Villafañe & Wurtz Schmidt Win Muddy Gravel Earth Series Opener – Santa Vall 2026

Girona, Spain – The 2026 Gravel Earth Series kicked off with a challenging two-stage Santa Vall by The Traka event, marked by heavy rain and muddy conditions. Specialized Off-road team riders Sofía Gómez Villafañe and Mads Wurtz Schmidt emerged victorious, setting an early pace in the series.

Villafañe dominated the Pro Women category, securing solo wins on both stages. She finished the first 120km stage nearly a minute ahead of Rosa Klöser (Canyon x SRAM x MAAP), with Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) trailing another 29 seconds behind. “Heavy rain last night made for a slick race course,” Villafañe posted on Instagram after the first 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.”

The three-time Life Time Grand Prix winner continued her strong form into stage 2, again finishing solo on Sunday, besting Wright by 56 seconds, while Nicole Frain (Factor Racing) completed the podium just a second further back. Villafañe’s consistent performance established a commanding lead in the overall standings.

The men’s race proved more competitive. European gravel champion Mads Wurtz Schmidt claimed victory on stage one, but acknowledged the difficulty of the course. “I think it was the most challenging gravel race I’ve done so far,” Schmidt said in an Instagram post. “I didn’t make the right tire choice for the mud and boy I was in trouble.” He described a mid-race struggle, finding himself 1 minute and 30 seconds behind the lead before battling back to contention, ultimately launching a decisive attack in the final 3km with teammates, including Matthew Beers.

Schmidt crossed the finish line nine seconds ahead of Wout Alleman (Buff-BH Team), with Romain Bardet (Factor Racing) finishing 14 seconds back and Beers in fourth. Stage 2 saw a tighter finish, with Tim Wollenberg (BIXS Race Team) taking the win in the drying conditions, just one second ahead of Leon Kaiser (Modus Offroad) and Jan Stöckli (Tudor Pro Cycling). Michael Garrison (Speedstudio p/b Basso) and Schmidt finished with the same time as Stöckli.

Despite the close finish on stage 2, Schmidt’s consistent performance throughout the event secured him the overall victory. He finished 13 seconds ahead of Bardet and 27 seconds ahead of Beers in the general classification. Villafañe’s overall win was even more decisive, finishing 2 minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Wright, with Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) taking third place, 4 minutes and 49 seconds behind.

The Gravel Earth Series continues with The Hills in Italy on March 28, followed by the Gravel Desert in Spain on April 11. The series comprises eleven events across Europe, Africa, and the United States, including The Traka in May.

Women’s Elite Top 5 Overall

Men’s Elite Top 5 Overall