First Race of the Year!

It is hard to believe that the first race of the year is already here! Santa Vall was my first ever gravel race and I even did it on my road bike (not my best decision, but out of necessity!). It goes without saying that this year I will be racing on my gravel bike as well I will be going into the race with higher hopes and expectations than last year. As it is only February, it is hard to know exactly how my form will compare to the other women racing, especially with such a strong field of riders. This year the field is stacked! Some of the best female gravel riders will be racing and it will be an excellent test to see where I am. Last year I finished in 10th place and with more experience, a gravel bike, and Enough Cycling behind me, I hope to do better than I did last year. In this blog I will be going over my goals, both stage previews, and what equipment I will be using. I hope you enjoy!

Last year, I had no idea if I would be good at gravel, if I would enjoy it, or what realistic expectations for myself looked like. Now with a year under my belt I still feel new, but I have more of an idea of what I am capable of as well as areas I still need to improve upon. Last year was not all smooth sailing physically. I was still dealing with physical issues from my accident in 2023. I still can’t fully breathe out of my nose, I have had a few mishaps with my teeth, and I still have lingering issues with my right leg where I tore the quad muscle. These injuries are not a huge hindrance, however, last year there were times where I still struggled quite a bit. I learned a lot of how to race through pain, racing uncomfortable, and learning different breathing strategies. So far this year I am feeling physically a lot stronger. This off season I spent a good amount of time in the gym, working on my strength as well as my nutrition on and off the bike. I believe being more diligent in these areas really helped me become stronger. I also focused more on my technical skills. Coming from the road I lost time in the technical sections, particularly on the gravel in Girona which is more technical than North American gravel. I did not do anything crazy or different this off season mostly just focusing on my health, nutrition, and improving my technical skills. My hope with these small changes and staying consistent with my routine will help me have a bigger and better 2025! When it comes to Santa Vall, physically and mentally I feel strong. My goals are simple as I don’t normally put huge expectations on myself for my first early season race. However, with my first race being with Enough I would love to have a strong start and show off our new jersey! My main goal is to do as well or better than I did last year, positioning well, strong on the climbs, and not losing too much time on the descents. More importantly, believing in myself and my abilities! Again, as this is my first race of the year, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, of course I would love to win but most importantly I want to show my strengths, try new things and enjoy my first time racing with Enough Cycling!

Next, I want to go over both stages. This year there are two stages. Stage 1 is a total of 80kms and features 1,144 meters of elevation gain. Stage 1 will be a short day but with a fair amount of climbing relative to the total distance of the race. I was able to pre-ride this stage in January, and I noted a few key features of this stage. First, the race almost immediately starts up a hard steep climb on a narrow road that soon goes into gravel. It will be extremely important to be in a good position before we get to the climb as the climb is quite steep, narrow, and reaches gradients up to 12 percent. Although the climb is not extremely long at around 4km, there is a fast descent where dropped riders should be able to catch back on. For this part, my goal is to stay with the top 5-10 riders as well as staying with them on the descent. After the climb the course goes up and down and there are a few steep short climbs throughout the day but overall, nothing that causes too much concern. Like always with Girona gravel, I will need to stay focused on the more technical descents to be able to stay with the lead group. Stage 2 will be the longer day of the two with a total of 115km and 1,656 meters of elevation. Stage 2 is the exact same course as last year, so I am familiar with this stage. I also pre-road the course in January. I am excited to be doing the same course as last year to fix the mistakes I made the first time racing Santa Vall. Last year, I had a good start, and I was with the top 5 riders after the first climb. However, I lost contact with them on a tricky descent and spent the rest of the day chasing. If I was able to stay with them, I could have potentially finished in the top 5 in the GC. Going into this year I now know exactly where I made the mistake and what I must do to stay with the group. I am still not as confident as some of the other women on the descents, but I am much more confident than I was last year and hopefully I won’t lose time in the same places. Stage 2 also features some longer steep climbs where I can use my strengths to stay with the leaders and even set the pace. Both stages feature hard climbs, technical sections, and fast descents. I am looking forward to seeing where I am, particularly against such a strong group of women!

Finally, I want to share my bike set up for this race. I am extremely excited to race on the Basso Palta this year! This bike is not only fast on the flats but super-fast up the climbs and I can particularly feel a difference up steep climbs. I really can’t wait to see how I will race on this bike this year! This year’s Basso Palto is equipped with Fulcrum Sharq wheels, Campagnolo Super-record wireless groupset, Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 45 tires, Fizik Vento Argo 00 saddle and Elite Leggero Carbo bottle cages. Another exciting change for me this year is a will be riding a bigger tire. I had a few restrictions last year that made riding a larger tire not possible, so I am eager to see and feel the difference of racing on a larger tire especially riding in Girona on a more technical course!

Most importantly I am extremely excited for this season to start, especially with Enough Cycling! Once again, thank you for reading, and be sure to follow here, on Instagram, and Enough Cycling’s Instagram for race updates!

Enough Cycling Collective 2025!

Gabby Traxler

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