When you sign up for a 360 km gravel race deep in the heart of Catalonia — having never actually ridden 360 km before, with your longest ride being a 230 km spin through Iceland back in 2018 (which, let’s be honest, is absolutely nothing like Spain no matter how you try to look at it) — you don’t exactly expect it to be easy. But that’s not really the point, is it?
TRAKA 360 is one of Europe’s most iconic gravel races—long, hard, beautiful, and brutally honest. I wasn’t there to race. I was there to finish. To find my edge. And to fuel that mission with a strategy that I trust: the VOOM system that has seen me through ultramarathons, mountain expeditions, and now one of the biggest bike days of my life.
Let’s start with the carb load. Over three days, I packed in around 900g of carbohydrates—a careful balance of high-end sports nutrition, thank you very much, and classic Spanish tapas. Think bread, tortilla, patatas bravas, padrons, energy drinks, Catalan cake, and anything else I could find in a bakery and fit in my face. It was textbook fuelling... if the textbook was co-written by a nutritionist and a Catalan grandmother.
I’ll go deep into that strategy another day, but for now, just know this: a solid carbohydrate load works. And no, it’s not about stuffing your face with a giant bowl of pasta the night before. It’s about fuelling smart, steadily, and over time.
Girona didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet. On the very first recce ride, my mech hanger snapped and launched itself into the wheel, leaving the bike in a proper mess. Enter Jordi — the hero in cycle kit, fellow Vielo rider, and saviour of the mission. He brought the exact parts I needed, and with some very last-minute mechanical assistance from the amazing people at Eat Sleep Cycle in Girona, the bike was turned around in record time. Considering there were over 4,000 riders in town just for TRAKA, they already had their work cut out handling last-minute repairs — so I was extremely grateful they made space to get me rolling again. Legend status secured.
That drama added fuel to the fire already simmering in my head. I hadn’t ridden 360 km before. My longest ride up to this point was 230 km in Iceland. My training? Decent, but not pristine. Life had happened. Sessions had been missed. Stress had crept in. And just six days earlier, I’d run all eight routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) for a mountain clean-up effort. The aftermath? Five days of hobbling. Not exactly textbook tapering, but then again, it’s kind of on-brand for Ben Turner!
Because here’s the thing—I’m someone who does hard things, and although it may have been a while since my last BIG adventure, it's good to have that version of me back in the room. It's not always the way you’re supposed to do things. But I show up. I follow through. And that’s the difference.
Race day started early. 4am alarm. Coffee. Food. Nerves buzzing under the surface. The 6am start rolled around and suddenly, we were off. Crisp air. Dry gravel. Bliss.
I found myself in with a group of German riders and together we chewed through the first 135 km in under five and a half hours. I felt strong. Confident. Hungry in every sense. And my fuelling? Locked in and doing the job.
My strategy was simple and solid: one bottle of double-strength VOOM Fusion Fuel, delivering around 180g of carbohydrates, and a second bottle of quadruple-strength VOOM Hydration loaded with electrolytes and an additional 120g of carbs—both packed in my hydration vest. I also kept a bottle of plain water on hand, because sometimes your body just craves the basics.
In my pocket, I carried ten VOOM Pocket Rocket bars—some with caffeine for that extra kick, others boosted with electrolytes to support balance through the heat. I also used VOOM POWR bars to mix things up a bit; they’re less sweet, offer some essential dietary nitrates from beetroot, and really helped broaden the flavour palette.
Taste fatigue is a real thing. No matter how good your fuelling strategy is, if you’re eating the same thing for 18 hours straight, it gets tough. That’s why variety matters—and why I also threw in a fully loaded focaccia from a local Girona bakery. Real food, real fuel, and an absolute lifesaver.
Top all that off with smart refuelling at feed stations—bowls of pasta, bananas, pick ’n mix, and yes, literally 13 whole oranges—and the system was complete. I aimed for around 60g of carbs per hour and let the feed stations take care of the rest.
The mountainous middle section didn’t hold back. Long climbs, rough descents, and the heat bouncing off the rocks. I stopped to help a rider with his fourth puncture, found my rhythm again, and rolled into the next checkpoint with a bit of a second wind.
Then, somewhere around 260 km, things shifted. Not physically. Mentally. I felt like I was drifting—drowsy, low, not quite in the room. The trench had opened, and the demons came knocking: “Maybe I’ve done enough.” “Maybe Sarah can just come pick me up.”
But here’s the reality—when you’ve come that far, the cost of giving in is bigger than the pain of pushing on. I reminded myself this is what I said I’d do. I didn’t sign up for easy. I signed up for hard. And I had the fuel, the legs, and the mindset to see it through.
"No fireworks. No crowds. Just that deep, quiet satisfaction of following through"
Right on cue came Garmin Hill. The steepest, slowest, most brutal climb of the day. But I got it done. Then came one more climb, the long flat roll home, and the lights of Girona.I crossed the line in 18 hours, 15 minutes, and 23 seconds. No fireworks. No crowds. Just that deep, quiet satisfaction of following through.
This ride wasn’t just about finishing. It was about proving to myself that I still show up. That I still chase hard things. That with the right fuel—mental and physical—I can keep doing this. VOOM didn’t just power my legs that day. It held the strategy together. It held together.
"It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t easy. But it was mine. And I finished it."
To top it off, recovery needed a little flair. I mixed up a double-strength VOOM Recovery shake with chocolate milk for the extra-double-whammy of post-race nutrition—and followed it with literally ½ an entire watermelon for good measure. Somewhere between the chocolate, electrolytes, and fruity hydration, I realised my recovery strategy sounded like it was designed by Jonny aged 5. But hey—don’t knock it. It works.
ALWAYS FURTHER – DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO
