A full day of Mediterranean gravel racing: a paved climb out of Girona opens the route before dropping onto gravel, the Empordà plains carry riders past olive groves and stone farmhouses toward Figueres.[3]
Course Profile
Editorial verdict
Europe's Unbound-distance race — 202km of technical Mediterranean gravel from Girona's Empordà plains to the Gavarres massif in a single day.[3]
Born in Girona — where WorldTour pros live and train. What started as a single ultra-distance event has grown into a full Traka week, with the Traka 200 now running as the marquee one-day option alongside the Traka 300 (Saturday) and Traka 100 (Sunday). Founded in 2019. By Local Girona cycling community.
Reputation: If Unbound is America's gravel Ironman, Traka week is Europe's — and the 200 is its one-day, Friday-morning entry point. The field draws WorldTour crossover athletes and weekend warriors alike, racing out of cycling's spiritual home.
2019: First edition, grassroots start in Girona
The original Traka 360 ultra grew Europe's largest gravel week before being retired; the Traka 300 (Saturday) is now the event's pro-category flagship
Equal prize purse men/women from day one
Traka week now draws 4,000+ riders from 74 countries across its distances
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The Course
Photo: YouTube / Maddy NuttPhoto: YouTube / Maddy Nutt
A full day of Mediterranean gravel racing: a paved climb out of Girona opens the route before dropping onto gravel, the Empordà plains carry riders past olive groves and stone farmhouses toward Figueres, a long gentle climb runs from Anglès to Sant Hilari Sacalm, and a technical Gavarres massif singletrack finale closes the loop back into Girona. 84% unpaved, with rocky Mediterranean surfaces demanding real bike-handling in the closing kilometers.
Signature challenge: The Gavarres massif singletrack finale — technical, demanding bike-handling, and saved for the closing kilometers back into Girona.
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MILE
The Girona Climb
The route opens with a paved climb out of Girona before dropping onto gravel — the day's first effort before the legs settle into a rhythm.
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MILE
The Empordà Plains
Rocky Mediterranean gravel carries riders through olive groves, vineyards, and stone farmhouses toward Figueres — open, exposed terrain where pace management matters.
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MILE
Anglès to Sant Hilari Sacalm
A long, gentle 3-4% climb through forest from Anglès to Sant Hilari Sacalm — not steep, but it grinds on legs that have already covered most of the route.
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MILE
Gavarres Massif Finale
Technical singletrack through the Gavarres massif closes the loop back into Girona — the day's most demanding bike-handling test, saved for tired legs.
RIDERS REPORT
First dirt descent with loose cutbacks MI 10-12
Four or five loose cutbacks that cause the first separation in the field with couple of crashes happening early on.
Dark start through grass field
Race starts in darkness through a grass field with lefts and rights over curbs, through streets and roundabouts on road before hitting dirt.
The gravel is continuous and real gravel, muddy conditions with terrain being muddier than expected.
Tires perform well on descents with full control - Thunderbird 2.2 front and Schwalbe G1 Air 50mm rear setup provides good handling.
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From the Field
This event has kind of been on my radar for a couple years now. I think it has the lure of almost the European unbound gravel race and we have some close friends who have raced it a few times now and had only amazing things to say about it.
Heather Jackson · 32K views
I remember last year I'm going to say overall it was a positive day it was quite a rough day I was like not swallowing rice and like vomiting everywhere but apart from that like it was an amazing experience the like scenery here is incredible the atmosphere is amazing at this event.
Maddy Nutt · 58.4K views
Very twisty turny Lucy but then also Corners where you're not quite sure if you have to go right or left I think it's gonna be in the dark Saturday it's gonna be it's gonna be tricky I reckon there will be some people bumping into each other.
Fernwee · 26.5K views
This event has kind of been on my radar for a couple years now. I think it has the lure of almost the European unbound gravel race. It's obviously not easy to get to from the US. It's a long travel. You have the jet lag, you have everything that comes with that that presents other obstacles when it comes to races.
Heather Jackson · 32K views
Heather Jackson · 32K views · 35:55
Maddy Nutt · 58.4K views · 24:29
Fernwee · 26.5K views · 14:07
RACER
Racer Reviews
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Training
April 30, 2027 THE TRAKA 200
RIDERS REPORT
Fastest setup for Traka 200 uses Thunderbird 2.2 front tire and Schwalbe G1 Air 50mm rear tire for descent control.
Big chainring with Eagle cassette mullet setup works well, classified hub provides good gear range with 40 teeth rear.
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Train for The Traka 200
RACE DEMAND PROFILE
Durability
6
Climbing
8
VO2 Power
10
Threshold
8
Technical
8
Heat
0
Altitude
4
Race Specificity
10
3 WORKOUTS BUILT FOR THIS RACE
Each workout below is selected from our archetype library based on The Traka 200’s specific demands. Click any workout to see the full execution protocol.
Gravel SpecificSurge and Settle
1hr+
Explosive surges into tempo settling — the signature gravel-specific workout.
The Traka 200's Rocky Mediterranean gravel, Empordà plains gravel forces constant power changes. Surge over the rough stuff, settle on the smooth, repeat for 126 miles.
EXECUTIONOut of the saddle for every surge — explosive, violent power. Then immediately drop to tempo and SETTLE. Smooth your breathing. Recover while still working. This is what gravel racing IS: attack the rock garden, settle on the straight, attack the climb, settle on the descent. Over and over.
POSITIONStanding for surges | Seated in drops for settle
RPESurges: 9–10 | Settle: 5–6
RACE-SPECIFIC: THE TRAKA 200
NUTRITION Target 60–80g carbs/hour for The Traka 200’s 126 miles. Start fueling within the first 30 minutes — early fueling prevents late-race collapse. Bonking at mile 60 is a nutrition failure, not a fitness failure.
ALTITUDE Moderate altitude at The Traka 200. Arrive 2–3 days early. Reduce intensity expectations by 5–10%. Hydrate aggressively.
TERRAIN Highly technical terrain at The Traka 200 demands practice on similar surfaces. Ride rocky mediterranean gravel with forest singletrack at race-day cadence weekly. Expect: rocky mediterranean gravel, empordà plains gravel, forest trails. Practice cornering, descending, and power delivery on unstable surfaces. Dial in tire pressure before race week — 5 PSI wrong costs you 15+ minutes over 126 miles.
Race SimulationVariable Pace Chaos
1.25hr+
Unpredictable power changes — no pattern, no rhythm, pure gravel race simulation.
Race-pace efforts that mimic The Traka 200's demands. Pacing, fueling, and tactical decisions under fatigue. Practice the race before April.
EXECUTIONThere is no pattern. That’s the point. Power jumps randomly between zones — like a gravel race where terrain, wind, and competitors dictate your effort. Don’t anticipate. React. Recover when you can. Suffer when you must. This workout teaches metabolic flexibility.
POWERRange: 85–130% FTP | No two minutes at the same power
CADENCEVariable — match the effort. 80rpm on tempo, 100rpm on VO2, 120rpm on sprints.
POSITIONChange constantly. That’s the chaos.
RPEVaries wildly: 4–10 within a single block
RACE-SPECIFIC: THE TRAKA 200
NUTRITION Target 60–80g carbs/hour for The Traka 200’s 126 miles. Start fueling within the first 30 minutes — early fueling prevents late-race collapse. Bonking at mile 60 is a nutrition failure, not a fitness failure.
ALTITUDE Moderate altitude at The Traka 200. Arrive 2–3 days early. Reduce intensity expectations by 5–10%. Hydrate aggressively.
TERRAIN Highly technical terrain at The Traka 200 demands practice on similar surfaces. Ride rocky mediterranean gravel with forest singletrack at race-day cadence weekly. Expect: rocky mediterranean gravel, empordà plains gravel, forest trails. Practice cornering, descending, and power delivery on unstable surfaces. Dial in tire pressure before race week — 5 PSI wrong costs you 15+ minutes over 126 miles.
VO2max5x3 VO2 Classic
1hr+
The gold standard VO2max session — 5 efforts at your aerobic ceiling.
8,694ft of climbing means repeated surges above threshold. VO2max work is how you survive the fifth climb, not just the first.
EXECUTIONBuild into each interval over the first 30 seconds. Hold steady — don't surge and fade. If you can't hold power on rep 5, the target was too high. These should be controlled suffering, not panicked sprinting.
POSITIONSeated in drops, elbows bent. Standing OK for final 30s of each rep.
RPEReps 1–3: 8 | Reps 4–5: 9
RACE-SPECIFIC: THE TRAKA 200
NUTRITION Target 60–80g carbs/hour for The Traka 200’s 126 miles. Start fueling within the first 30 minutes — early fueling prevents late-race collapse. Bonking at mile 60 is a nutrition failure, not a fitness failure.
ALTITUDE Moderate altitude at The Traka 200. Arrive 2–3 days early. Reduce intensity expectations by 5–10%. Hydrate aggressively.
TERRAIN Highly technical terrain at The Traka 200 demands practice on similar surfaces. Ride rocky mediterranean gravel with forest singletrack at race-day cadence weekly. Expect: rocky mediterranean gravel, empordà plains gravel, forest trails. Practice cornering, descending, and power delivery on unstable surfaces. Dial in tire pressure before race week — 5 PSI wrong costs you 15+ minutes over 126 miles.
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Book 6+ months early. Race week is chaos. €100-200/night. Consider Barcelona + train to Girona.
Food
Girona has excellent restaurants. Book reservations race week—town fills with cyclists.
Packet Pickup
Friday in Girona. Expo atmosphere, budget 90 minutes.
Parking
Limited. Public transport or hotel shuttles recommended.
RIDERS REPORT
Nutrition is super key - practice eating various things on the bike and seeing what you can stomach at intensity, bring variety of food for absolute choice at feed zones.
It's basically an eating competition, not a cycling competition - eat as much as possible over the day including whole foods like Pringles toward the end.
Late April in Catalonia swings: mornings start cool, afternoons can push warm, and mountain weather over the Gavarres massif and inland hills can turn quickly. Riders should plan for layers and be ready for anything from dry, dusty conditions to a passing storm.[11]
How are the logistics for The Traka 200?
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Priority registration opens July 14 with general registration July 16 for the following year's race — the Traka 200 sold out for 2026 within its window. Riders fly into Barcelona (100km) or Girona (12km) and base out of Girona for race week, with packet pickup Friday morning before an early Friday start from Parc de les Ribes del Ter. The 200 runs a day ahead of the Traka 300 (Saturday) and Traka 100 (Sunday), so logistics benefit from established race-week infrastructure even though the 200 kicks the week off.[3]
How adventurous is The Traka 200?
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The route opens with a paved climb straight out of Girona before dropping onto gravel, then threads the Empordà plains through olive groves, vineyards, and stone farmhouses toward Figueres, climbs the long gentle grade from Anglès to Sant Hilari Sacalm, and finishes with a Gavarres massif singletrack run back into Girona. It's a full tour of Catalonia's gravel landscape in a single day, starting and finishing at Parc de les Ribes del Ter.[1]
How prestigious is The Traka 200?
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The Traka 200 runs inside the same week as the new Traka 300 pro flagship (Saturday) and the Traka 100 (Sunday), anchored in Girona — the town WorldTour pros call home for training. As the Gravel Earth Series' European centerpiece, it draws a serious international field even as the one-day, ultra-distance option on the calendar.[7]
Should I race The Traka 200?
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Yes, if you want Europe's premier one-day gravel experience and can handle a full day of racing inside a 12-hour cutoff. The Traka 200 delivers Gravel Earth Series-level legitimacy, stunning Catalan terrain, and a genuinely international field. Just be ready for rocky, technical sections and pack tires suited to 84% unpaved ground.
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Sources & Citations
Research sources used to build this race profile. Always verify details with official race sources before making travel or registration decisions.
