Back-to-back glory for Gómez Villafañe; Pöstlberger holds off chasers to win The Traka 200

Lukas Pöstlberger (Rose Racing Circle) and Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Specialized Off-Road) each delivered an incredible performance at The Traka 200 on Saturday in Girona, Spain. The Austrian Gravel Champion survived an edge-of-your-seat finale by fending off a charging trio, and Gómez Villafañe defended her title with a dominant and calculated display of strength.

Less than 24 hours after Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-Road) crushed the 10-hour barrier at The Traka 360, the Traka 200 served up its own day of drama. The 202km course, weaving through the dusty hills outside Girona, included more than 2,650 metres of elevation gain. Both The Traka 360 and Traka 200 start lists drew marquee names, MTB World Champions, and former WorldTour pros. The Traka 200 is the biggest gravel race in Europe, and perhaps the top stop on the Gravel Earth Series. It's an event that challenges the best gravel riders in the world in more ways than one. You need strength on the climbs, technical skills on the descents, and plenty of courage in the singletrack finale.

On Saturday, all three were on full display.

How the race played out

The men's race was a story of road racers versus the mountain bikers — and in the end, you might be surprised who came out on top.

Former WorldTour pro Lukas Pöstlberger was aggressive in the early goings of the race, attacking with more than 130km remaining of the 202km course. The Austrian, who once wore the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia, has reinvented himself as a gravel racer with Rose Racing Circle. He showed his strength on the climbs, and with 64km to go, he had formed a leading trio alongside Hans Becking (Buff BH) and Jeremy Presbury (NZ Cycling Project). A chase group of six riders were 90 seconds behind, but they were about to start closing the gap.

A flat tyre took Presbury out of the lead group, and with 20km to go, Pöstlberger went solo. The chasing group was beginning to attack and chase, and soon it was Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek (both Buff BH), Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing), and mountain bike legend Nino Schurter, began closing in on the Austrian.

However, the chase group splintered in the final 10 kilometres as their chase grew desperate. Pöstlberger was holding on by the skin of his teeth, but he only had around 10 seconds going into the finale. But in the final couple of kilometres, Group 2 Syndrome took over, and Pöstlberger extended his gap. In the end, he won The Traka 200 in just over six hours, finishing 20 seconds clear of USA Gravel Champion Bradyn Lange.

"It's the biggest gravel race in Europe and winning here is really special," said Pöstlberger. "You dream, you train, you work hard, you make a plan to get this one, and today everything went perfectly."

Result: The Traka 200 Gravel men's 2026

1. Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) 6:04:42
2. B. Lange (USA) + 0:20 sec
3. M. Stošek (CZE) + s.t.
4. W. Alleman (Bel) + s.t. min
5. M. Bak Klaris (Den) + 0:54 sec
6. N. Schurter (Sui)+ s.t.
7. E. Evensen-Lie (Nor) + 1.21 min
8. J. Siemons (Bel) + 5.30 min
9. R. Holze (Sui) + 6.03 min
10. N. Brun (Sui) + 6.04 min

The Traka 200 Gravel Women's race

Sofía Gómez Villafañe is the most dominant rider in gravel right now. Not only did she repeat her Traka 200 win from last year — the only rider to do so in either the 360 or 200 — but she did it solo with more than a minute's gap to second and over seven minutes to third. Fresh off a victory at Sea Otter Gravel just two weeks ago, Gómez Villafañe took control early in this year's Traka 200.

The defending champion pushed the pace on the route's early climbs, going clear with only Larissa Hartog (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing). A strong chase group formed behind the leaders, containing the likes of Nicole Frain (Factor Racing), Nele Laing (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing), Alexis Skarda (Q36.5 Off Road Racing), Karolina Migoń and Cecily Decker (PAS Racing).

One of the stories of the day was Migoń racing for a podium in the chase group. The two-time defending Traka 360 champion had pulled out of Friday's Traka 360 after a crash and mechanical. Less than 24 hours later, she lined up to race the Traka 200.

Around the halfway point, the leading pair began climbing Els Metges — arguably the hardest climb in the race and nearly 10 km in length. Gómez Villafañe went clear on the climb, but Hartog stayed close enough to rejoin on the descent. They continued to work together, increasing their gap to multiple minutes as the chasers fell further behind.

After correcting a wrong turn with 17km to go, Gómez Villafañe attacked on a punchy climb to go solo with just over 10km to go. She built a minute's advantage in the finale, crossing the line to win the Traka 200 in just under seven hours. Hartog finished second, while her teammate and relative gravel newcomer, Nele Laing, rounded out the podium in third.

Result: The Traka 200 Gravel women's 2026

1. Sofía Gómez Villafañe (Arg) 6:54:42
2. L. Hartog (NLD) + 1.09 min
3. N. Laing (Ger) + 7.51 min
4. K. Migoń (Pol) +9.10 min
5. E. Hartmann (Sui) +13.25 min

The Gravel Earth Series continues on June 7 at Ranxo Gravel in Ponts, Spain.