End of Season Recap!

As I am writing this the first thing that keeps coming to my mind is that I cannot believe my first season of racing gravel is over. This time last year I had no idea what I was going to be doing or if I was even going to be racing. Looking back at this past year it is crazy to see how many things have changed and everything I have done this year. I started the season back in February in Girona at Santa Vall still on a road bike with 38 tires and I had no idea what I was getting into. I might have been unprepared equipment wise, but I still managed to come in the top 10 and had one of the most fun, exciting, challenging and satisfying three days of racing. From that race onwards I was hooked in the world of gravel racing. Thankfully, for the rest of the season I had incredible support from my sponsors TLAB, HUNT, Kenda, CAPO, POC, and Inspire Athlete Management which provided me with the equipment to perform at the top level.

Traka Top 10!

            I had a successful first half of the season coming in the top 5 and 10 in all my races with one unfortunate DNF in Scotland due to an unfixable mechanical but overall, I was pleased with my progression, and I was doing everything I could to learn as much as possible about gravel racing and working on improving my technical and tactical skills. After spending the first part of the season in Europe it was time to go to North America to race in some of the largest races such as Unbound Gravel and SBT Gravel. It is no secret that Unbound is one of the hardest races and to be honest I was quite nervous to race Unbound. I had mixed feelings after Unbound as I felt defeated but also proud of my resilience. My Di2 died and I spent just over three hours riding at single speed until I could get to the next aid station where my dad was able to change my battery. Those three hours were probably the hardest three hours I have ever raced both mentally and physically. I lost around 15-20 places; I had to walk many sections and the only way I had made it through was to continually remind myself that this won’t last forever, and I did not come all this way to not finish. I finished, with tears in my eyes from disappointment but proud of what I accomplished. The season continued, I finished third at Canadian National Championships, followed by my first win at Fernie Gravel Grind, then to finish off my North American block I raced SBT Gravel. This race was another disappointment for me. One of the biggest areas I struggled with this year was the mass starts with men. Unfortunately, for this race I started about 100 people back from the top women and I found myself chasing for the first hour or so and by the time I found other women to ride with I was empty from chasing solo and spent the rest of the race moving through groups or riding solo. I can’t say that I was extremely happy with my North American block of racing. However, I did learn a lot and I am motivated to go back and prove myself.

            The end of August I returned to Europe having a successful start in my first two races. I came in 6th place for both UCI races the Alpine Gravel challenge and Sea Otter Girona. After those two races I was really motivated for the last races of the season especially the world championships. However, this is where things took a turn and quickly became the most challenging part of the season. After Sea Otter I contracted a bacterial stomach infection and was off the bike for over a week taking anti-biotics. The time could not have been worse as it was the week before worlds and it was uncertain if I was able to race.  My dad was coming all the way from Canada to support me as well one of my sponsors, Kenda had also provided support to make this trip possible. I knew I was not at my best; I had not eaten and hardly drank anything the past week and at that point getting to the start was going to be hard. In the end I raced, not well, but I did race. Unfortunately, I also suffered from three flats which also made the day very difficult. I don’t regret going but I can’t lie that I was extremely sad and disappointed after that race, but I was trying to stay positive as I only had one more race left and I wanted to end the season on a good note. The last race was the Earth Gravel final, Ranxo Gravel. I started feeling better from my past sickness not 100% but I was more confident I could get a good result. I had a decent start trying to pace my effort and I was quickly moving up to 6th place. However, I crashed hard trying to catch the leading group. I hit my head and leg hard resulting in me not being able to finish… not the way I wanted this season to end. There is nothing worse for me than not finishing a race but in this moment, I was too hurt to keep going as I still had just under 100km to go. The next few days I spent in bed resting and recovering. I felt like I left my sponsors, family and myself down. However, I was reminded about everything I accomplished this season and that I should be proud. I am proud of all my accomplishments this season which makes me extremely motivated to see what I can do next year!

            I would like to give a HUGE thank you to the people who stood by my side this year and made everything possible. To my Mom, Dad, Sophie, Simon, and Grandparents. You all supported me without question and believed in me every step of the way. You gave me the support to keep pursuing my dream and I can’t thank you all enough. To my sponsors, TLAB, CAPO, HUNT, Kenda, POC, Peter, Simon and Mike at Inspire Athlete Management, this season would have not happened without the belief and support of each and every one of you. Thank you for taking the chance on me. I hope I did you all proud. And to anyone reading this, thank you. I have sincerely enjoyed writing these blogs this year and will continuing next year! There is so many exciting things coming up that I can’t wait to share soon! As always, stay tuned!