The Traka

Late April in Girona. The roads around the start fill with gravel bikes from across Europe — cars from France, Belgium, the UK, the US, and the budget-flight crowd from anywhere with a route to El Prat. La Traka has become, in a handful of years, Europe's gravel reference race.

The riding lives up to it. Klassmark's courses pull you through the Empordà and the Costa Brava — volcanic hinterland, cork oak forests, climbs out of the Pyrenean foothills — on a mix of forestry road, broken asphalt, and the occasional dry wash. Surfaces are usually dry in April; technical sections never feel reckless but they reward a steady hand.

Four distances on offer (100 / 200 / 360 / 560 km). The 560 is a single-day, no-support effort that finishes in the dark for most; the 360 is the headline race that draws the pros; the 200 is the day most international riders pick when they come out for one event; the 100 is the welcome-to-gravel option. Pick honestly — the difficulty curve is steep, and the 360 isn't a "200 with extra."

Book accommodation early. Girona fills up the week before, and the bike-friendly hotels — Eat Sleep Cycle, Hotel Peninsular and the smaller B&Bs in Barri Vell — go fast. Expect rolling expo days, a strong post-race scene, and queues at every café in town. If you've never been to Girona for gravel, this is the weekend to come.