ANGUS TAKES THE METTLE TO TRAKA

The TRAKA is Europe's biggest gravel race and probably the second largest in the world after Unbound.

2026 was the second time that a 560km option was offered: 'The Traka 560 Adventure'.

MASON rider Angus Young decided to take it to the TRAKA!

This year bigger than ever and running over multiple days, the TRAKA included 5 rides: The 100, 200, 360, 560 Adventure and 'The TRAKA Force' Womens ride. 

The '560 Adventure' lineup included almost 200 of the worlds fastest and most experienced graveleurs, endurance racers and long-distance bikepacking race legends.

Angus joined the startline, in what promised to be a blistering race, with the top riders intending to cover the 560km course in under 24 hours.

Angus chose his MASON Bokeh and lined up against a sea of pro-race carbon. We'll let him take it from here...

A 560km gravel race run by a multi-million dollar company is about as far from my usual style of riding as possible and that was exciting. Its proximity to the 360 race meant many eyes were on it and the competition was as strong as you'll ever get in an ultra. In the past couple of months of training I hit numbers I wouldn't have previously thought possible and was confident in my form however the style of race was such an unknown.  

"The race was around 50:50 split of surfaces but that being said a lot of the road was broken and rough. Naturally I opted for my Bokeh which was built with a SRAM Force up front and GX in the back, this gave me a 10-52t range which paired perfectly with the 42t chainring for me. I spoke to Josh [Ibbett] about setup and was glad that I took his advice in running 50mm tyres, I went for 50mm Schwalbe G-One RX Pro but I probably would use the RS if I were to do it again."

[Angus was running a very similar setup to his Bright Midnight race-bike below]

"In my Restrap Race Range bags I had a load of fuel in the top and then some layers and tools in the frame bag. This is were I could have cut a little weight. I also used the soon to be released lightweight hydration vest which was essential in my eyes. As It was such a short race I went full aero in a Le Col skinsuit and aero socks, small differences add up.  

The first 60km or so was fairly relaxed rolling along a bike path in a big group before we reached the first steep off road climb. As expected I got a bit carried away following up the first climb which requires 390NP for 22 mins. At the base of the first long climb we were caught by the next group and Victor sent it once it got steep. I decided to tap out before it was too late and settle into my own pace.

For the rest of the Pyrenees section I was solo except being passed by Patxi and Ole. I had a few low moments, likely due to a mixture of going out too hard and dehydration as I had yet to stop for water."

"The first section was around 260km with 6000m of climbing and took about 11 hours; my NP was 265 at this point. My Garmin decided to die on me but learning from TTW I had a spare with me so it wasnt an issue.

Night set in and I went round the cape before getting caught by Chris, Charlie, Guillaume and Maxime. Despite the mini bonk around 12 hours I was starting to settle into things and find my legs again, we were even treated to 5km of singletrack and a short hike a bike section. From here it was essentially pan-flat except for one 30-min climb for the last 200km.

It was probably beautiful scenery but in the dark it could have been any bike path. I pushed on a bit and Charlie and I tapped away from those behind and built a comfortable gap, so we decided to walk it in. Coming back into town the GPX track took us through a riverbed instead of the bike path 20m to our right."

So, when we got out and saw Chris with Guillaume not far behind, it was time to put the power on and then it was full gas all the way to the line to finish 5th

Very significant for us at MASON, was the fact that in a sea of carbon race bikes, Angus and his Bokeh were the first metal bike home. Continuing our #FastFar legacy and highlighting the Bokeh as the incredibly adaptable, gravel-race/adventure machine that it really is! 

I was very pleased with this as it exceeded my goal of top 10. More notable were some of the lessons I learned from these short races, such as not overpacking and taking a few more risks. I also didn't feel completely cooked at the end so I probably had more left in the tank. I think these short races require a constant drive to maintain high power.

Angus Young | TRAKA 560 ADVENTURE 2026 | 5th Place | MASON Bokeh | First Metal Bike Home

Distance: 549km
Elapsed time: 24:43
Stopped time: 7mins < WHAT?!
Fuel: 83g/hr of @precisionfandh
Average HR: 130bpm
Peak HR: 177bpm
NP: 235W
Peak 20min power: 391W