The Traka is one of the most unique gravel races in the world, set in the picturesque landscapes of North-Eastern Spain, the area around Girona offers a diverse range of terrains and biomes - and a riding challenge that pushes riders to their deepest depths but always offers a reason to keep going. The climbs are as endless as the views, and both make it a challenge that will make you want to come back for more.
The preparation
The first and most important step to preparing for any race, of any distance, is knowing why you want to be there. Maybe that reason is performance based or maybe it is experienced based, but whatever it is it is important that it be clear and true. When this is the case, the challenge is that much easier, and the tough moments that much more manageable.
At this point so close to a race the physical preparation is done, and so all that is left is to be mentally ready for what is ahead. Understanding the route and its key points is non-negotiable. From there you can understand where to push and where to save energy, using your own strengths to make the ride as easy as possible and achieve your goals. I also like to break races into sections, understand those individually and work out a plan to get through each one. I rarely look at routes as a whole, but rather break them into smaller chunks that I complete individually.
Race planning and routine
Whether you are racing to win or just finish focusing too much on other riders is a common mistake. It is always best to focus on your own strengths and how you can use those to achieve your goals. For non-racers using this knowledge to pace effectively is important, while those looking to win also need to know their competition and how they can ride off of their strengths as well as using their own to try and win. I like to have a good pre-ride routine that I use as much as possible on a race day. There really isn’t that much difference between what I expect of myself in training and racing, and so creating some comfort via routine helps me a lot.
What matters most?
During a race I rarely, if ever, look at my power or heart rate. Those are not important when competing, as you really do just have to go faster than the next person. In the early phases of a race I try to ride on feel, something learnt when training, and focus on controllable factors such as fueling and cooling as well as on positioning and keeping my energy expenditure to a minimum. Later in a race there is more focus on speed, using my strengths and on competitors’ weaknesses and on tactical decisions. I am not strong enough to win on pure power and so I need to use more than that to create a good result.
CIOVITA Riders
The CIOVITA riders taking on Traka this year have different goals for the race. From Travis Barrett looking for a top 25 finish in the 200 to Jess Wilkinson looking to complete, and enjoy, her first 500km race, while Zandi, Rich and Luke are really just racing for bragging rights amongst themselves in the 360 - they show all aspects of why, sometimes, we need a bike race to make bike riding that little bit more rad.
While for each of these riders there are different goals and challenges the core of riding because it is what they love, where they find freedom and what gives them inspiration is true across the board. Bike races are scary and wonderful all at the same time, they let us leave ourselves open to an unknown outcome and gain freedom from being willing to accept whatever that might be. Bike races, like life, rarely go to plan and always require us to adjust, to be flexible, and to re-commit to a new option and then go all-in to still achieve the best possible outcome. They are the best. Good luck to these five, and all others taking part. There’s no better way to spend your day.
~ Kevin Benkenstein
Jess
“The Traka Adventure will be my longest ride yet—560km—and I’m still in a bit of denial that it’s actually happening. I remember watching Kevin Benky’s lead-up last year and thinking, I’d love to do that one day. Eight months ago, I signed up, and now the reality of the adventure is starting to sink in. I try not to overthink these things—just commit and figure it out later. It’s worked for me before, though that doesn’t take away from how big this challenge really is. I feel a mix of nerves, excitement, and uncertainty. But more than anything, I feel lucky to be able to line up for something like this, and to even consider taking part in the adventure. I look forward to uninterrupted time spent on my nike adventuring through new landscapes and to midnight snacks.
I’ll break the race into stages—mini adventures within the big one. And when it gets hard, I’ll remind myself why I’m here: to work towards achieving something I could never have imagined, and to lose myself in the moments that make it all worth it. I’ve gone back and forth on what to take with me and how to set up my bike. Luckily, deciding what to wear was the easy part.. My secret weapon will be the CIOVITA Apex Polartec jacket.”
Zandi
“After far far far too much planning, race week is almost here and it is time to put the last few pieces of the puzzle together. In slight contrast to Jess’s approach I would say that nearly everything has been over thought. Hours spent on figuring out rolling resistance vs puncture resistance, how to eat more carbs over 14hrs of riding and where it is somewhat responsible to save on weight without sacrificing comfort and durability.
It has been a long time since I have put this much effort into a single day race and slowly that inherent doubt starts to creep on whether it was all worth it. Ultimately we/I do these races to experience something new and have fun riding bikes with friends. Not losing sight of this helps keep it all in perspective and make sure that the priorities are always what they should be.
Going into race-day the key thing to remember is to try and focus on the controllables while accepting and, where possible, ignoring the uncontrollables. Factors such as the weather, mechanicals and so on will no doubt all be part of the experience and variables that for the most part we can not change. How we overcome and work around these is where the real challenge and fun can be had!”
Travis
“The TRAKA200 is arguably the biggest and most competitive gravel race in Europe. 200km with 2,700m of elevation gain against the best racers in the world makes for a seriously tough day out. My preparation for this year’s event has been almost ideal—a big relief after falling ill the week leading into last year’s race.
This year, I’ve taken a slightly different approach, balancing full-time work with training. It’s been a challenge, but everything has gone smoothly so far. As a bonus, this race feels like a bit of a “home race” for me, being based in Girona and knowing the course well. In terms of strategy, the first 50km include three technical climbs that will no doubt split the field. It’ll be important not to burn too many matches early on though, because the final 80km are also brutally decisive. I’ll be aiming for around 110–120g of carbs per hour to keep the legs firing and avoid blowing up or bonking. Above all, I’m hoping for a clean race—no mechanicals, no crashes—and good legs on the day. I’ll be racing in my custom CIOVITA Supremo Veloce bibs and H1 jersey—the perfect combination for 6+ hours of gravel racing.”
