Mads Würtz Schmidt and Rosa Klöser claimed commanding solo victories at the Traka 360 in Girona, Spain, on Friday 01 May, both riders rewriting the script on one of gravel cycling’s biggest stages.
On an epic 325km course in blazing-fast conditions, Schmidt went solo with more than 100km remaining, building a lead of several minutes over the chasers to win in 09:57:38 — smashing the previous course record of 11:37:30 set by Tobias Kongstad in 2025. Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) finished second, 11 minutes 18 seconds down, with Specialized teammate Matt Beers third at 11 minutes 30 seconds, after the chasing group fractured in an aggressive singletrack finale. Romain Bardet took fifth, while defending champion Kongstad settled for seventh, 16 minutes 25 seconds adrift.
Klöser forced an early selection on the opening climbs, eventually whittling the lead group down to just herself and Axelle Dubau-Prévot (EF Education-Oatly), before attacking with around 90km to go. The German rode clear to finish in 11:27:58. Dubau-Prévot, runner-up for the second consecutive year, crossed 12 minutes 53 seconds later, with Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-Road) third at 18 minutes 29 seconds. Defending champion Karolina Migoń appeared to abandon the race inside the first 100km.
The victory extends Schmidt’s Traka record: he is the first rider to win both headline events, having taken the 200km title in 2025. The 31-year-old Danish rider for Specialized Off-Road is the reigning European gravel champion and won the Santa Vall stage race earlier this year.
For Klöser, the win adds to a palmarès that includes the 2024 Unbound 200 title and the 2025 Gravel Earth Series overall — while she continues to maintain a parallel road programme with Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto through the cobbled classics.
The Traka 200 follows on Saturday.
Photo Credit: Instagram/gravelearthseries
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