Gravel Earth Series: Annika Langvad and Magnus Bak Klaris control both days at Santa Vall for GC victories

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Annika Langvad (Specialized Off-Road) and Magnus Bak Klaris (PAS Racing) were in control over two days of technical courses, claiming the general classification titles in the stacked fields at Santa Vall in Girona. Both Danish riders used opening stage wins to deliver a winning start to the 2025 European gravel season.

Langvad distanced all challengers decisively with a combined time of 6:34:25. Geerike Schreurs (SD Worx-Protime) used her third place on stage 1 and seventh on stage 2 to take second overall in the women's category, 12 minutes back. Rosa Klöser (Canyon CLLCTV) was another 2:25 behind for third on GC.

Klaris celebrated back-to-back stage victories in the men's category, finishing with a combined time of 5:36:11. Petr Vakoc (Canyon) secured second overall, 3:18 off the pace, and Paul Voss (Autsaid X Rose Bikes) finished third, another 1:05 of the combined time. 

Across 196.5 kilometres of gravel racing at Santa Vall, riders earned bonus points in the Gravel Earth Series, the Spanish race now part of the expanded global series. Last year Santa Vall provided three days of racing in the Girona area, with an uphill prologue setting the early GC. This year two days of racing were held, moving from May to the mid-February weekend slot to accommodate a position in the Gravel Earth Series, with 10% more points on offer than standard series events.

Langvad, a six-time MTB marathon world champion, three-time Cape Epic winner and former Leadville MTB 100 victor, returned to off-road racing two years ago with an emphasis on gravel.

"It was mentally, and physically, so, so, so, so hard. Just pushing, pushing without really knowing where I was and what happened. It was such a hard day out; I'm relieved right now. I did not believe that it could actually happen," she said in a interview with organisers.

"I felt really strong out there. With this new team, I just feel so fast on this new bike. I'm very happy."

A former junior winner at Paris-Roubaix, Klaris won the national gravel title for Denmark in 2023. Last year Klaris was fifth at the European Gravel Championships while mixing in 10 top 10s on the road for Danish Continental team Airtox-Carl Ras. 

Stage 1

Stage 1 rolled south from Sant Gregori across 80 kilometres, including the first stiff climb with up to 9% gradient just 2km from the start. There was no rain, but mud dappled the course, which was more than 80% gravel.

Langvad won the three-up sprint against heavy-hitters Klöser and Schreurs, who went two-three. PAS Racing placed four riders in the top 10, Morgan Aguirre fourth, and teammates Cassia Boglio, Emily Newsom and Karolina Migoń going eighth to 10th, respectively. Axelle Dubau-Prévôt (Numbero 31 Par Café du Cycliste), who won Gravel Ibereólica Tierra de Campos in the GES last year, finished fifth.

"It was really good fun. I am here with family. This is my first race back. I retired from being a pro mountain biker years ago. I'm giving gravel a go," said Langvad, who won two of three gravel events she tried in 2023, including La Monsterrato. 

There was a group of 10 women by the time they hit the base of the long climb with one-third of race to go, and before the top the lead trio made separation at the front. Langvad said she and Schreurs worked together to try and drop Klöser, but the three ran out of real estate and settle accounts in the sprint.

"I did not know the course, but I was with two experienced ladies. It was a different dynamic. Me and Gee [Schreurs] tried to do the Specialized teamwork, and put Rosa [Klöser] under pressure. And I think we did pretty well."

Klaris hammered on the front solo on the flat, final 10km into Saint Gregory and won the opening day by just over a minute over Lukas Malezsewski (Jaro Factory Team). The 24-year-old Belgian sprinted to second place from a pack of 12 riders, Tim Wollenberg (Protective Factory Team) going third to shut the door on a podium for Mads Würtz Schmidt (PAS Racing). Also in the pack were veteran riders Vakoc in seventh, Jasper Ockeloen (Sockeloen) in eighth and Paul Voss in ninth.

"There were two big climbs in the beginning but I was feeling good. I had a little gap on the top and Petr Vakoc was close to me. I was in doubt if I should wait for him and I tried to go away. Then I had a small crash on the tarmac and he was close again. I had to wait for him because it was still a long way to go," Klaris said on social media.

"Actually, he was far better than I was on the technical parts and he knew the route very well. So in the end I think I was stronger and I got away. I just emptied myself the last 40k. It was a really hard, and fun day." 

Stage 2

A longer stage on day two, 116.5km, also brought more gravel and more climbing with a total of 1,600 metres of elevation gain. And like Saturday's race, pro/elite women and men had dedicated races, a full hour separating the two divisions.

From Sant Gregori, the course offered two major climbs on a clockwise circuit around Girona. The first climb was on pavement, just 8km in, followed by a long gravel descent to the steepest rise across 8km through the Gavarres Massif of Catalonia. 

Canadian Anna Gabrielle Traxler (Enough Cycling Collective) took the solo victory, 12:41 faster than Langvad. Dubau-Prévôt then sprinted from a group of three riders to secure third, charging ahead of Nicole Frain (Ridley Racing Team) and Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing).

Magnus Bak Klaris again earned the solo victory for the elite men, distancing Petr Vakoc by three seconds. Paul Voss rounded out the podium finishing a further one second behind Voss.