Shitou Mountain | Hsinchu | Taiwan | 19.23 miles | 1,388 ft. climbing
Superb race route today. Here’s what ROUVT had to say about it:
Starting from Beipu Old Street, riders will pass by Emei Lake Round-the-Lake Trail and then visit Nanzhuang. The scenery of Emei Lake is beautiful. There are many resting platforms along the trail. On a short pause, you can enjoy the bird ecology by the lake, as well as the special mountain scenery such as Shitoushan and Wuzhishan in the distance. Nanzhuang is a multicultural town. The visitor center incorporates Hakka and aboriginal culture elements, providing a variety of convenient services for visiting tourists.
8 different start times equals 113 riders finish and set a time. So how many after the checks?
89 left after the no heart rate stats riders have been removed.
87 after males under 60kgs removed.
So a nice 87 riders score points in race 1. Well done.
FULL LEADERBOARD RESULTS FROM THIS RACE:
* before Ballast added!
Pos.
Rider
Time
Points*
w/kg
MPH
Cat.
BareRemi
0:41:43.07
245.00
3.97
27.74
A3
przemokrk
0:41:43.31
242.00
3.96
27.74
A3
ErlendSundstrom
0:41:43.45
239.00
3.79
27.74
A4
4.
VeloBuch
0:41:44.85
237.00
4.49
27.74
A1
5.
nelsonsnyder
0:41:57.80
235.00
4.37
27.51
A2
6.
karel_sousek
0:41:58.03
230.00
3.97
27.51
A3
7.
nielsbrynnum
0:43:02.25
227.00
3.74
26.84
A4
8.
Hans.Holm.Moeller
0:43:03.92
224.00
4.14
26.84
A2
9.
lrollin
0:43:06.79
222.00
3.83
26.84
A3
10.
KarianneKanebog
0:43:08.75
220.00
3.73
26.84
A4
11.
elbramba
0:43:13.30
215.00
4.00
26.62
A3
12.
ludwigdb
0:44:02.82
212.00
3.66
26.17
A4
13.
Jorgethu
0:44:04.84
209.00
4.07
26.17
A3
14.
m-forby
0:44:05.02
207.00
4.02
26.17
A3
15.
akoval
0:44:05.83
205.00
3.65
26.17
A4
16.
Grochang
0:44:14.65
200.00
3.48
26.17
A5
17.
Thomas_Lyhne
0:44:15.24
197.00
3.66
26.17
A4
18.
stfmgr_65
0:44:16.23
194.00
3.49
26.17
A5
19.
MikeHagen
0:44:16.86
192.00
3.60
25.95
A4
20.
DonMatteo_07
0:44:16.94
190.00
3.73
25.95
A4
21.
Andy_UP
0:44:30.59
185.00
3.23
25.95
A5
22.
macko
0:44:34.64
182.00
3.78
25.95
A4
23.
jyrkip
0:44:54.68
179.00
4.21
25.72
A2
24.
BTK_jiri70_cz
0:45:29.45
177.00
3.66
25.28
A4
25.
Yumile
0:45:36.06
175.00
3.31
25.28
A5
26.
Nathan1406
0:45:37.59
170.00
3.83
25.28
A3
27.
BigJonRides
0:45:37.67
167.00
3.59
25.28
A4
28.
MatthiasHeil
0:45:38.01
164.00
3.66
25.28
A4
29.
Dave12
0:45:38.33
162.00
3.69
25.28
A4
30.
MartijnS1980
0:47:06.10
160.00
3.48
24.61
A5
31.
Sublac72
0:47:43.29
155.00
3.36
24.16
A5
32.
MNHROUVY
0:47:56.58
152.00
3.34
24.16
A5
33.
laborg
0:47:57.57
149.00
3.29
24.16
A5
34.
Chak
0:47:57.83
147.00
3.56
24.16
A4
35.
IRONSAN73
0:48:00.07
145.00
3.20
23.94
A5
36.
RaTim
0:48:07.92
140.00
2.94
23.94
A6
37.
Duckman2
0:48:24.76
137.00
3.44
23.94
A5
38.
simonjp
0:48:38.40
134.00
3.20
23.71
A5
39.
EddyDomino
0:48:46.35
132.00
3.58
23.71
A4
40.
antyradziu
0:49:40.71
130.00
3.27
23.26
A5
41.
Stainless-Steve
0:49:42.66
125.00
3.18
23.26
A6
42.
Pan.Rorisi
0:49:43.46
122.00
3.11
23.26
A6
43.
BullRider_74
0:49:44.05
119.00
3.19
23.26
A6
44.
Mucker1974
0:49:48.40
117.00
2.78
23.26
A7
45.
A5-404-CARUSO-SALVATORE
0:50:19.09
115.00
3.71
23.04
A4
46.
RLouro
0:50:26.22
110.00
3.57
22.82
A4
47.
Squalo_delle_Alpi
0:51:15.72
107.00
2.75
22.59
A7
48.
Cmits
0:51:20.04
104.00
2.91
22.37
A6
49.
rouvy1bryon
0:52:30.57
102.00
3.10
21.92
A6
50.
Putin–Huylo
0:52:44.90
100.00
3.21
21.92
A5
51.
ValRdz
0:53:14.50
95.00
2.67
21.70
A7
52.
David1951
0:53:17.99
94.75
2.86
21.70
A7
53.
Rodaballoso_GURE
0:53:25.53
94.50
2.59
21.70
A8
54.
sunniva
0:53:26.74
94.25
2.72
21.70
A7
55.
Perez_GURE
0:53:31.47
94.00
2.63
21.47
A7
56.
SimoT
0:53:34.43
93.75
2.93
21.47
A6
57.
Klaas
0:53:36.19
93.50
3.05
21.47
A6
58.
torks
0:53:38.02
93.25
2.92
21.47
A6
59.
vero-r
0:55:04.64
93.00
2.81
21.03
A7
60.
Roland066
0:55:33.05
92.75
2.91
20.80
A6
61.
LinV
0:55:59.86
92.50
2.78
20.58
A7
62.
Lyndon65
0:56:00.15
92.25
2.57
20.58
A8
63.
tresmockos
0:56:00.22
92.00
2.85
20.58
A7
64.
ArnoSchutten
0:56:25.77
91.75
2.56
20.36
A8
65.
jeff65
0:56:44.56
91.50
2.49
20.36
A8
66.
Matthaios_kontakos
0:56:52.74
91.25
2.62
20.36
A7
67.
Scottie013
0:56:56.13
91.00
2.62
20.36
A7
68.
PedroPedrosa
0:57:10.39
90.75
3.12
20.13
A6
69.
luka147
0:57:14.36
90.50
3.05
20.13
A6
70.
Pintchor
0:57:20.93
90.25
2.64
20.13
A7
71.
MST14
0:58:25.45
90.00
2.56
19.69
A8
72.
Oos-1
0:58:38.40
89.75
2.54
19.69
A8
73.
RaffJet777
0:58:49.75
89.50
2.78
19.69
A7
74.
Cedricus
0:59:58.89
89.25
2.41
19.24
A8
75.
black-angus
1:00:19.64
89.00
2.20
19.24
A9
76.
Lucky_zico
1:00:52.50
88.75
2.38
19.01
A8
77.
Wysk
1:02:26.08
88.50
2.28
18.57
A9
78.
Agosto65
1:03:04.20
88.25
2.35
18.34
A8
79.
StefanoDef
1:03:40.30
88.00
2.42
18.12
A8
80.
LeKars
1:04:42.53
87.75
2.68
17.90
A7
81.
Schwinger88
1:05:15.52
87.50
2.15
17.67
A9
82.
cdtchris
1:06:03.56
87.25
2.08
17.45
A9
83.
JoseBenavidesG
1:07:33.94
87.00
2.16
17.00
A9
84.
Swifty
1:07:53.18
86.75
1.96
17.00
A9
85.
AlidVN
1:11:54.48
86.50
1.83
16.11
A9
86.
PL1969
1:14:37.32
86.25
1.69
15.43
A9
87.
STEFANO-BOGGIA
1:15:05.04
86.00
1.78
15.43
A9
TOP 3 ELITE RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (OVER 4.7 W/KG)
1: N/A
2:
3:
ELITE LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
N/A
TOP 3 CAT. A1 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (4.4 – 4.6 W/KG)
1: VeloBuch
2:
3:
A1 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
VeloBuch
TOP 3 CAT. A2 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (4.1 – 4.3 W/KG)
1: nelsonsnyder
2: Hans.Holm.Moeller
3: jyrkip
A2 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
nelsonsnyder
229.13
1
2.50 %
Hans.Holm.Moeller
220.64
1
1.50 %
jyrkip
179.00
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A3 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (3.8 – 4.0 W/KG)
1: BareRemi
2: przemokrk
3: karel_sousek
A3 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
przemokrk
241.40
1
0.25 %
BareRemi
235.81
1
3.75 %
karel_sousek
216.78
1
5.75 %
4.
elbramba
215.00
1
0.00 %
5.
lrollin
214.78
1
3.25 %
TOP 3 CAT. A4 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (3.5 – 3.7 W/KG)
1: ErlendSundstrom
2: nielsbrynnum
3: KarianneKanebog
A4 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
ErlendSundstrom
233.03
1
2.50 %
KarianneKanebog
220.00
1
0.00 %
nielsbrynnum
218.49
1
3.75 %
4.
ludwigdb
212.00
1
0.00 %
5.
akoval
205.00
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A5 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (3.2 – 3.4 W/KG)
1: Grochang
2: stfmgr_65
3: Andy_UP
A5 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
Grochang
197.00
1
1.50 %
stfmgr_65
194.00
1
0.00 %
Andy_UP
185.00
1
0.00 %
4.
Yumile
175.00
1
0.00 %
5.
MartijnS1980
160.00
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A6 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: 2.9 – 3.1 W/KG
1: RaTim
2: Stainless-Steve
3: Pan.Rorisi
A6 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
RaTim
139.30
1
0.50 %
Stainless-Steve
125.00
1
0.00 %
Pan.Rorisi
122.00
1
0.00 %
4.
BullRider_74
119.00
1
0.00 %
5.
Cmits
104.00
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A7 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: (2.6 – 2.8 W/KG)
1: Mucker1974
2: Squalo_delle_Alpi
3: ValRdz
A7 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
Mucker1974
117.00
1
0.00 %
Squalo_delle_Alpi
107.00
1
0.00 %
ValRdz
95.00
1
0.00 %
4.
David1951
94.75
1
0.00 %
5.
sunniva
94.25
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A8 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: 2.3 – 2.5 W/KG
1: Rodaballoso_GURE
2: Lyndon65
3: ArnoSchutten
A8 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
Rodaballoso_GURE
94.50
1
0.00 %
Lyndon65
92.25
1
0.00 %
ArnoSchutten
91.75
1
0.00 %
4.
jeff65
91.50
1
0.00 %
5.
MST14
90.00
1
0.00 %
TOP 3 CAT. A9 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE: UNDER 2.3 W/KG
1: black-angus
2: Wysk
3: Schwinger88
A9 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
Pos.
Rider
Points
Stages
Ballast
black-angus
89.00
1
0.00 %
Wysk
88.50
1
0.00 %
Schwinger88
87.50
1
0.00 %
4.
cdtchris
87.25
1
0.00 %
5.
JoseBenavidesG
87.00
1
0.00 %
THIS MONTHS TOP 100 LEADERBOARD SO FAR: (only 86 so far)
No coverage tonight. This always happens when i have a good race 😉
TO FINISH OFF:
April and clocks changing now starts to show the numbers dropping. But we will keep this going all year so if you find you can’t get out, please rest assured that the Muckers Races will still be scheduled and out there for you to jump on.
We are still experimenting and learning the categories and todays first race proved to us again that a draft heavy race is no good to set the categories up from for the top-top riders. We have a climb scheduled for the first race in May which i reckon will work better. But, if it doesn’t work out then, then we will just makes the top 3-5 elite, and so on to fill the top 3 categories. probably based on close they finished to each other. But we promise, we will get there. We are happy with how the rest are all getting mixed up slightly, thats kinda what we wanted. So one month you are A6, next month A5, month after back to A6, just all depending on how well you did in that first race. Anyway, no more chat about categories, its meant to be a fun addition, not all we talk about lol.
co-founder of muckersworldwide.com and race organizer! Been into cycling since a kid and spent most of the time on BMX and mountain bikes. Took me longer than most to get the road cycling bug but I was bitten around 5 years ago when I finally got a fully fledged road bike that fitted and I let the flat handled road bike go...
What a tough route! looked great on paper, but that was an effort all the way. Tried to jump on the front group but soon got dropped (should i have gone with the full discs like the analyzer suggested?? anyway, i was on the 800s and thought they’d help more later on. Got into a great pack of riders and tagged along to the end, nearly getting dropped twice though and really had to dig deep to stay on! didn’t contest the sprint as it felt a bit too cheeky after all the help i’d been given off these guys.
In cat A7 again but i was very very close to the A6 line! hopefully i can get the category win this month but Squallo is here as well who does worry me!
@Neil
I’m coming back again to the power categories. Currently, the Niteor ranking based on the first race of the month isn’t really indicative of everyone’s category. In tonight’s race, 41 out of the top 50 have created a profile on Niteor. Isn’t there a simple way for everyone to self-assign to a category based on their FTP? I don’t know how the GURE do it, but their categories appear directly in their Rouvy name as a prefix. I think to make these categories truly credible, they need to be based on the declared FTPs according to Andrew Coggan’s table: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cyclinganalytics/static/cycling-power-table-overlayed.png
Adding an elite category to A9 might be possible in the Niteor name.
Or perhaps a 15/20-minute time trial on a varied course to accommodate the greatest number every months, before the 4 monthly races. The TT would be more aligned with each person’s current true FTP than races with drafting.
The GURE system is interesting in the sense that you can immediately see in the race who you’re riding with and which category the other riders are in. But it gives a feeling that everyone is just a number.
And personally, I’m perfectly fine with a permanent A3 or A2 ranking, it perfectly matches the categories I used to race in on the road. I was in A2 when I was younger, now it’s more like A3.
Hi Mucker…. are you ever going to actually report on how the race actually went for yourself???? 😁😁😁😁
so, i see you bring up the categories i think.. What i want you to try and do is to try and think about what we are trying to achieve with how we do it. Stop being so precise and fact fact fact. 🤷♂️
All we want to do is award category top 5’s some bonus points next year. Not many, and possibly not to the top categories anyway. We at Muckers are trying to create races all the way through the leaderboard. We have So many strong riders now it means even a fantastic effort from someone in 52nd place just goes totally un noticed and demoralizes those guys. This year, its been great to read about those little category battles down the leaderboard.
We also want it to be as fresh and as up to date as possible in the fastest and easiest way to know. This year we moved to 4 races max a month, so with that in mind, we only want to reward category bonus for those who do all 4 races, so why not set the categories after the first race? it’s only going to be those guys who get the extra points anyway. Again, this is why you don’t need to get all caught up in the precise workings out and 20min TT rides etc etc.
Best way to look at it: Its a way to put everyone into categories for the 4 races that month. We could call the categories whatever we wanted (orange, red, yellow) but we will use NITEORs system.
i personally love how you can end up in a different category each month depending on how you did in that first race. Its different and at least if you are having a bad month, or just coming back from an injury or something, you’re not stuck in your “fully fit” A2 category even though you are just managing to finish.
As you know, we aren’t all about fastest rider this, or strongest rider that, we just want everyone to enjoy it. We use Ballast, not to punish, but to keep the leaderboard as tight as possible, we don’t allow 5.0 results, again not to punish, but to keep things in check like dodgy trainers or equipment and if that rider can average that over a Muckers race, can they think outside of the box and back off a touch if they want championship points?? Just giving them something else to think about, a challenge! The 60kg weight limit, not to punish the lightweight riders, but just to stop those that want to weight dope and the lack of heart rate data is a really quick way to sniff out those that want to jump on an ebike and win a few. Yes it hits alot of possible totally legit riders, but its also a nice way for those who have played by the rules to get a bump up in the standings once i remove the 15-20 riders each race who didn’t have a heart rate monitor. Its all just extra ways to add a bit of jeopardy and spice.
At the end of the day, the categories mean nothing this year, and will only matter a tiny bit next year. Points on the leaderboard are what matter so hopefully you see where we are trying to come from now and embrace the journey.
I’m absolutely not criticizing the rules of the championship, but I’m trying to point out that the power categories used by Zwift or MyWhoosh seem fairer when it comes to grouping riders by level. Actually, it all comes down to Rouvy, which doesn’t naturally offer a category system based on FTP. The relative ranking based on the performance in the first race might be okay for you, but it’s not very fair. An elite or A1 rider could have an issue in the first race and end up in A6. It doesn’t make much sense for a very strong rider to spend a whole month in a lower category, especially if points are at stake in the long run. Anyway, it’s not that important, and more generally, I thought that the comments on this blog were also meant to allow discussions beyond just race stories. I’m simply sharing my opinion as a participant in your championship.🤷
hey buddy, i love a good discussion and that’s all this is, with a little banter thrown in so don’t take everything as a criticism and so seriously, if i really had a problem with what you wrote I’d just not bother commenting or delete it (again, this is said with a hint of a cheeky smile….. try and see everything i say as such and we will do well)
I never thought you were criticizing the rules of the championship, i was using the points as examples of how we use these rules as a way to keep things interesting, hopefully fresh and not just to help the fastest win. I always appreciate what you are pointing out but i was also trying to point out how i don’t really want to follow the zwift or mywoosh method as i want to mix the order up, not have it set in stone for the whole year/few months etc etc, i want the fluctuations.
But we definitely see things differently. For example, you see the Elite or A1 rider having an issue and dropping into A6 as something that makes no sense. That would be a very strange thing to happen that they’d suddenly loose that much power, but i see that as a positive.
That rider then has 2 goals now as his actual points will be low from finishing so low. 1 to get higher up in the championship leaderboard to get the best points they can, and 2, to now make sure they do all 3 remaining races to get the bonus points for a category win. So that “issue” in race 1 hasn’t totally ruined there month. It they were still in Elite cat and finishing so low on points, that rider really has nothing to race for apart from getting up the leaderboard but would never do enough to get enough points to get back into the elite category top 5
So if someone does have an issue on the first race, its not all doom and gloom. there’s 2 things to race for now.
Again, i love these discussions and please keep them coming, just try to take things less seriously though.
Now *that* was a tough course. Looking at my Strava after, my W’-bal chart was very jagged. Very few places to recover, and burning those anaerobic reserves into the red time after time. Lost the lead group on the first climb a km in, probably just as well, as I was still with a very strong group of riders. We were sweeping up folk as we went along, and the group just kept getting stronger and stronger. It was a hard race. Did I say that already? But first race of the month and categories are set. I see that most of the guys I’m keeping an eye on are in A4, as I am. And there are some guys, even if they are not in A4, that I am still watching! That’s the great thing about Mucker racing once you’ve done it for a few month: you know who to keep an eye on.
Hi Mike, thanks for the comments and also how you are seeing the categories. Please see my reply to Lrollin above to see where we are trying to get to with them. I’m keeping my eye on you, especially for the first 5 mins of the race 😂😆
I did read your response to Laurent, and have to say that your perspective is not one that’s intuitive to me. I’m happy watching the guys that I know are about my ability and trying to beat them, maybe I do and maybe I don’t. What you’re saying is that one might be in a completely different group one month to the next, and need to come up with different strategies to reach one’s long-term goals. Which is fine, when you think about it, why not! It’ll keep things fresh. So more power to you, bud; I fully support what you’re trying to do.
I hope it was the last time that I don’t ride the main event, but today I’m happy to did a great result. At 16.30 slot time I find a new mate 🇬🇷 that we work good together, just to take the second place in A7 and enter in top 50th. After 3 days of very heavy training today I can rest some days and take a flight to Malaga 🇪🇸. See you soon at the next race 🤟🏻
thanks for the comment. I think A7 is a good category for us, we are right on the edge of being A6 aren’t we so i think we will be bouncing between those categories all year depending on how we do in that first race, and more importantly, how long that race is!
Summer is coming and for the first time after winter temperature in the room reached 25C, which reminded that best times for indoor cycling are gone. Interesting route and most of the strong names lined up. First part everyone waiting who will initiate big attack. Surprisingly it was Velobuch and Premek. Rest was waiting and then Erlend with Baremi skijumped to the front. Now only Nelson and me stayed, realizing we are in danger zone.
Nelson pushed so strong that i could barely draft him, unable help meaningfully. Leaders slowed down occasionally, so with 90% of work by Nelson we rejoined, just for few minutes until they attacked again. I did not sprint against Nelson. Tough race, little cramps at the end. Thank you all who joined us!
cheers for commenting, it’s going to be very interesting to see how much Ballast you collect this year and how much takes you out of the top 10 while you wait for others to accrue more ballast so they don’t score as much the following month….. very interesting!
Think I spent too much time at the front chasing down the group in front as have a low drafting % and pushed me into A4 W/kg with 3 of those in the top 10 this week! Tough rolling course that with long climb finish
thanks for comment. Yes this is all very interesting data we are getting about the categories! See my reply to Lrollin above to see what the aims are for it for next year.
It’s a no brainer to go for position in the leaderboard rather than the category at the moment though, and you can see as you scroll down the leaderboard who was putting it in(nice high category compared to those around them), and who was drafting a lot (yes me!) But its racing and its about how high you finish. Not about who has the best power. At the end of the day, all that does is put you in a higher category.
I know there are those out there (me included) that are looking at W/kg relative to placing. If all around me got there with a higher W/kg than me, then I’m doing pretty well, right?
What a tough route! looked great on paper, but that was an effort all the way. Tried to jump on the front group but soon got dropped (should i have gone with the full discs like the analyzer suggested?? anyway, i was on the 800s and thought they’d help more later on. Got into a great pack of riders and tagged along to the end, nearly getting dropped twice though and really had to dig deep to stay on! didn’t contest the sprint as it felt a bit too cheeky after all the help i’d been given off these guys.
In cat A7 again but i was very very close to the A6 line! hopefully i can get the category win this month but Squallo is here as well who does worry me!
@Neil
I’m coming back again to the power categories. Currently, the Niteor ranking based on the first race of the month isn’t really indicative of everyone’s category. In tonight’s race, 41 out of the top 50 have created a profile on Niteor. Isn’t there a simple way for everyone to self-assign to a category based on their FTP? I don’t know how the GURE do it, but their categories appear directly in their Rouvy name as a prefix. I think to make these categories truly credible, they need to be based on the declared FTPs according to Andrew Coggan’s table: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cyclinganalytics/static/cycling-power-table-overlayed.png
Adding an elite category to A9 might be possible in the Niteor name.
Or perhaps a 15/20-minute time trial on a varied course to accommodate the greatest number every months, before the 4 monthly races. The TT would be more aligned with each person’s current true FTP than races with drafting.
The GURE system is interesting in the sense that you can immediately see in the race who you’re riding with and which category the other riders are in. But it gives a feeling that everyone is just a number.
And personally, I’m perfectly fine with a permanent A3 or A2 ranking, it perfectly matches the categories I used to race in on the road. I was in A2 when I was younger, now it’s more like A3.
Hi Mucker…. are you ever going to actually report on how the race actually went for yourself???? 😁😁😁😁
so, i see you bring up the categories i think.. What i want you to try and do is to try and think about what we are trying to achieve with how we do it. Stop being so precise and fact fact fact. 🤷♂️
All we want to do is award category top 5’s some bonus points next year. Not many, and possibly not to the top categories anyway. We at Muckers are trying to create races all the way through the leaderboard. We have So many strong riders now it means even a fantastic effort from someone in 52nd place just goes totally un noticed and demoralizes those guys. This year, its been great to read about those little category battles down the leaderboard.
We also want it to be as fresh and as up to date as possible in the fastest and easiest way to know. This year we moved to 4 races max a month, so with that in mind, we only want to reward category bonus for those who do all 4 races, so why not set the categories after the first race? it’s only going to be those guys who get the extra points anyway. Again, this is why you don’t need to get all caught up in the precise workings out and 20min TT rides etc etc.
Best way to look at it: Its a way to put everyone into categories for the 4 races that month. We could call the categories whatever we wanted (orange, red, yellow) but we will use NITEORs system.
i personally love how you can end up in a different category each month depending on how you did in that first race. Its different and at least if you are having a bad month, or just coming back from an injury or something, you’re not stuck in your “fully fit” A2 category even though you are just managing to finish.
As you know, we aren’t all about fastest rider this, or strongest rider that, we just want everyone to enjoy it. We use Ballast, not to punish, but to keep the leaderboard as tight as possible, we don’t allow 5.0 results, again not to punish, but to keep things in check like dodgy trainers or equipment and if that rider can average that over a Muckers race, can they think outside of the box and back off a touch if they want championship points?? Just giving them something else to think about, a challenge! The 60kg weight limit, not to punish the lightweight riders, but just to stop those that want to weight dope and the lack of heart rate data is a really quick way to sniff out those that want to jump on an ebike and win a few. Yes it hits alot of possible totally legit riders, but its also a nice way for those who have played by the rules to get a bump up in the standings once i remove the 15-20 riders each race who didn’t have a heart rate monitor. Its all just extra ways to add a bit of jeopardy and spice.
At the end of the day, the categories mean nothing this year, and will only matter a tiny bit next year. Points on the leaderboard are what matter so hopefully you see where we are trying to come from now and embrace the journey.
I’m absolutely not criticizing the rules of the championship, but I’m trying to point out that the power categories used by Zwift or MyWhoosh seem fairer when it comes to grouping riders by level. Actually, it all comes down to Rouvy, which doesn’t naturally offer a category system based on FTP. The relative ranking based on the performance in the first race might be okay for you, but it’s not very fair. An elite or A1 rider could have an issue in the first race and end up in A6. It doesn’t make much sense for a very strong rider to spend a whole month in a lower category, especially if points are at stake in the long run. Anyway, it’s not that important, and more generally, I thought that the comments on this blog were also meant to allow discussions beyond just race stories. I’m simply sharing my opinion as a participant in your championship.🤷
hey buddy, i love a good discussion and that’s all this is, with a little banter thrown in so don’t take everything as a criticism and so seriously, if i really had a problem with what you wrote I’d just not bother commenting or delete it (again, this is said with a hint of a cheeky smile….. try and see everything i say as such and we will do well)
I never thought you were criticizing the rules of the championship, i was using the points as examples of how we use these rules as a way to keep things interesting, hopefully fresh and not just to help the fastest win. I always appreciate what you are pointing out but i was also trying to point out how i don’t really want to follow the zwift or mywoosh method as i want to mix the order up, not have it set in stone for the whole year/few months etc etc, i want the fluctuations.
But we definitely see things differently. For example, you see the Elite or A1 rider having an issue and dropping into A6 as something that makes no sense. That would be a very strange thing to happen that they’d suddenly loose that much power, but i see that as a positive.
That rider then has 2 goals now as his actual points will be low from finishing so low. 1 to get higher up in the championship leaderboard to get the best points they can, and 2, to now make sure they do all 3 remaining races to get the bonus points for a category win. So that “issue” in race 1 hasn’t totally ruined there month. It they were still in Elite cat and finishing so low on points, that rider really has nothing to race for apart from getting up the leaderboard but would never do enough to get enough points to get back into the elite category top 5
So if someone does have an issue on the first race, its not all doom and gloom. there’s 2 things to race for now.
Again, i love these discussions and please keep them coming, just try to take things less seriously though.
Now *that* was a tough course. Looking at my Strava after, my W’-bal chart was very jagged. Very few places to recover, and burning those anaerobic reserves into the red time after time. Lost the lead group on the first climb a km in, probably just as well, as I was still with a very strong group of riders. We were sweeping up folk as we went along, and the group just kept getting stronger and stronger. It was a hard race. Did I say that already? But first race of the month and categories are set. I see that most of the guys I’m keeping an eye on are in A4, as I am. And there are some guys, even if they are not in A4, that I am still watching! That’s the great thing about Mucker racing once you’ve done it for a few month: you know who to keep an eye on.
Hi Mike, thanks for the comments and also how you are seeing the categories. Please see my reply to Lrollin above to see where we are trying to get to with them. I’m keeping my eye on you, especially for the first 5 mins of the race 😂😆
I did read your response to Laurent, and have to say that your perspective is not one that’s intuitive to me. I’m happy watching the guys that I know are about my ability and trying to beat them, maybe I do and maybe I don’t. What you’re saying is that one might be in a completely different group one month to the next, and need to come up with different strategies to reach one’s long-term goals. Which is fine, when you think about it, why not! It’ll keep things fresh. So more power to you, bud; I fully support what you’re trying to do.
I hope it was the last time that I don’t ride the main event, but today I’m happy to did a great result. At 16.30 slot time I find a new mate 🇬🇷 that we work good together, just to take the second place in A7 and enter in top 50th. After 3 days of very heavy training today I can rest some days and take a flight to Malaga 🇪🇸. See you soon at the next race 🤟🏻
thanks for the comment. I think A7 is a good category for us, we are right on the edge of being A6 aren’t we so i think we will be bouncing between those categories all year depending on how we do in that first race, and more importantly, how long that race is!
Summer is coming and for the first time after winter temperature in the room reached 25C, which reminded that best times for indoor cycling are gone. Interesting route and most of the strong names lined up. First part everyone waiting who will initiate big attack. Surprisingly it was Velobuch and Premek. Rest was waiting and then Erlend with Baremi skijumped to the front. Now only Nelson and me stayed, realizing we are in danger zone.
Nelson pushed so strong that i could barely draft him, unable help meaningfully. Leaders slowed down occasionally, so with 90% of work by Nelson we rejoined, just for few minutes until they attacked again. I did not sprint against Nelson. Tough race, little cramps at the end. Thank you all who joined us!
cheers for commenting, it’s going to be very interesting to see how much Ballast you collect this year and how much takes you out of the top 10 while you wait for others to accrue more ballast so they don’t score as much the following month….. very interesting!
Think I spent too much time at the front chasing down the group in front as have a low drafting % and pushed me into A4 W/kg with 3 of those in the top 10 this week! Tough rolling course that with long climb finish
thanks for comment. Yes this is all very interesting data we are getting about the categories! See my reply to Lrollin above to see what the aims are for it for next year.
It’s a no brainer to go for position in the leaderboard rather than the category at the moment though, and you can see as you scroll down the leaderboard who was putting it in(nice high category compared to those around them), and who was drafting a lot (yes me!) But its racing and its about how high you finish. Not about who has the best power. At the end of the day, all that does is put you in a higher category.
cheers again for the comment and the support!
I know there are those out there (me included) that are looking at W/kg relative to placing. If all around me got there with a higher W/kg than me, then I’m doing pretty well, right?