As we push through the second half of March, the cycling world is spinning faster than a Mucker chasing a draft on a 10% incline. While the professional peloton battles through the crosswinds of France and the steep ramps of Italy, there is plenty of news hitting the headlines that resonates with our own “grit-first” community.

Here are the fresh stories making waves this week.

Persistence Pays: The Valgren & Tejada Lessons There’s a massive dose of the “Mucker Spirit” in the road racing this week. In Italy, Michael Valgren just took a highly emotional stage win at Tirreno-Adriatico. After suffering a devastating crash in 2022, facing years of recovery, and fighting just to get back on a bike, he finally found the top step of the podium again.

Similarly, Harold Tejada took his first-ever WorldTour win at Paris-Nice. For those of us grinding through the March Championship or tackling the Sunday Hill Climb, these results are the ultimate reminder: consistency eventually leads to that “magic legs” moment. Keep showing up.

Tech for the Real World We often get bombarded with news of electronic-everything, but the real headline for everyday riders this week is the launch of the new Shimano Tiagra R4000 11-speed mechanical groupset.

In a world where bike prices are skyrocketing, seeing a high-quality, reliable mechanical group hit the market is a refreshing change. At Muckers, we value accessibility. Whether you are on the latest carbon aero-machine or a trusty alloy winter hack, the goal is the same: get to the start line and give it your all.

The Push for Comfort: 35mm is the New Standard If you needed an excuse to upgrade your rubber, Continental just expanded their massively popular GP5000 S TR range to include a 35mm width option. The days of suffering on bone-rattling 23mm tires are officially ancient history. The industry is acknowledging what the endurance and light-gravel crowd has known for a while: wider means faster, and significantly more comfortable over long, rough miles.

Community Check-In As we move into the second half of the March Championship, the leaderboard is heating up. With the recent transition away from Niteor, we’ve seen incredible resilience from our members. Special shout-out to the spreadsheet wizards in the background helping keep the results flowing.

Keep those fans spinning, stay kind to the newcomers on the Sunday Socials, and we’ll see you on the virtual roads!