{"id":646578,"date":"2026-05-03T08:32:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/646578\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T08:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:32:31","slug":"sofia-gomez-villafanes-specialized-crux-proves-you-dont-need-an-aero-bike-to-win-a-200km-gravel-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/646578\/","title":{"rendered":"Sof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e’s Specialized Crux proves you don’t need an aero bike to win a 200km gravel race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e stormed to a dominant victory in the women’s Traka 200 earlier today, aboard her classically styled Specialized S-Works Crux.<\/p>\n

While aero-optimised gravel bikes with huge tyres<\/a> have been the hot trend at this year’s Traka, G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e showed the round-tubed Crux can still hold its own against the wind tunnel-optimised competition.<\/p>\n

G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e didn’t ignore aerodynamics completely, though, opting for Roval’s new Terra Aero CLX wheelset<\/a> and its Rapide aero handlebar up front.<\/p>\n

She was also on board with the big tyres trend, although she opted for 50mm Specialized Pathfinder gravel tyres<\/a> rather than cross-country mountain bike tyres.<\/p>\n

One bit of mountain bike tech G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e did adopt, though, was SRAM’s XX Eagle Transmission<\/a> rear derailleur, and its wide, 10-52 tooth gear spread. This was paired to 46t 1x aero chainring up front.<\/p>\n

Keep reading for a close look at her setup for Europe’s premier gravel race.<\/p>\n

The last stand against aero
\n\"Sof\u00edaSof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e’s Specialized S-Works Crux after the Traka 200. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

The Traka 200 was raced under mostly dry conditions, so there was plenty of dust out on the course.<\/p>\n

Compared to many other racers, G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e appears to have chosen to travel light, with only a single CO2 canister taped to her seatpost, plus two large water bottles. There were no frame bags or repair kits to be seen on her bike at the finish.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaFresh from the course, G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e’s bike had a patina of Catalan dust. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Launched in 2022, the Specialized Crux<\/a> is one of the few remaining gravel race bikes to have not been given an aero makover.<\/p>\n

Instead, it’s Aethos-inspired frame shaping focuses on keeping weight to a minimum, with Specialized claiming it was the world’s lightest production gravel bike<\/a> at the time, thanks to its featherweight 725g claimed frame weight.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaSof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e opted for Roval Terra Aero wheels and Specialized Pathfinder tyres. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaThe women’s Traka 200 winner opted for 50mm-wide tyres. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Clearly on board with the ‘wider is faster’ trend, G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e opted for 50mm Specialized Pathfinder gravel tyres and Roval’s chunky Terra Aero gravel wheels.<\/p>\n

The Pathfinder has a relatively minimalist tread pattern, but that clearly proved no issue for the race’s dry conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaG\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e’s opted for a relatively narrow, Roval Rapide aero handlebar with her shifters tilted in slightly. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaA Hammerhead bike computer helped her navigate the 200km course. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e also opted for an aero handlebar, although not a fully integrated one. Notably, the Roval Rapide handlebar was designed for the American brand’s previous generation road racing bike, the Tarmac SL7<\/a>, and is therefore narrower than typical gravel handlebars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaG\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e opted for a gravel crankset up front and a mountain bike derailleur and cassette out back. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaThe 10-52t XX Eagle cassette offers a wider range of gears than SRAM’s XPLR gravel cassette. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

We saw countless bikes equipped with SRAM’s XPLR gravel groupsets at this year’s Traka, but G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e opted for a mountain bike rear derailleur for an even wider spread of gears on her 1x drivetrain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Given the hilly parcours and long distance, it certainly seems a smart combination.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaA single CO2 canister was the only tool G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e had mounted to her bike at the finish. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaDual bottle cages carried two large water bottles, but G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e didn’t take any frame bags. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Finishing off G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e’s build was a set of Shimano XTR SPD pedals, a Specialized S-Works Power EVO 3D-printed saddle and a smattering of gold-anodised bolts.<\/p>\n

\"Sof\u00edaPro gravel racers are split between road and off-road pedals, but G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e opted for SPD pedals and Specialized’s S-Works Recon Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaSpecialized’s S-Works Power EVO 3D-printed saddle was Sofia’s perch of choice. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"Sof\u00edaG\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e fitted an aero chain guide to protect against chain drops. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sof\u00eda G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e stormed to a dominant victory in the women’s Traka 200 earlier today, aboard her classically…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646579,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":["post-646578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}