The Traka is fast becoming one of the most important gravel races of the season with the 200, 360 and 560km races being hotly contested.
Forming part of the Gravel Earth Series, the Traka attracts a host of pro riders, but like so many gravel events, it’s open to all. The result is a melting pot of hacks, bodges and some of the latest gravel tech available.
Last year, the race was heavily disrupted by stormy conditions, largely clement weather greeted 2025’s participants.
This year’s event gave us our first proper look at Canyon’s new gravel race bike, showed the divide in tyre choice and served up some questionable last minute mods.
It looks like DT Swiss has been called upon for a gravel collab – Canyon now seems to have a specific suspension fork for the Grail. Liam Cahill / Our MediaCanyon, despite being asked very nicely, was tight lipped when queried on it, but the travel looks to be in the region of 40mm. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThere are other interesting design features, such as a rebound adjustment knob at the bottom of the non drive-side fork leg. Liam Cahill / Our MediaDT Swiss has also paid close attention to the aesthetics with this sleek fork crown area – could this new fork be trying to bridge the aesthetic gap between gnarlier off-road forks and road-going designs? Liam Cahill / Our MediaDanni Shrosbree was also aboard a new bike, though this Argon18 Dark Matter was launched on Monday. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThe bike features some very cool tech with space for 57mm tyres front and back. There's also a hidden mount for a front derailleur. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThe key tech trend continues to be the adoption of MTB tyres and Continental’s Race King was a common sight on the start line. Liam Cahill / Our MediaSecond in the women’s 200km race, Rosa Klöser, pushed her Canyon Grizl frame clearance to the limit. Liam Cahill / Our MediaWinner of the women’s 200km race, Sofia Gomez Villafane, opted for a Specialized S-Works Crux with curiously unmarked S-Works Tracer gravel tyres. Liam Cahill / Our MediaBut look closely and a small ‘50mm’ marking is visible. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThe Argentine’s setup was very simple – the only addition to the SRAM Red / Eagle AXS mullet drivetrain was this small chain guide. Liam Cahill / Our MediaElsewhere, I was delighted to see riders getting inventive with some aero mods (that's right, aerodynamics is truly a thing in gravel). This rubberised material stuck onto Klöser’s handlebar gives her a little extra grip, but also some forearm comfort when riding in an aero position. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThere were plenty of road groupsets on display – Mattia Di Marchi's Campagnolo Super Record WRL was the most beautiful (and the least likely). Liam Cahill / Our MediaHis Basso Palta was resplendent under the Spanish sun, but it was these small sections of sandpaper which caught my eye, there to hold tightly onto bottles. Straight out of the Paris-Roubaix playbook. Liam Cahill / Our MediaBut Harry Tanfield took things to another level, by pinching packing materials from his bike box. The idea? Exceptional. The execution? Questionable. Liam Cahill / Our MediaThis über-neat storage of a tubeless tool and multitool was the antidote to Tanfield’s bodge. Liam Cahill / Our MediaSpeaking of puncture repair, riders continued to squirrel away pre-loaded tubeless plug tools in random locations. This one looks slightly... risky. Liam Cahill / Our MediaWhen the award for 'most left-field bike' is handed out, there can be only one winner. SJ and Andre will tackle the 100km route aboard this tandem. Andre took me for a quick spin and I am only slightly worried for them! Liam Cahill / Our MediaAt least they'll be fuelled well. They told me they were aiming for al dente. Liam Cahill / Our MediaAnd their Paw Patrol-branded horn can sound the finish klaxon on this tech gallery. Toot! Liam Cahill / Our Media
Liam Cahill is a presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. He joined the BikeRadar team in 2021 and has amassed eight years of service in the bike industry, reviewing countless cycling products, writing numerous features and presenting award-winning video projects. An ‘international racing career’ saw him pinning a number on in places such as Canada, Italy, France and Wales. He most enjoys presenting videos on pro race tech from events such as the World Gravel Championships, where he’s happy to get among the media scrum for a word with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Marianne Vos and Valtteri Bottas.
Liam loves riding in the mountains, particularly on a sunny day. You can follow his pursuit of the perfect tiramisu on Instagram.
