The TRAKA is not just a race - it is an experience. From the moment you arrive in Girona, you are surrounded by cyclists, rolling hills, and the unmistakable buzz of a place built for riding bikes. It is arguably the biggest gravel race in Europe, and once you experience it, you will understand why. Picture a quaint Spanish town transformed into a cyclist’s haven for the week. Coffee shops are buzzing, group rides are plentiful, and professionals ride the same streets as amateurs. Free doughnuts and coffee are on offer as you wait to begin your chosen adventure along the challenging and rewarding gravel roads in and around Girona.
TRAKA 200: Ticking boxes
Travis Barrett
The TRAKA is undoubtedly the biggest gravel race in Europe, arguably tied for first with Unbound in the USA. Naturally, this attracts the world’s best racers and makes for a day of full-gas racing. A good friend and ex-teammate of mine once said, “To finish first, you must first finish,” which was in part what inspired me to adopt the “Ticking boxes” approach. This year, I felt significantly less pressure going into TRAKA, largely thanks to this mindset. Every training session and course recon in the lead-up to the event became a box to tick. By race day, there were no surprises. I had a clear sense of how the race would unfold: I knew the climbs and descents, I knew where to take risks, I had a fuelling strategy I could trust, I knew my tyre choice and pressures, and I knew my physical limits. The more control I had over the variables within my reach, the more I could focus on the one thing I love, racing my bike and enjoying it.
I broke the course into three main sections: the first 50km, which featured three big climbs and technical, rocky descents; the second, around 80km of flat gravel roads; and finally, the last 70km, which included one of the biggest climbs of the day, along with a mix of technical climbs, descents, and single track. The front of the race disappeared fairly quickly up the climbs in the first 40km, and while I was eager to follow the front group, I knew that by doing so I would likely explode in spectacular fashion four hours later. That is far from ideal when you are going to be racing for six and a half hours. Instead, I held back slightly on the climbs, railed the descents, and eventually found myself in a strong group that was working well together. Box ticked.
The second portion of my race passed by pretty quickly, mostly thanks to a tailwind and some motivated riders, and while I did my fair share of work in the group, I did nothing more than I needed to and mostly used this portion to recover and make sure I was staying on top of my fuelling schedule of 110 grams of carbohydrates per hour. (This may seem low to some of you reading this, but it was an amount I knew I could comfortably digest without any issues. Gut distress is not something you want to risk on race day.)
At roughly kilometre 120, we started one of the biggest climbs of the day, and those who had burnt too many matches early on were immediately distanced on the lower slopes of the climb. One by one, we caught riders in front of us who had gone too hard in the first few hours and now looked like they were pedaling squares. This gave me some reassurance that I was having a pretty good day and that, so far, I had paced myself well. Box ticked.
The final third of the race was always going to be tough. By then, we’d logged more than four and a half hours of racing (and over 4300kJs of energy expenditure). Our group kept things rolling smoothly until we hit the last climbs, and after a few attacks, I found myself summiting the final climb (2.4km at 6.5%) with three other riders for the final 10km of rocky single track back into Girona. I crossed the finish line inside the top 50 after 6 hours and 46 minutes of racing with the tank completely empty. Box ticked.
The result may not seem like much, but considering the stacked field, it’s one I’m proud of. Reflecting on the day, I had good legs, no issues, no crashes, I stuck to the plan, and above all, I genuinely enjoyed racing my bike. Box ticked. For those of you who are interested in a few more details on equipment and fuelling, here are some specifics:
Kit: CIOVITA Aero jersey and brand-new Supremo Velocé bib shorts. Yes, they were brand new on race day. And yes, I am usually the first to say never try something new on race day. But, I’ve had nothing but great experiences with CIOVITA, so it never felt like a risk.
Tires: Pirelli RC 45c front and 40c rear, which measured in at 47c and 43c on my rims. They may not be the fastest or lightest tires on the market, but they offered the grip and puncture resistance needed for a loose, rocky course.
Nutrition: 1.5L in my USWE hydration vest with 90g of carbs, two 750ml bottles each with another 90g, six regular gels (45g each), two caffeine gels (also 45g with 65mg of caffeine), and four chews at 22g apiece. That added up to a total of 718g of carbs, equivalent to an average of 110g per hour over 6.5 hours.
TRAKA 100: Five hours in the rain
Anna Stelzner
The Traka 100km was the shortest route of the weekend, so I went into it thinking it would be a fun, relaxed day on the bike with Liam. I was excited to explore new terrain in our custom CIOVITA kit. But the weather had other plans. With thunderstorms forecast to roll in around 13:00, we set our sights on finishing before they hit. However, as soon as the race kicked off at 8:15, the rain began.
Despite the conditions, I genuinely loved it. The first climb out of Girona was gruelling, but I felt strong. I tackled the technical descents cautiously but with surprising confidence. We found ourselves riding with a good bunch in the middle flatter sections, and we made time to enjoy a few tasty treats at the feed zone.
With 25 km to go, the rain intensified, and the already slick peanut-buttery paths turned into full-on mud tracks. At one point, my wheel caught in a rut, and I slipped out - gracefully, I might add - before two unlucky riders piled on top of me and my bicycle. To make matters worse, my derailleur hanger was bent - the one spare we hadn’t thought to bring. Thankfully, Liam managed to bend it back into semi-working shape, and I carried on, minus four gears.
The last stretch included some muddy hike-a-bike sections and a few river crossings just to keep things interesting. It was tough, messy, unforgettable and so special to come in to the finish with friends cheering us on!
For me, cycling is about feeling fit, confident, and able to say “yes” to adventures like this. Gravel riding has been a journey full of highs and lows. I won’t lie, there were a few road descents during the race that I really enjoyed, but I’ve come a long way from the days of insisting I needed a mountain bike for every “gravel” route Liam planned. Here’s hoping for better weather next year, and maybe even a shot at the 200km. Either way, Girona and the TRAKA have officially stolen my heart.
TRAKA Adventure: My first 560km race
Jessica Wilkinson
15,000 calories burned, 9,500 meters of elevation gained, 560 kilometres ridden. 36 hours, 8 litres of Maurten 320, 6 packets of salt & vinegar crisps, 1 CIOVITA supremo pace bib short, and no sleep. The goal? Enjoy the adventure.
My first experience in Girona didn’t go as planned. I managed to do the one thing you should never do: I left my passport on the plane. We arrived on the worst possible day—during a country-wide, unexplained power outage. Chaos was everywhere. Card machines were down, trains weren’t running, and customer service was overwhelmed. There couldn’t have been a worse time to lose the most important document.
Because of that, my “less is more” approach to race prep turned out to be... not ideal. I couldn’t focus on the challenge ahead, as my mind was preoccupied with passport stress and hormonal moods. Still, I packed my bike bags with plenty of gels and some warm kit, loaded the GPX route to my Garmin, and ate a desirable amount of pesto rice and pasta. I’ll admit, I was still in denial about my planned 560km ride when I went to bed on Wednesday evening.
Thirty-six hours on the bike gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on why I’m drawn to these kinds of challenges, and why I often choose to under-prepare for them. I’ve often felt expected to aim lower or do less. Most of the time, that expectation comes from me, and I think these challenges are my way of proving to myself that I’m capable of more.
Maybe that lack of planning is tied to the same doubt. A quiet way of preparing for failure before it even happens. But it’s during these long, uncertain moments - when I’m uncomfortable, tired, and unsure - that I learn the most about myself.
The TRAKA adventure was unforgettable - imagine climbing into the Pyrenees, stopping for a cheese crêpe at a roadside food truck in a quaint ski village, then descending toward the coastline along pristine Spanish roads, surrounded by idyllic countryside and enjoying a breakfast pizza as the sun rises. Add some good tunes, the motivation of your fiance chasing you from behind in the 360km race, new friends from around the world all facing the same challenge, and uninterrupted time to live in the moment. One epic adventure. I’m so grateful to have experienced this special ride and I hope to be back again, next time with some better prep and understanding of what I’m capable of.
