Villafañe and Wurtz Schmidt Triumph at Santa Vall by The Traka
The 2026 Gravel Earth Series kicked off with a challenging race at Santa Vall by The Traka, where rain-soaked conditions tested riders over two stages. Sofía Gómez Villafañe and Mads Wurtz Schmidt emerged victorious, showcasing their skill and resilience in the muddy terrain.
Pro Women’s Race: Villafañe Dominates
Sofía Gómez Villafañe, a three-time Life Time Grand Prix winner, began her 2026 season with a commanding performance. She secured victory in the first 120km stage, navigating the slick course to finish nearly a minute ahead of Rosa Klöser (Canyon x SRAM x MAAP). Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) finished third, 29 seconds behind Klöser.
“Heavy rain last night made for a slick race course,” Villafañe shared on Instagram after the stage, which featured 1,600m of elevation gain. “I kept things upright and had a long solo mission from the main climb to that finish line.”
Villafañe continued her dominance on the 85km stage 2, completing another solo finish on Sunday. She crossed the line 56 seconds ahead of Sophie Wright, with Nicole Frain (Factor Racing) taking third place just one second further back.
Pro Men’s Race: Wurtz Schmidt Overcomes Challenges
The men’s race proved to be a tougher battle, with European gravel champion Mads Wurtz Schmidt facing significant challenges.
“I believe it was the most challenging gravel race I’ve done so far,” Wurtz Schmidt posted on Instagram. “I didn’t make the right tire choice for the mud and boy I was in trouble.”
Despite initially falling behind, Wurtz Schmidt fought his way back to the front group, which included his Specialized Off-road teammate Matt Beers. He then launched a decisive 3km attack to claim the stage win, finishing nine seconds ahead of Wout Alleman (Buff-BH Team) and 14 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet (Factor Racing). Beers finished fourth.
On stage 2, Tim Wollenberg (BIXS Race Team) secured a narrow victory in the drying conditions, finishing one second ahead of Leon Kaiser (Modus Offroad) and Jan Stöckli (Tudor Pro Cycling). Wurtz Schmidt finished fifth, but his performance was enough to secure the overall victory.
Overall Standings
Wurtz Schmidt finished the Gravel Earth Series Santa Vall stage with a total time of 05:57:01, 13 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet and 27 seconds ahead of Matthew Beers. Villafañe completed the race in 07:03:00, a significant 2:24 ahead of Sophie Wright, with Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) finishing third 4:49 back.
Women’s Elite Top 5 Overall
- 1. Sofía Gomez Villafañe – 07:03:00
- 2. Sophie Wright – +2:24
- 3. Morgan Aguirre – +4:49
- 4. Nicole Frain – +7:03
- 5. Karolina Migoń – +7:07
Men’s Elite Top 5 Overall
- 1. Mads Wurtz Schmidt – 05:57:01
- 2. Romain Bardet – +13
- 3. Matthew Beers – +27
- 4. Wout Alleman – +1:25
- 5. Leon Kaiser – +3:09
Gravel Earth Series Continues
The Gravel Earth Series comprises eleven events across Europe, Africa, and the United States. The next races on the calendar are The Hills in Italy on March 28th and Gravel Desert in Spain on April 11th. More information about the series can be found on the official website.