Sofía Gómez Villafañe stormed to a dominant victory in the women's Traka 200 earlier today, aboard her classically styled Specialized S-Works Crux.
While aero-optimised gravel bikes with huge tyres have been the hot trend at this year's Traka, Gómez Villafañe showed the round-tubed Crux can still hold its own against the wind tunnel-optimised competition.
Gómez Villafañe didn't ignore aerodynamics completely, though, opting for Roval's new Terra Aero CLX wheelset and its Rapide aero handlebar up front.
She was also on board with the big tyres trend, although she opted for 50mm Specialized Pathfinder gravel tyres rather than cross-country mountain bike tyres.
One bit of mountain bike tech Gómez Villafañe did adopt, though, was SRAM's XX Eagle Transmission rear derailleur, and its wide, 10-52 tooth gear spread. This was paired to 46t 1x aero chainring up front.
Keep reading for a close look at her setup for Europe's premier gravel race.
The last stand against aero
The Traka 200 was raced under mostly dry conditions, so there was plenty of dust out on the course.
Compared to many other racers, Gómez Villafañe appears to have chosen to travel light, with only a single CO2 canister taped to her seatpost, plus two large water bottles. There were no frame bags or repair kits to be seen on her bike at the finish.
Launched in 2022, the Specialized Crux is one of the few remaining gravel race bikes to have not been given an aero makover.
Instead, it's Aethos-inspired frame shaping focuses on keeping weight to a minimum, with Specialized claiming it was the world's lightest production gravel bike at the time, thanks to its featherweight 725g claimed frame weight.
Clearly on board with the 'wider is faster' trend, Gómez Villafañe opted for 50mm Specialized Pathfinder gravel tyres and Roval's chunky Terra Aero gravel wheels.
The Pathfinder has a relatively minimalist tread pattern, but that clearly proved no issue for the race's dry conditions.
Gómez Villafañe also opted for an aero handlebar, although not a fully integrated one. Notably, the Roval Rapide handlebar was designed for the American brand's previous generation road racing bike, the Tarmac SL7, and is therefore narrower than typical gravel handlebars.
We saw countless bikes equipped with SRAM's XPLR gravel groupsets at this year's Traka, but Gómez Villafañe opted for a mountain bike rear derailleur for an even wider spread of gears on her 1x drivetrain.
Given the hilly parcours and long distance, it certainly seems a smart combination.
Finishing off Gómez Villafañe's build was a set of Shimano XTR SPD pedals, a Specialized S-Works Power EVO 3D-printed saddle and a smattering of gold-anodised bolts.
