Records tumbled on the gravel roads of The Traka over the weekend, with Mattia de Marchi (Enough Cycling Collective) breaking away surprisingly early in the 360km gravel event to become the first rider ever to finish in under 13 hours. Then Amity Rockwell (Trek/PAS/Maurten/Schwalbe) also slashed the women’s record, having shaved more than an hour off the previous best time when she crossed the Girona finish line.
Rockwell had entered as one of the key favourites for the event, which this year also served as the opening round of the Gravel Earth Series, but that didn’t mean she was taking anything for granted. “I never expect to win,” the rider front the United States said after crossing the line. “In 360km so much can happen and you are not in control of most of it.”
In the end, however, no one could come close to the 2019 Unbound winner, who won with a time of 15 hours, one minute and two seconds. Compatriot Sarah Sturm (Specialized/SRAM/Rapha) came over the line 45 minutes later, and Irish rider Emma Porter (La Bicicletta) arrived after another half-an-hour to join the two riders from the United States on the podium.
The gaps were smaller for Italian rider De Marchi in the men's category as he carved out his third victory at the event and squarely put recent disappointments behind him, which included an ill-timed puncture while well-positioned in the final stages of the first UCI Gravel World Series race of the season La Indomable.
“After months of if you want to call it bad luck I needed something,” said De Marchi in an Instagram post. “The day before I had said it : I felt like being alone or at least trying.
"After 150 km I decided to try to go. But thinking back those 210 km that were missing flew by fast. And I think I will remember them for quite a while.”
Nils Correvon (PNS/BMC/DT Swiss), Tobias Mørch (PAS Normal Studios) and Diederik Deelen (Oleka/The Service Course) collaborated in the chase behind but De Marchi remained out of reach, finishing with a time of 12 hours, 55 minutes and 42 seconds. After 13 minutes Mørch and Deelen came through in second and third while Correvon, who had tailed off the chase group earlier, took fourth.
The 360 category with 5000m of vertical ascent is just one of four distance options at The Traka. There is also a 50km, 100km and 200km alternative, with 2000 riders from across sixty nations taking part across the event.
In the 200, Paul Voss (Autsaid) won the men’s category with the German overcoming a burst tire in the final stages of the race by carrying rather than peddling his bike during the final kilometre. Nathan Haas (Colnago Castelli) then came second, winning the sprint from a group of three that came over the line about five minutes later. Benjamin Perry (Human Powered Health) took third and former road professional Daniel Moreno came fourth ahead of 2022 Unbound winner Ivar Slik (Willier Factory Racing).
In the women's 200 Caroline Schiff (Canyon CCLTV) took out the honours as Svenja Betz, who won two rounds of the Gravel World Series in 2022, took second and Luis Valentin (Legacy Cycling) third. The men's 100 was won by Oliver Aviles (Le Purito Andbank).
Lorena Wiebes swapped out the road bike for the weekend, with the speedy SD Worx sprinter taking on and winning the 100km women's category, despite having three punctures on her way to victory.
“It was a really good experience,” said Wiebes in her dirt flecked kit in an interview conducted just over the line. “I liked also the single track because it was more cyclocross style so I enjoyed it. Maybe, maybe, next year the 200.”
