Martins Blums' introduction to American gravel racing came at April's Sea Otter Classic, where he took on a who's who of the rapidly maturing discipline. The longtime UCI Mountain Bike World Cup stalwart had been to the US for cross-country racing; now he was trying his luck in qualifying for the Life Time Grand Prix. But just five months before that sunny California race day, Blums was still trying to line up sponsors for the 2026 season.
The 30-year-old Latvian is a familiar name for those who follow the World Cup circuit. He raced with Bart Brentjens' KMC-Ridley team for 8 years and represented Latvia at the Paris Olympic Games. His top results include a third place podium ride in the Leogang short track race and an 8th in the Lenzerheide XCO, both during the 2023 season. He also won the Under-23 XCO series overall in 2017.
Lackluster results in 2025 followed an early-season injury, and by season's end, Blum's stock was trading lower than he would have liked. Reviewing his options, he decided late in the year to put together a privateer program and race a combination of World Cup and gravel races in 2026.
“I was really surprised how much opportunities there are with the gravel racing, because once I went to Sea Otter, I went to expo and I was really surprised,” he said. “I used the Unbound expo to know some more people around, and it's pretty nice. I will try to do very well with the sponsors that are supporting me, that maybe for the next year I can have some better deals.”
Blums’ primary sponsors include Velo Express, a Latvian bike shop, and Scott bikes. He did not ride a 32-inch bike at Unbound like Scott-backed Cam Jones, instead racing on a standard Addict model.
The Life Time Grand Prix’s large prize purse attracted Blums to apply for the series, he said, and the race calendar does not conflict with the mountain bike World Cup rounds. The other options, the Gravel Earth series and UCI Gravel World Series, both conflict with the World Cup. His plan, however, wasn't as simple as picking a series and pinning on a number. Blums wasn't selected for the initial Grand Prix roster. Instead, he would compete for one of three wild card spots selected based on results from Sea Otter and Unbound Gravel.
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