One of the most dominant road teams in the United States over the past two years has been Los Angeles' L39ION, and a pair of its top riders will kick off the year kicking gravel and gravel.

Not surprisingly, Lance Heide will be in the lineup this weekend for the opening round of the Grasshopper Adventure Series, where he will be looking for a top-five finish in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series. Tyler Williams is also in the lineup.

At first glance, Williams is no surprise. A Sonoma County resident, he lives and trains in the hills of northern California, where Hopper's adventures take place. He is also a past winner of the Huffmaster Hopper, the second race of the series after this weekend's Low Gap.

"The Grasshopper is a staple early season race," Williams told Cycling News of the local race, which has gained national recognition as gravel's popularity has soared. [As gravel has grown, so has this series. I'll definitely be at Low Gap and Huffmaster this year.

Also on the start line for this weekend's 44-mile Low Gap in Ukiah, which climbs 5,665 feet in elevation gain, are three riders from the top five, including last year's runner-up Brennan Wertz and 2020 runner-up Peter Stetina. 2020 winner Jeff Kabush is back. The women's field also includes the runner-up. The women also return four from the top 10, including runner-up Maude Farrell.

In between the early hoppers, Williams and Heide will ride the Rock Cobbler in Bakersfield. Stetina will return as the defending men's 80km champion, along with second-place finisher John Borstelman.

"I'm hoping to ride a little more [off-road] this year, but it's hard because my priority is on the road between stage races and the crit calendar. The spring and summer months are quite busy. Certainly, it's good to add different races to keep the motivation high for hard training and different challenges," Williams said.

Last season, Tyler Williams was one of the busiest riders in the L39LION, competing in 23 races. He took a stage win at the Redlands Bicycle Classic and finished second in the fourth stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race. He helped teammate Ty Magner win five criteriums, while finishing second in the Salt Lake Criterium and third in the Momentum Indy.

Heide had about half of his days on the road, but focused on off-road with the Lifetime Grand Prix Series and the fall cyclocross campaign. He finished 10th overall in the inaugural six-race event, earning him a spot in the $250,000 prize purse, which is split equally between men and women.

"Grasshoppers is a great way to prepare well and test your fitness for the big races this year. Grasshoppers is a great way to get well-prepared and test your fitness for the big races this year, and secondly, the caliber of riders that are based in California at this time of year," he told Cycling News.

"It's great to have Tyler on board for the first few races of the year, and we may have more teammates to take on gravel at several events throughout the year.

"We have some big goals for 2023. After finishing 10th in last year's Lifetime GP, I'm aiming for a more consistent run throughout the series and hope to finish in the top five overall this year."

Heide ran a shortened US-based cyclocross season this season, including a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships in Falmouth and a fifth-place finish at the US Nationals in Hartford. He said cyclocross is still "my heart and soul," but he has had time to focus on several other goals this year.

"Rather than go abroad for the European Christmas Block races and CX World Championships selection, I decided to have one real off-season," said Heide, who also had time to pursue a mechanical engineering degree at California Polytechnic State University.

"I want to win some of the bigger races on the American gravel circuit. There are a few races that I'm aiming for, but my goal is to be at a level where I can be on the podium in every race. In addition, I want to help my L39ION teammates win some of the biggest criteriums on the 2023 calendar and use some of my gravel fitness to challenge for the US Pro Nationals Road Race."

After a few gravel grinders, the L39LION of Los Angeles duo may not race together again until the US Pro Nationals. Before that, we'll be watching Williams' performance in the early spring American stage races at the Tucson Bicycle Classic in March and the Redlands Bicycle Classic in April. A week after Redlands, Heide will begin his Lifetime Grand Prix work with the Fuego XL 100k at the Sea Otter Classic.