Conquering The Rift with Rosa Klöser

In this episode. Rosa Maria Klöser takes us with her on her victorious 160 km solo ride at Iceland's Monument of Gravel(™️), The Rift.

Rosa shares her last-minute decision to tackle this iconic race. Discover how she navigated the surreal lava landscapes, brutal climbs, and proper river crossings, ultimately making a bold move that secured her win. 

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Topics in this episode:

First Impressions of Iceland & The Rift: Rosa's extra special experience as a first-timer in Iceland, including witnessing a volcanic eruption and being captivated by the surreal nature.

Navigating The Rift's Brutal Terrain: A detailed breakdown of the course, from early river crossings to chunky sections, and "walls" of climbs with pitches up to 22% on loose lava rocks, even encountering snow at 1500 meters of elevation.

Gear Talk: Insights into tire choices and the increasing prevalence of suspension forks in gravel racing. And why tightening valve cores is highly recommended. 

Rosa’s premiere WorldTour Season: A talk about Rosa’s road career in the Women's WorldTour, including picking up bottles from the wrong side of the car and how her sponsors and teammates look at gravel vs road racing in 2025.

Improving race conditions for pro women: We get into the recent discussion about the pro women's races in the UCI Gravel World Series and some ideas for improving the status quo. 

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Featured in This Episode:

Rosa Klöser: German Gravel Professional. Follow her journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosaklsr

Thomas Euler: Your host and author of The Gravel Stack: https://thegravelstack.substack.com/  is also on Instagram: https://instagram.com/cookxride

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Don't miss this captivating account of one of gravel cycling's most demanding races!

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