Based on the wave of victories in the 2023 off-road season, Sofia Gomez Villafañe took advantage of the ebb of the calendar and made a journey from the West Coast of the United States to Italy 1 week before the UCI Gravel World Championships.

No more physical training required, as she recently recapped, she was riding 8,523 miles and had climbed "just over 50 million feet". Now mental preparation remained in the Scout mission for the new mixed terrain course.

"It's a really interesting course and also a big improvement from last year's course. 140km seems to be short, but I think Saturday is quite a day," said Villafañe on Tuesday about the Veneto route of the Elite women's race there was feedback that Villafañe provided to Cyclingnews.

"This is a difficult course to memorize with constant twists and turns from the road to the gravel sector, alleys, etc. There are some really steep climbs, but there are also lots of flat paths.

"The last 10 miles are pure evil, and the climb of the Albstadt World Cup MTB looks like nothing. The lead to the final stretch to the finish line is very tortuous and goes from wide to narrow, from wide to narrow."

Last year, Villafache was part of the early selection of race leaders and included the final winner Pauline Ferran Prevo (France) and runner-up Sina Frey (Switzerland) but after the midpoint of the first race of 140km, she was confused by the attack by the blockade of 9 out of 5 Italian team members. It was 7 of the 1 riders who did it. As the only rider from Argentina, she finished 12th overall.

She has honed her cycling skills with mountain biking and cyclocross, but is now focusing on the gravel scene. The Argentine-born rider grew up in California and now spends his time in the dry highlands of Utah and Arizona, ideal for training and racing. Among the featured North American off-road races she has won include the 2022Unbound Gravel200, 2023Leadville100MTB and 2023SBT GRVL (Black Course).

Focusing on another attempt at the Rainbow Jersey, she will not be disappointed with the work of the "1 person" team and will have to dial the game plan.

"I'm a team, so I have the freedom to race this race the way I like," Villafañe told cyclingnews with good humor and seriousness.

That freedom has worked well for her all season as she rides on a professional off-road team with elite male gravel competitors Russell Finsterwald and Howard Grotz. She won the top points in 5 of the 4 races she competed in the Lifetime Grand Prix and won the Elite Women's title just by starting the finale in the Big Sugar Gravel.

Her win at Leadville Trail 8mtb in early May, part of the Grand Prix, was a major milestone and summed up her spirit. Just a year on her first start, she was ill during the high altitude contest and was struggling to make a major ascent of the Columbine Climb. Teammate Finsterwald was passing the descent, but the rear wheel was broken and running. So she gave him her rear wheel, she was DNF, and he finished the top 10.

"Leadville lit my ass last year and set a goal for 2023. I said I want to be a better climber. I always like to beat last year's performance or do out. And since I DNF'd last year, the bar has been set so low that I really want to quit," Villafañe specialized in recording the team's performance at Leadville100 as well as SBT GRVL

in Leadville this year, she has made a gap to the Columbine climb ahead of Alexis Skarda (USA). Make and run away for a solo victory.

"I was a bit lonely, and with 3 miles to go, Ruth Winder almost caught me. I was able to put a little bit of effort and save that first place. I would have been heartbroken if I had lost Leadville in the last three miles. "

Villafañe won SBT GRVL in 1 week on the 141-mile black course, keeping Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) away for more than 1 minute and Skarda for almost 9 minutes.

In a recently released "off-road bike racer" video by her team, she had a big year: "I'm trained for 551 hours, I'm riding 8,523 miles, I'm climbing a little over half a million feet." Yeah, I think I've trained a lot."

She will face Cromwell, a host of top Europeans on Saturday for Skyda and rainbow stripes, but the rest of the homework all Coe

"I still have to do the first loop but today I do the finish area from the start and ride the second loop." "It will be interesting to see what equipment selection is being made because there are some really rough sectors as well as lots of pavements," she said in her scouting so far.

"I have had a good year and I enjoy it very much. I am super grateful for my team. It's special to see it all come together this year.”