The Traka 200 – Schiff and Vakoc declare titles, penalty strips Rassmann of win

Carolin Schiff (Canyon CLLCTV) defended the ladies’s title at The Traka 200 on Saturday with a dominant solo victory on the European gravel race, whereas it was a dramatic finale within the males’s competitors with a 3 approach dash to the road. 

Frederik Rassmann crossed the road first however a penalty meant Petr Vakoc (Canyon Integray) was finally declared the winner of the muddy occasion.

Vakoc and Jasper Ockeloen (Sockeloen/Canyon) had rounded the ultimate nook with Rassmann, who rapidly took to the entrance and held that place to the road with sufficient of a niche to set free a wholehearted celebration as he crossed. 

The pleasure of victory evaporated by the point of the rostrum ceremony and he was out of the highest spot. 

The 2023 Unbound runner-up, Vakoc as an alternative took to the highest step with Ockeloen moved as much as second and Johan Jacobs (Movistar) third. Another, very acquainted, highway racing identify within the high ten was Greg Van Avermaet, with the retired Olympic Gold medallist and Paris-Roubaix winner taking seventh place on the occasion which begins and finishes in Girona.

There was no such uncertainty, nonetheless, surrounding the ladies’s winner with the highly effective efficiency of Schiff placing her throughout the road greater than 9 minutes forward of her nearest rival, Klara Sofie Skovgaard Hansen (PAS Racing) and Rosa Maria Klöser (MAAP Gravel Privateer) was greater than 20 minutes again in third. 

“I all the time have a giant engine ultimately of the race. I used to be in a position to push arduous ultimately. It was my good day,” mentioned Schiff. “It was actually my objective to win it once more.”

While she did so emphatically, Schiff was fast to level out what a robust race it was by the younger second-placed rider Skovgaard Hansen, who she caught after which dropped on a climb. “She did so nice, she’s the long run.”

The Traka, a focus for the European gravel scene, is a part of the Gravel Earth Series  – one of many 5 Global Events – and the 200 runs alongside a 360 race, which happened on Friday, whereas there are additionally shorter distances set to unfold on Sunday. 

Peter Stetina (Canyon) and Karolina Migoń (PAS Normal) received the 360 occasion, which was shortened by about 20km. There had been intense rain within the run up, which had stopped earlier than the racing started however left a mark on the course, with the deliberate 560 cancelled and judging by the racers Strava information, the 200 was additionally shortened by three to 4 kilometres from the revealed pre-race distance of 196km.

The subsequent of the Global Earth Gravel Event is the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya from June 18-21 and the Gravel Earth closing is at Ranxo Gravel October 12-13.

Results