -7.35 % | 26.31 mph | 0 w |
| #15 | 00:07:27 | 00:49:51 | 1.82 mi | 14.24 mi | +1.58 % | 14.61 mph | 192 w |
| #16 | 00:02:21 | 00:52:13 | 0.80 mi | 15.04 mi | -2.74 % | 20.48 mph | 11 w |
| #17 | 00:07:12 | 00:59:25 | 1.86 mi | 16.90 mi | +1.37 % | 15.45 mph | 181 w |
| #18 | 00:26:24 | 01:25:50 | 7.77 mi | 24.67 mi | 0.00 % | 17.65 mph | 140 w |
| #19 | 00:02:18 | 01:28:08 | 0.78 mi | 25.45 mi | -2.32 % | 20.20 mph | 51 w |
| #20 | 00:01:24 | 01:29:33 | 0.36 mi | 25.81 mi | +1.78 % | 15.41 mph | 199 w |
| #21 | 00:00:36 | 01:30:10 | 0.22 mi | 26.03 mi | -4.11 % | 21.64 mph | 16 w |
| #22 | 00:07:43 | 01:37:54 | 1.34 mi | 27.37 mi | +4.53 % | 10.37 mph | 222 w |
| #23 | 00:00:38 | 01:38:33 | 0.27 mi | 27.64 mi | -8.07 % | 24.99 mph | 0 w |
| #24 | 00:00:03 | 01:38:36 | 0.03 mi | 27.67 mi | -1.54 % | 32.31 mph | 118 w |
| #25 | 00:01:02 | 01:39:39 | 0.37 mi | 28.04 mi | -3.64 % | 21.37 mph | 1 w |
| #26 | 00:07:27 | 01:47:07 | 1.84 mi | 29.88 mi | +1.42 % | 14.83 mph | 181 w |
| #27 | 00:16:46 | 02:03:54 | 4.01 mi | 33.89 mi | +1.52 % | 14.36 mph | 178 w |
| #28 | 00:08:23 | 02:12:17 | 2.77 mi | 36.66 mi | -1.61 % | 19.84 mph | 113 w |
| #29 | 00:00:11 | 02:12:28 | 0.06 mi | 36.72 mi | -2.72 % | 19.33 mph | 9 w |
| #30 | 00:00:46 | 02:13:14 | 0.15 mi | 36.87 mi | +4.99 % | 11.51 mph | 232 w |
| #31 | 00:00:20 | 02:13:35 | 0.12 mi | 36.99 mi | -6.97 % | 20.33 mph | 0 w |
| #32 | 00:03:53 | 02:17:28 | 1.34 mi | 38.33 mi | -0.71 % | 20.62 mph | 126 w |
| #33 | 00:08:18 | 02:25:47 | 2.39 mi | 40.72 mi | +0.50 % | 17.22 mph | 157 w |
| #34 | 00:26:29 | 02:52:17 | 6.76 mi | 47.48 mi | +1.36 % | 15.30 mph | 171 w |
| #35 | 00:01:16 | 02:53:33 | 0.55 mi | 48.03 mi | -6.15 % | 25.83 mph | 9 w |
| #36 | 00:02:20 | 02:55:54 | 0.75 mi | 48.78 mi | -0.45 % | 19.31 mph | 147 w |
| #37 | 00:00:09 | 02:56:03 | 0.04 mi | 48.82 mi | -3.04 % | 16.43 mph | 31 w |
| #38 | 00:09:35 | 03:05:39 | 1.83 mi | 50.65 mi | +3.59 % | 11.47 mph | 212 w |
| #39 | 00:02:17 | 03:07:56 | 0.94 mi | 51.59 mi | -4.69 % | 24.58 mph | 34 w |
| #40 | 00:04:01 | 03:11:57 | 0.56 mi | 52.15 mi | +6.21 % | 8.42 mph | 235 w |
| #41 | 00:03:12 | 03:15:10 | 0.62 mi | 52.77 mi | +2.99 % | 11.63 mph | 194 w |
| #42 | 00:02:10 | 03:17:21 | 0.83 mi | 53.60 mi | -4.44 % | 22.74 mph | 38 w |
| #43 | 00:02:18 | 03:19:39 | 0.51 mi | 54.11 mi | +4.05 % | 13.23 mph | 218 w |
| #44 | 00:02:02 | 03:21:42 | 0.65 mi | 54.76 mi | -2.80 % | 19.00 mph | 9 w |
| #45 | 00:09:04 | 03:30:47 | 1.80 mi | 56.56 mi | +4.03 % | 11.89 mph | 201 w |
| #46 | 00:00:57 | 03:31:44 | 0.48 mi | 57.04 mi | -7.86 % | 30.29 mph | 0 w |
| #47 | 00:14:11 | 03:45:56 | 3.37 mi | 60.41 mi | +2.46 % | 14.26 mph | 179 w |
| #48 | 00:01:21 | 03:47:18 | 0.53 mi | 60.94 mi | -4.49 % | 23.15 mph | 0 w |
| #49 | 00:01:58 | 03:49:16 | 0.40 mi | 61.34 mi | +3.93 % | 12.11 mph | 220 w |
| #50 | 00:00:39 | 03:49:56 | 0.33 mi | 61.67 mi | -9.54 % | 29.88 mph | 0 w |
| #51 | 00:01:06 | 03:51:03 | 0.30 mi | 61.97 mi | +0.79 % | 16.25 mph | 175 w |
| #52 | 00:00:47 | 03:51:50 | 0.33 mi | 62.30 mi | -4.81 % | 24.91 mph | 1 w |
| #53 | 00:23:52 | 04:15:43 | 5.27 mi | 67.57 mi | +2.01 % | 13.25 mph | 192 w |
| #54 | 00:00:51 | 04:16:34 | 0.32 mi | 67.89 mi | -5.81 % | 22.70 mph | 0 w |
| #55 | 00:00:47 | 04:17:22 | 0.33 mi | 68.22 mi | -2.14 % | 25.34 mph | 108 w |
| #56 | 00:00:07 | 04:17:29 | 0.04 mi | 68.26 mi | -4.78 % | 21.30 mph | 0 w |
| #57 | 00:16:45 | 04:34:14 | 3.63 mi | 71.89 mi | +1.96 % | 12.99 mph | 193 w |
| #58 | 00:05:08 | 04:39:22 | 2.00 mi | 73.89 mi | -2.78 % | 23.40 mph | 62 w |
| #59 | 00:11:13 | 04:50:36 | 2.82 mi | 76.71 mi | +1.73 % | 15.05 mph | 177 w |
| #60 | 00:00:39 | 04:51:16 | 0.14 mi | 76.85 mi | -3.91 % | 12.39 mph | 6 w |
| #61 | 00:11:13 | 05:02:29 | 2.30 mi | 79.15 mi | +4.27 % | 12.30 mph | 208 w |
| #62 | 00:01:10 | 05:03:40 | 0.50 mi | 79.65 mi | -6.74 % | 25.69 mph | 0 w |
| #63 | 00:01:26 | 05:05:06 | 0.28 mi | 79.93 mi | +2.54 % | 11.50 mph | 218 w |
| #64 | 00:30:06 | 05:35:13 | 7.20 mi | 87.13 mi | +0.79 % | 14.35 mph | 175 w |
| #65 | 00:00:59 | 05:36:12 | 0.31 mi | 87.44 mi | -3.58 % | 18.66 mph | 7 w |
| #66 | 00:00:44 | 05:36:57 | 0.15 mi | 87.59 mi | +3.46 % | 12.00 mph | 216 w |
| #67 | 00:00:53 | 05:37:50 | 0.32 mi | 87.91 mi | -5.73 % | 21.70 mph | 0 w |
| #68 | 00:13:54 | 05:51:45 | 3.67 mi | 91.58 mi | +0.88 % | 15.83 mph | 154 w |
| #69 | 00:00:56 | 05:52:41 | 0.28 mi | 91.86 mi | -3.29 % | 17.70 mph | 14 w |
| #70 | 00:19:46 | 06:12:28 | 5.32 mi | 97.18 mi | +0.85 % | 16.13 mph | 163 w |
| #71 | 00:00:50 | 06:13:19 | 0.36 mi | 97.54 mi | -6.83 % | 25.66 mph | 0 w |
| #72 | 00:08:36 | 06:21:55 | 1.98 mi | 99.52 mi | +1.95 % | 13.80 mph | 194 w |
| Totals/Avg | 06:21:55 | 06:21:55 | 99.54 mi | 99.54 mi | -1.10% | 15.64 mph | 161.02 w |
Climb Summary by Category
| Category | Climb Count | Total Time | Total Dist. | Avg. Time | Avg. Dist. | Avg. Grade | Avg. Speed | Avg. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat4 | 23 | 01:32:32 | 15.23 mi | 00:04:01 | 0.66 mi | 5.12 % | 9.76 mph | 226 w |
| All Cats | 23 | 01:32:32 | 15.23 mi | 00:04:01 | 0.66 mi | 5.12 % | 9.76 mph | 226 w |
| Climb | Start Time | Start Dist. | Duration | Distance | Speed | Power | Grade | Elevation Gain | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:10:41 | 3.40 mi | 00:03:09 | 0.71 mi | 13.43 mph | 206 w | 3.40 % | 127 ft | Cat4 |
| #2 | 00:39:44 | 11.83 mi | 00:01:43 | 0.30 mi | 10.36 mph | 227 w | 4.41 % | 69 ft | Cat4 |
| #3 | 00:55:31 | 15.82 mi | 00:00:46 | 0.16 mi | 12.02 mph | 222 w | 4.07 % | 34 ft | Cat4 |
| #4 | 01:10:18 | 20.26 mi | 00:03:32 | 0.58 mi | 9.88 mph | 229 w | 4.61 % | 142 ft | Cat4 |
| #5 | 01:30:10 | 26.04 mi | 00:01:43 | 0.35 mi | 12.30 mph | 220 w | 3.36 % | 62 ft | Cat4 |
| #6 | 01:35:02 | 27.03 mi | 00:02:52 | 0.34 mi | 7.14 mph | 238 w | 7.40 % | 133 ft | Cat4 |
| #7 | 01:43:41 | 29.31 mi | 00:03:26 | 0.59 mi | 10.27 mph | 204 w | 4.02 % | 125 ft | Cat4 |
| #8 | 01:59:22 | 33.26 mi | 00:04:31 | 0.64 mi | 8.56 mph | 229 w | 5.65 % | 192 ft | Cat4 |
| #9 | 02:36:13 | 43.70 mi | 00:08:01 | 1.52 mi | 11.33 mph | 214 w | 3.15 % | 253 ft | Cat4 |
| #10 | 02:56:03 | 48.83 mi | 00:09:24 | 1.79 mi | 11.41 mph | 217 w | 3.01 % | 285 ft | Cat4 |
| #11 | 03:07:56 | 51.60 mi | 00:04:01 | 0.56 mi | 8.42 mph | 234 w | 6.21 % | 185 ft | Cat4 |
| #12 | 03:12:38 | 52.34 mi | 00:02:17 | 0.39 mi | 10.16 mph | 211 w | 4.54 % | 93 ft | Cat4 |
| #13 | 03:17:50 | 53.80 mi | 00:01:49 | 0.32 mi | 10.57 mph | 229 w | 4.95 % | 84 ft | Cat4 |
| #14 | 03:22:51 | 55.09 mi | 00:06:25 | 1.06 mi | 9.94 mph | 213 w | 4.26 % | 239 ft | Cat4 |
| #15 | 03:39:58 | 59.57 mi | 00:05:57 | 0.85 mi | 8.61 mph | 231 w | 5.87 % | 265 ft | Cat4 |
| #16 | 03:47:18 | 60.96 mi | 00:01:58 | 0.40 mi | 12.11 mph | 220 w | 3.78 % | 79 ft | Cat4 |
| #17 | 03:55:55 | 63.26 mi | 00:09:06 | 1.59 mi | 10.51 mph | 201 w | 3.23 % | 272 ft | Cat4 |
| #18 | 04:21:32 | 69.52 mi | 00:07:32 | 1.26 mi | 10.04 mph | 217 w | 3.38 % | 225 ft | Cat4 |
| #19 | 04:47:56 | 76.30 mi | 00:02:39 | 0.44 mi | 9.84 mph | 259 w | 5.07 % | 117 ft | Cat4 |
| #20 | 04:51:16 | 76.87 mi | 00:03:31 | 0.32 mi | 5.52 mph | 269 w | 11.85 % | 203 ft | Cat4 |
| #21 | 05:18:42 | 83.04 mi | 00:02:28 | 0.27 mi | 6.52 mph | 238 w | 7.64 % | 108 ft | Cat4 |
| #22 | 05:39:08 | 88.28 mi | 00:01:50 | 0.19 mi | 6.29 mph | 236 w | 8.71 % | 89 ft | Cat4 |
| #23 | 06:08:44 | 96.61 mi | 00:03:44 | 0.58 mi | 9.36 mph | 227 w | 5.22 % | 161 ft | Cat4 |
Build your own personalized 2026 Big Sugar Classic power plan today! Sign up for a free Athlete Basic account to get started with your athlete profile and bike setup, then grab the 2025 Big Sugar Classic 100 course to model your own race plan.
2026 Big Sugar Classic FAQs
Your target power depends on your FTP, body weight, bike setup, and finish time goal — not a generic number that applies to every rider. The variables that matter most are your current fitness, your aerodynamic position, and the specific demands of the 2026 Big Sugar Classic course. The best approach is to build a personalized plan in Best Bike Split using your actual athlete profile — you'll get a segment-by-segment power target based on your specific inputs rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
Every course is different and requires its own unique pacing plan. On a multi-loop course, fatigue and wind shift between laps and what felt comfortable early can become unsustainable later. On an out-and-back, headwind in one direction becomes tailwind in the other — an asymmetry a flat power target can't account for. On a point-to-point or single-loop course, you only get one pass at every section with no opportunity to recalibrate. When you create a Best Bike Split race plan for 2026 Big Sugar Classic, we model the specific demands of that course so your pacing strategy reflects the race you're actually doing.
Significantly — and the effect varies depending on the course profile. On flatter courses, wind and aerodynamics become the dominant variables in your speed equation, more so than on courses where gradient naturally dictates effort. On climbing-heavy courses, your power-to-weight ratio and how you manage the descents matter most. A Best Bike Split race plan lets you model the specific conditions forecasted for 2026 Big Sugar Classic, so your targets reflect what you'll actually face on race day rather than what the course looks like on paper.
It depends on the course and how well you pace it. Flat, fast courses offer genuine PR potential but only if you execute correctly — without terrain to naturally regulate your effort, going out too hard early is easy and costly. Technical or hilly courses reward smart segment-by-segment pacing over raw fitness. Either way, a physics-based race plan from Best Bike Split gives you a realistic split prediction based on your actual profile so you know before race day what a well-executed bike leg looks like for you specifically.
Yes — and this is one of the most underused features. Once you've built your 2026 Big Sugar Classic race plan, you can export it directly to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or any ERG-mode trainer for indoor sessions, or push it to your Garmin, Wahoo, or Karoo for outdoor rides. Training on your actual race plan means you arrive at 2026 Big Sugar Classic already knowing what your target effort feels like at every section of the course — not just what the number says on paper.
Using Best Bike Split for Gravel Racing
Coach Dave Schell of Kaizen Endurance wrote a great primer on how gravel racers should think about course modeling, from drafting value and group dynamics to equipment selection and aid station timing. It's definitely worth a read before you build your plan.
