The Traka : The reference for European gravel

As dawn breaks over the small town of Girona it is not only the birds which are warming up. Barely past 6 o'clock and the clamour that rises around almost any start at almost any event like this bursts into life. Hundreds of riders jostling for position and mentally jousting for a clean line, some of them knowing that taking on the 360km route means they’ll still be in the saddle as darkness eventually falls again.

For the Café du Cycliste Gravel Team, arriving at The Traka is a little like visiting an old friend. There’s a familiarity born of previous experience and two of the team were winners last year (Annabel Fisher in the 100km and Lydia Iglesias in the 200km). But this familiarity breeds the polar opposite of contempt with all four riders fully aware of the steep challenge ahead.

The Traka : The reference for European gravel

The Traka is perhaps one of the most rewarding Gravel races on the European calendar. It’s an event where everyone seems to be having a great time, an event where, if the word is still allowable, the ‘vibe’ is just consistently good. Of course this doesn’t happen by accident and Gerald Freixes, who leads the event organisation, has to take a lot of the credit. He’s a constant presence on the course and around every corner, greeting and encouraging, helping and fixing. Ensuring not only that everything runs smoothly but that the unique identity and atmosphere that has been built up since its inception is nourished for the years ahead.

At a time when Gravel, now an official UCI event, begins to enter the realms of pure competition, it is reassuring to find such a large number of people determined to ensure it doesn’t lose its original renegade spirit. Traka is certainly an event where this holds true and the approach is proving successful as it lays claim to becoming perhaps the most important European Gravel rendezvous.

This year saw over 2500 riders heading to the start line and what greeted them was nothing like the plethora of road bikes and 32 tires along with the much too clean and far too smooth paths of the last world championships. Here, Gravel reasserts its roots, taking riders on the type of course which built the genre, alternating between ascents, single tracks and long dusty tracks.

Time to roll; The Traka marks the first race of the season, an important step on a four month long journey. For some preparation has been going on for months while for others, as they hang up their skis or wait for blue skies, this will be a baptism of fire to begin the new racing year. Either way the course will be long, and ultimately it will be tough for everyone. When Maria, Annabel, and Isabelle start the 200km and the Costa Brava sun starts to make itself felt, they are under no illusions about the task ahead. And as for Lydia, at this point she has already been riding for an hour.

Along with 500 others, she is tackling the 360km course. A group of riders for whom the length of the effort is directly connected to the pleasure gained. She will have to stay in the saddle for more than 15 hours, braving not only the sun and the wind but also the rain that will sweep in as night falls. When she crosses the finish line around midnight, many of fellows will still have to spend long hours in the darkness to complete the race.

Lydia Iglesias finishes in eighth place. "The toughest race I've ever done," she tells us. Not discouraged though, because after all that often only holds true until the next time ...For our three other warriors, the 200km are just as demanding an adventure. The pace at which they must be ridden is impressive, an average speed of 25 km/h to 28 km/h on a route including 2000 meters of elevation gain and an omnipresent wind.

They will complete the race in under 8 hours, placing them all in the top third of the race. Annabel Fisher places fourth in 7H13, narrowly missing out on the podium.The Traka is done for another year. Box ticked and far far more than that, memories created. Of the landscapes that start to feel a little like home, of the friends found, the experiences shared and the event itself.

A race that will continue to go from strength to strength, delighting both the best and the amateurs, as long as it continues to plough its own unique farrow.

The Gravel Earth series is run very much in the same spirit and will play a big part in the team’s 2023 season but next stop is Germany. A UCI qualifying event which will present a whole raft of different challenges to our four exceptional riders.

The Café du Cycliste Gravel Team

A new year and new season on the horizon for the Gravel Team. The all-female squad will once again test their endurance, spirit and commitment on an international circuit.

The Traka 2022

Girona’s location and laidback atmosphere make it irresistible to Gravel enthusiasts. The surrounding countryside is riddled with trails as far as the eye can see and, unsurprisingly, The Traka has established itself here as the benchmark European Gravel race.

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The Traka - Sound and Force

Café du Cycliste’s Gravel racing trio tackled their first event in Girona on Saturday May 1st 2022. Annabel Fisher took top spot in the 100km distance, her first ever Gravel race.