This article was produced in association with MNSTRY.
For Tobias Mørch Kongstad, the 2025 Traka 360 wasn’t just another gravel race but a defining moment. The rough course had marked his first taste of gravel racing two years ago. This year, it was the backdrop to a solo victory in Girona that confirmed everything he’d fought for. “All those sacrifices suddenly made sense,” he told Rouleur from Emporia, United States, where he was preparing for another brutal challenge – Unbound.
Since 2018, Kongstad has worked full-time for Pas Normal Studios – first as a customer services manager before stepping into the role of PAS Racing Race Coordinator in March. Balancing a nine-to-five job with training and a personal life shared with his girlfriend requires careful juggling. But winning a race like Traka makes your why crystal clear.
“I actually got a bit emotional,” he admitted. “My girlfriend and I talk about it a lot, that she never sees me cry. We’ve been together five years, and she’s heard me cry twice because I called her last year after Unbound and my third place and this year because I called her after Traka.”
Cyclists from around the world make the pilgrimage to Girona for this race, which has become one of the most prestigious and challenging events on the calendar. But what attracted Kongstad wasn’t the line-up of riders or the fact that it’s supported by Pas Normal Studios – it was the distance: 360km of rugged Catalonian gravel.
“When I first did it in 2023, I was afraid it would be like a long social ride,” he said. “Luckily, I found out in the first hour that this would not be a social ride. This would be full-on racing for the entire time.”
Coming from a road racing background, Kongstad always dreamed of riding the Tour de France. He rode for a Pro Continental team, which later became a Continental-level team, and slowly realised that the dream might be out of reach. “I realised I wouldn’t be the new world champion, so I started thinking about how I could combine cycling into my daily life without compromising the rest of my life,” he added. Entering the Traka to “try something new”, Kongstad hasn’t looked back since.
In the 2025 race, he spent more than 100km riding on his own – a huge effort, both physically and mentally. But Kongstad has always had what he calls a “diesel engine”, with the ability to suffer for extended periods. And rather than…