‘My secret, just embrace the suck’ – Peter Stetina wins men’s The Traka 360

Peter Stetina (Canyon) and Karolina Migoń (PAS Normal) took victory in a muddy edition of the The Traka 360 on Friday. Stetina led a North American clean sweep of the top three spots in the men’s category of the race, which opened up the competition at the Girona-based event that is a focal point for the European gravel scene.

Stetina claimed victory ahead of Canada’s Rob Britton (Factor), who was close behind on a day where the weather had cleared but the impact of the earlier heavy rains was felt on the course, which had been shortened to 340km because of the conditions. Giro d’Italia stage winner Chad Haga (PAS Normal) came over the line next to take third, with the former road professional having carved out his credentials as a rider to watch after putting in a flying solo effort on the 360 course in October. Italian rider Mattia de Marchi, who has won the last three editions of the event, was taken out of contention by a mechanical.