This past winter was no time to hibernate for Simon Pellaud, as he put in motion a new privateer programme and preparations for a return in the Life Time Grand Prix, where he finished second overall in his debut last year. He called the 2026 renovation "building an engine for the American Dream".
The Swiss rider, who has lived in Colombia for the past 10 years, has just one full gravel season under his belt after 13 years on the road. His focus was on the six-race Grand Prix, and he proved he could compete on any surface, going second at Unbound Gravel 200, third at Leadville Trail 100 MTB and eighth at Big Sugar.
"It's been a hell of a journey. I'm in a full privateer setup. It's nothing easy to get everything sorted, to finalise all my partners and be ready to roll in this new season," Pellaud told Cyclingnews, adding Cervelo, Maxxis, SRAM and Assos among his solo enterprise.
"I had the chance to find a very interested and powerful sponsor [for the bike]. Cervelo were looking to have an ambassador in gravel. It's not only about having a great bike, but about showing it around, and in the front of the bunch also.
"I'm there also to help in developing the product, getting where they need to go to have the fastest gravel bike possible."
Pellaud mixed in some road events in 2025, and expanded his off-road racing beyond the US. He won the eight-day, 800-mile Transcordilleras race in Colombia, Gravel Brazil in the UCI Gravel World Series and was second overall at the inaugural Gravel Burn in South Africa.
"Everything worked pretty well in 2025, but still I decided to change everything", was how Pellaud described his off season to The Gravel Paddock podcast.
He said he was proactive, because "if you wait for the moment when the things are not working anymore to change, it means it's too late. You're already dropped.
"It's also my way of racing. I prefer to be one step ahead in the breakaway instead of thinking maybe I can follow the right move at the right moment. If I am already at the front, the right move will come to me."
Of course, there's nothing smooth about gravel, and Pellaud encountered a bumpy start even before his first race, hitting his knee on the door of a car in February prior to Transcordilleras. Sound familiar? Keegan Swenson had a similar run-in that resulted in a fractured hip and has been out of action for more than six weeks.
Pellaud had to pull out of Transcordilleras after the first stage this year, due to knee pain. He was able to battle through discomfort and finish fifth at Valley of Tears Gravel in Texas. He started The Mid South in nearby Oklahoma, but pulled out of the lead group with just over 50 miles to go.
Instead of a podium, he went to an MRI appointment to get answers for the knee, which revealed two inflamed areas of the knee diagnosed as bursitis, as well as plica syndrome that causes pain and swelling.
"I'm still struggling with my knee problem. Recovery's a struggle," Pellaud admitted to Cyclingnews on Friday, as he missed taking the start at the Tour of Thailand, March 24-29, where he rode last year for a Continental team and finished second overall.
The focus on recovery has taken a hit to where he wanted to be with fitness in April, but it has not deflated his optimism for his new journey on gravel.
"I really enjoy travelling through the US, and discovering these places where you would never have thought about, or ride my bike, without this Life Time event. The races are so different from each other. It's kind of crazy how different the races are in the end," Pellaud said about the Grand Prix.
"I missed a big win, but super-happy the way it went, being really constant during the season. I was there for the others, but at Big Sugar I was really fighting for the victory. It's hard to win because I don't have a good sprint."
He called himself "a real mountain guy" as he grew up mountain biking in Switzerland. He inherited a home from his grandmother, so has a place to stay when he visits. His high-elevation living in Colombia also gives him an edge for a race like Leadville.
No trips to Europe are looming, as he hopes to be free of pain for Sea Otter Classic Gravel, the elite men and women having a dedicated Thursday, April 16 got the 90-mile contest to start the Grand Prix series. Like many of the other top contenders, it will be a one-two punch with Levi's GranFondo The Growler in Windsor, California two days later.
He hopes an international complexion for the leaderboard of the Life Time Grand Prix leaderboard continues in 2025, especially on the men's side. Last year was the first time in four seasons that the men's top five was dominated by riders outside the US, Swenson the only American. Pellaud finished between LTGP winner Cameron Jones, of New Zealand, and third-placed Torbjørn Røed, of Norway, with South African Matt Beers three points behind Swenson.
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