Twelve months ago I interviewed Maddy Nutt after she rode 260km with a torn ligament in her shoulder to finish the Traka 360 in seventh place. I expected the Brit, now riding for the Q36.5 off-road team, to come back for a fourth attempt in 2026, but it seems any thoughts of unfinished business have been brushed aside in favour of the longer 560km Traka Adventure.
Gravel races have always been long, with Unbound at 200 miles drawing a line in the flint as to what a 'proper' gravel race distance should be, but there’s a growing demand for longer, ultra-distance courses. Despite the greater distances involved, these longer self supported events seem to be attracting greater numbers year on year, both from the pro ranks (see Rob Britton and Lachlan Morton turning to Unbound XL for example) and amateurs alike, so I caught up with Nutt two days before she embarked on what would be her longest ride (let alone race) by a healthy 200km to find out what the appeal was.
