9 a.m. last Sunday marked the starting signal in Austria at Lake Wörthersee, just under 20 km from the Slovenian border. It wasn’t quite enough for Tadej Pogačar to make it to the start—he had to race Paris–Roubaix instead. For anyone familiar with the gravel scene, Wörthersee Gravel is a well-established event. Under top conditions, with a dry course and 20°C, the German champion Paul Voß, the Rose Racing Circle Team, and others line up at the start alongside us.

After eight kilometers, the two Pushbikers, Kilian and Jaro, charge through the forest close to the front. Riding in a line—the trail hardly allows anything else. The gravel scene is growing, and you can see some road riders on the course struggling with the technical challenges: losing bottles, failing to find their line, because holding a wheel over roots and rocks isn’t as easy for some as it is on the road.
Our athletes deliver— their Berchtesgaden bottles stay firmly in place in the Deda bottle cages, allowing them to stay fully fueled throughout the entire race. We’re positioned in the feed zones, providing supplies.

On the final climb, before heading back toward Lake Wörthersee, Kilian is still right up with the front group—until the breakaway riders manage to pull clear once more. In the end, this results in a one-minute gap that keeps him off the podium. He still secures valuable UCI points for qualification for the Gravel European and World Championships.

Five minutes later, Jaro crosses the finish line. During the race, they are often within sight of each other but can’t quite bridge the gap. Leon finishes in 4:37:22 and laughs: “I’m slowly getting used to the equipment and this whole gravel thing.” But he admits that he enjoyed the road sections the most.

There’s little time to catch their breath for the Pushbikers. The highlight for the gravel scene doesn’t come in July with the Tour de France, but already at the end of April with The Traka. We’ll be lining up in the 200 km and 360 km events, looking forward to another tough test. “I prefer longer and harder races anyway,” says Pushbiker Marian, who already competed last year.

“How was it? Definitely very tough. I got over the first climb pretty well, but kept getting dropped a bit from the front. Then I managed to ride back a couple of times. I often found a group that worked well together. On the final climb, I was a bit cooked. But overall, it was really good!”

(Kilian)

“Up to the first climb I was right at the front. Then Kili came past me together with Paul Voß. I thought about going with them, but then I decided against it—I didn’t want to completely blow up straight away. After that I was in the second group. In the beginning I did a lot of pulling at the front because we wanted to close the gap, and I got a bit carried away there. I stayed with them well until the final climb, and by then I already knew I was done. All in all: 44th place, I’m quite satisfied.”

(Jaro)

Now it’s time for everyone to refocus on what’s ahead—The Traka in Girona. The unofficial gravel world championships, a cult race where international top riders line up. Central event of the European gravel scene.

“Traka is definitely a real highlight. Until then, my plan is to race two road races at the Tour de Allgäu next weekend, and in the following week I’ll focus again on longer rides to prepare as optimally as possible.”

“The race at Lake Wörthersee was full gas from the very start. Our equipment held up well—we had no punctures, no mechanical issues. I’m really looking forward to The Traka. For me, it’s an absolute highlight, especially the long 360 km distance that I’ll be tackling. I think Wörthersee was a very good preparation, and it was great to be here with the guys and girls.”

(Marian)