2025 LA TRAKA DEBRIEF

A perfect week in gravel heaven with our clients and La Traka at the end to top it off. La Traka isn’t just another date on the gravel calendar, it’s one of the big ones. Girona, Spring, kilometers of dirt, dust (or mud), and elevation. This year, I had the chance to warm up and train with the legendary Alejandro Valverde, now flying the colours of Movistar’s gravel team. You don’t get many chances to chase a legend’s wheel through Catalonia.

My training wasn’t ideal. Winter in New York is good for building character, not form. But the week before building up to the race made up for that. We rode Rocacorba on day one, a proper climb with proper views, and then eased into the rhythm of the Girona countryside. We then did a lighter ride with Movistar which helped get our legs ready for the epic weekend ahead of us. Our two hotels were located in the heart of the Girona countryside, offering great views and a prime location right next to La Traka. Thomson Bike Tours, with Sergi at the helm, had the itinerary dialed. By race day, I felt as ready as I could be. With Signature, Thomson, and the Movistar team coming together, I’m pleased to say we pulled off a perfect week of Spring riding packed with highlights and memories I’ll never forget.

The event stretched across three days race distances from 100k to 360k, as the other clients took on the 200k challenge, my  centerpiece was the 100k race on Sunday: fast from the gun, with climbs arriving early and often. Girona usually puts on sunshine for this sort of thing. This year, it didn’t. It ended in a downpour so fierce it turned fire roads into streams and fields into trenches. One section near the end was a river crossing more suited to trail runners than gravel bikes. By the finish, we were caked in Girona’s finest soil, but we finished smiling.

I rode my Bastion Cross Road; 1x setup, 10-52 on the back, 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tires. It was the right call. Technical descents asked questions of the bike, and it answered every one. Those tires held lines I wasn’t sure were there. On the flats, they moved. On the climbs, they hung on.

The race was tough. No point dressing it up. I felt the effort, especially early. Five kilometers in and we were already climbing hard. At 60-plus, I’ve accepted that steep grades before the warm-up is over will never be my favorite feature. But I wasn’t alone — La Traka attracts everyone. There were WorldTour retirees and first-timers on the same start line, which says something about how well it’s put together.

One of the high points came on and off the bike. Spending time with the Movistar team — riding, talking, learning — was a window into the professional world. Alejandro, always gracious, had time for fans, friends, and anyone who shouted his name in the streets of Girona. And that happened a lot. He was a steady presence, on the bike and off, and you can learn a lot just watching how he moves through traffic and on his training rides. The man always looked composed.

If you're thinking about riding La Traka, do it. But don’t come in cold. Find some steep gravel, learn how to read terrain when your heart rate’s spiking, and practise sitting in a wheel over the rough stuff. Group gravel riding helps, it’s about trust and flow, not just fitness.

La Traka is more than a race. It’s a celebration of what gravel riding has become: demanding, inclusive, a bit chaotic, and deeply rewarding. Girona delivered, once again.

It’s fair to say we’ve been bitten by the Gravel bug and have already started planning for La Traka 2026 with Thomson and Movistar. Stay tuned for dates to be announced this summer!