Last weekend, on September the 21st and the 22nd, the first-ever gravel stage race of Europe took place, and we had the chance to be present, not only as the official media partner but also taking part of the race with a bib number on, racing during two days with people of varied fitness level.
The race was held in Girona, a city well-known as a cycling paradise for many reasons, like the location, the weather and the number of kilometers and kilometers of back roads and mountains that allow people to practice any cycling discipline and also other sports.
Both tracks, Saturday and Sunday, had the same start point and finish line in the heart of the Catalan city, La Devesa Park.
The organizers prepared two demanding routes combining hilly areas with flat segments where riders were able to enjoy climbing but also ride at high speed, always surrounded by nature and beautiful landscapes while riding through spectacular single-tracks.
For this first edition, the weather was one of the main characters present in the race, with torrential storms forecasted during the whole weekend, especially on Saturday. This is why the organization, because of safety reasons, decided to shorten Saturday’s track and plan an alternative one, with fewer kilometers but the same elevation gain.
Despite the rain was present, the worst forecasts were not met and thankfully the event took place as scheduled with only a few raindrops, which led to a perfectly muddy terrain to enjoy an authentic gravel atmosphere.
As regards Klassmark, the organizers, it is worth to say that they succeeded in making another amazing sport competition a reality despite facing inclement water, and they made sure, once again, that gravel plays an important role in their portfolio of races, and they are going to continue betting on this cycling discipline with events like Sa Costa Brava or La Santa Vall, and now also with Traka Girona.
Results
Individual / Men
- Christian Meier / The Service Course
- Jordi Riera / Niner
- Daniel Bonello / TSC
Individual / Women
- Olivia Dillon / Velocio
- Sandra Heredero / Team Heredero-Alvarez (MX)
- Sami Sauri / Komoot
Teams / Men
- Joan Llordella – Aleix Fabregues / Gravel Ripollès
- Antonio Tijeras – Ivan Amigo / Viwo Hoteles Sport Team
- David Maya – Josep Maria Castells / Osona Limits
Teams / Women
- Marta Navarro – Laura Navarro / Manresana 1930
- Natalia Cebrià – Bàrbara Sagi / Bsix Bikes-Sismic – Sportvicious
