As a double-defending champion of The Traka 360, Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) said there were high expectations in Girona, as a three-peat would set a new record for elite women. However, she didn't feel a huge weight as a past winner but comes in with a fresh training programme and a deep respect for a higher level of competition.
"I would say it's more pressure not because I won, but because of the field that's getting deeper and stronger," the two-time Traka 360 winner told Cyclingnews ahead of her title defense.
"I feel stronger this year. I could really focus on training because I don't work anymore."
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Migoń had been a part-time racer and a full-time software engineer based in Switzerland. For 2026 she gave up the desk job and can now focus on racing.
"So in the pre-season, I did the altitude camp in Colombia, which was a good start and good change compared to being in cold Switzerland and working 40 hours per week," she said with her signature broad smile.
She still intends to win on Friday, as The Traka remains a major target as an individual race, but it is no longer a result for the Gravel Earth Series. The 30-year-old won the GES in 2024 and was second last year, but there's a new pot of gold and the rainbow extends across the US for 2026.
Migoń is part of an influx of debutants in the invitation-only Life Time Grand Prix off-road series. This means more trips to the US for the six races spread across April to August, and a chance to share in a $350,000 top-10 prize purse. She's also the defending Unbound Gravel 200 champion, and this time those stakes are higher too.
"Traka is in my calendar as [one of] a couple of big races. I'm not aiming for the overall in the Gravel Earth Series this year. I aim mostly for the Life Time Grand Prix," Migoń told Cyclingnews about a shift for her 2026 schedule.
"It's really hard to manage it, Life Time and Gravel Earth, how they work together. It's a lot of back and forth, like going to America. It doesn't make sense to me."
That series started a week ago in Monterey, California at Sea Otter Classic Gravel, where Migoń finished fourth overall, but was third in series contenders. She wanted a better result at the Grand Prix opener, saying on her social media, "I think I wanted it a bit too much and went all in a little too early… nothing left for the final kilometres when it really mattered".
The two series riders who beat her to the line are not in The Traka 360, Sofia Gomez Villafañe defending her Traka 200 win and Lauren Stephens competing at the Tour of the Gila. However, she'll get real-time appraisal of other competitors on the Grand Prix leaderboard who will challenge in the 360, including Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis), Maude Farrell (Allied Cycle Works - RCC) and PAS teammate Morgan Aguirre. There are a few Grand Prix wild cards in the mix as well, including Haley Smith and Danni Shrosbree.
While Migoń has proven she can compete at any distance on gravel, what about mountain bike events? There are three in the Grand Prix - Leadville Trail 100 MTB at high elevation in Colorado followed by Chequamegon MTB and Little Sugar.
"It's been six or seven years since I've touched a mountain bike," she laughed, but quickly added, "I used to be a mountain bike champion. I live in Switzerland and have a lot of friends that ride mountain bikes, so we'll see how it goes."
She won double marathon mountain bike titles in the U23 and elite categories at Polish Nationals in 2018. She was eager to get her new mountain bike and ride the three events on her calendar in the US.
"I think there's just one race that's pretty technical, it's the Little Sugar. Then Chequamegon and Leadville are not that technical, so they should be easier. So the only race that I'm afraid of is Little Sugar," Migoń said. "Maybe I will skip it [Little Sugar] if I feel it's too hard and I can get injured."
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