'Let us have our race' - Geerike Schreurs and Lauren De Crescenzo share stories from The Traka 360 as pro women 'navigate around all the chaos of the amateurs'

Geerike Schreurs (SD Worx-Protime) and Lauren De Crescenzo (Canyon-SRAM) recently voiced significant frustrations regarding their experience at The Traka 360 gravel race. Both professional women detailed how amateur participants, particularly those in age-group categories, frequently impeded their progress and disregarded the professional field, forcing them to "navigate around all the chaos." Despite appreciating the challenging course itself, the riders highlighted a pervasive lack of respect and awareness from non-elite competitors.

This isn't an isolated incident but rather a recurring theme in the burgeoning gravel scene, where mass-participation events often mix professional and amateur fields on the same course. For Schreurs and De Crescenzo, both accomplished riders with considerable palmarès – Schreurs a WorldTour pro and De Crescenzo a former Unbound winner – such interference isn't merely annoying; it directly impacts race outcomes, safety, and the integrity of professional competition. It underscores the growing pains of a discipline struggling to balance its inclusive ethos with the demands of elite racing.

Ultimately, the pros want to race, not play human pinball. If gravel wants to be taken seriously as a professional discipline, event organisers must address this fundamental friction, or risk alienating its top talent.