MUCKERS 2026 APRIL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 2.
ROUTE AND RACE DETAILS:
Geraardsbergen to Ronse via Kanarieberg | Belgium | 19.82 miles | 1,296 ft. elevation
ROUVY SAY: Ride from Geraardsbergen to Ronse–Renaix across the rolling roads of the Flemish Ardennes on a key section of the E3 Saxo Bank Classic. Narrow farm lanes and open stretches of countryside lead into a series of punchy climbs before tackling the second and main ascent, the famous and steep Kanarieberg. Short, sharp gradients and constant changes of rhythm capture the relentless character of this cobbled Spring Classic, where the terrain keeps coming right to the line.
WE SAY: You can’t beat a classic Flanders Race Route!! They always have a bit of everything! And for those of us who have had the pleasure of riding in the region, we get to reminice on some of these areas as well!
Now Everyone is starting to venture outside, we will see the usual dip in numbers so for those who plan on racing with us for longer, now’s the time to get those big points in! BUT lots of you are not suppling HR data, especially in the other races than the main one. Please remember to connect that HR data devise to ROUVY as once you become a Verified racer with us, you’ll only be subject to random checks now and then to make sure you are still supplying it. All those that are still classed as “Not Verified” will still be checked every week until they are. And all new racers are checked to see which verified group to be placed into as well. We are using this Verified/non Verified system to try and speed things up, plus not penalize those riders who race week in week out with us and have a hr strap malfunction on the night.
FULL LEADERBOARD RESULTS FROM THIS RACE:
*Points before Ballast Added.
| Pos | Rider | Time | Pts | w/kg | mph | Cat. |
| 🥇 | BareRemi | 00:43:42.70 | 245 | 3.8 | 27.3 | ELITE |
| 🥈 | Andrus17 | 00:44:19.80 | 242 | 4.2 | 26.8 | ELITE |
| 🥉 | luke_vin | 00:44:35.90 | 239 | 4.1 | 26.6 | A1 |
| 4 | Snowshark | 00:44:38.00 | 237 | 3.9 | 26.6 | A1 |
| 5 | karel_sousek | 00:44:41.20 | 235 | 4.0 | 26.6 | A1 |
| 6 | VeloBuch | 00:45:29.40 | 230 | 4.1 | 26.2 | A1 |
| 7 | m-forby | 00:45:37.00 | 227 | 3.8 | 26.2 | A2 |
| 8 | Micken | 00:45:41.00 | 224 | 4.0 | 25.9 | A2 |
| 9 | Dave12 | 00:46:15.70 | 222 | 3.7 | 25.7 | A2 |
| 10 | lrollin | 00:46:22.60 | 220 | 3.3 | 25.7 | A2 |
| 11 | Yumile | 00:46:24.00 | 215 | 3.3 | 25.7 | A3 |
| 12 | perswe | 00:46:24.70 | 212 | 3.4 | 25.7 | A4 |
| 13 | wolli.d | 00:46:29.60 | 209 | 3.5 | 25.5 | A4 |
| 14 | Hans.Holm.Moeller | 00:46:37.80 | 207 | 4.3 | 25.5 | A1 |
| 15 | EddyDomino | 00:47:06.50 | 205 | 3.6 | 25.3 | A3 |
| 16 | MikeHagen | 00:47:33.20 | 200 | 3.5 | 25.1 | A2 |
| 17 | enry1963 | 00:48:16.60 | 197 | 3.4 | 24.6 | A3 |
| 18 | RaTim | 00:48:26.10 | 194 | 3.1 | 24.6 | A5 |
| 19 | MNHROUVY | 00:48:31.10 | 192 | 3.2 | 24.6 | A5 |
| 20 | Pan.Rorisi | 00:48:34.30 | 190 | 3.0 | 24.4 | A5 |
| 21 | stfmgr_65 | 00:48:39.90 | 185 | 3.2 | 24.4 | A2 |
| 22 | antyradziu | 00:49:06.60 | 182 | 3.1 | 24.2 | A5 |
| 23 | Grochang | 00:49:38.80 | 179 | 3.5 | 24.2 | A3 |
| 24 | Mick_Michel | 00:49:50.40 | 177 | 3.3 | 23.9 | A6 |
| 25 | Andy_UP | 00:49:50.70 | 175 | 3.0 | 23.9 | A4 |
| 26 | Pablo1945 | 00:49:57.00 | 170 | 3.2 | 23.7 | A2 |
| 27 | PL1969 | 00:50:09.10 | 167 | 2.9 | 23.7 | A7 |
| 28 | UncleE64 | 00:50:10.50 | 164 | 2.8 | 23.7 | A5 |
| 29 | ludwigdb | 00:50:10.70 | 162 | 3.2 | 23.7 | A3 |
| 30 | ValRdz | 00:50:18.20 | 160 | 2.9 | 23.7 | A5 |
| 31 | Squalo_delle_Alpi | 00:50:22.20 | 155 | 2.9 | 23.7 | A4 |
| 32 | Mikeee73 | 00:50:49.90 | 152 | 2.8 | 23.5 | A6 |
| 33 | szaol | 00:51:41.80 | 149 | 4.1 | 23.0 | A1 |
| 34 | Duckman2 | 00:51:47.90 | 147 | 3.2 | 23.0 | A5 |
| 35 | schmidti | 00:52:05.30 | 145 | 3.0 | 22.8 | A5 |
| 36 | S.Ludford | 00:52:21.10 | 140 | 2.9 | 22.8 | A6 |
| 37 | simonjp | 00:52:54.00 | 137 | 3.2 | 22.4 | A4 |
| 38 | 4WorldPeace | 00:53:09.00 | 134 | 2.7 | 22.4 | A7 |
| 39 | sunniva | 00:53:10.60 | 132 | 2.9 | 22.4 | A7 |
| 40 | danie78 | 00:54:00.50 | 130 | 2.9 | 21.9 | A6 |
| 41 | Mucker1974 | 00:54:43.00 | 125 | 2.4 | 21.7 | A6 |
| 42 | StepanB | 00:54:43.10 | 122 | 2.5 | 21.7 | A8 |
| 43 | stelviobound | 00:55:03.40 | 119 | 2.4 | 21.7 | A8 |
| 44 | CZESTER304 | 00:55:18.40 | 117 | 3.3 | 21.5 | A4 |
| 45 | LinV | 00:57:23.60 | 115 | 2.7 | 20.8 | A6 |
| 46 | VilemStrakos | 00:57:32.60 | 110 | 2.6 | 20.6 | A8 |
| 47 | fazzo34 | 00:58:03.10 | 107 | 2.3 | 20.6 | A8 |
| 48 | Jonbaker | 00:58:41.50 | 104 | 2.6 | 20.4 | A6 |
| 49 | JaniKraner | 00:59:14.30 | 102 | 2.6 | 20.1 | A7 |
| 50 | Mauro_Dezolt | 00:59:48.00 | 100 | 2.5 | 19.9 | A7 |
| 51 | Aslan_Chen | 01:00:12.40 | 95 | 3.0 | 19.7 | A7 |
| 52 | johanwilderom | 01:00:52.10 | 94.9 | 2.3 | 19.5 | A7 |
| 53 | JotaLorenzo1970 | 01:01:05.70 | 94.8 | 2.3 | 19.5 | A7 |
| 54 | EatmorCake | 01:04:02.70 | 94.7 | 2.2 | 18.6 | A9 |
| 55 | PedroT.B. | 01:04:29.20 | 94.6 | 2.5 | 18.3 | A5 |
| 56 | cdtchris | 01:05:01.40 | 94.5 | 2.0 | 18.3 | A9 |
| 57 | Amadeus69 | 01:06:57.60 | 94.4 | 2.1 | 17.7 | A8 |
| 58 | METATRON | 01:08:22.20 | 94.3 | 2.2 | 17.4 | A9 |
| 59 | DonMatteo_07 | 01:18:26.90 | 94.2 | 2.7 | 20.6 | A2 |
CATEGORY ROUND UP:
Your Category is not set in stone! it is assessed after every race you do with us and possibly changed at the end of the month so please keep this in mind when checking your results
The top 3 in Each Category Leaderboard at the end of the Month, Get the chance to have Bonus Points Added to there World Championship Points BUT only if they managed to secure a top 50 place in the Months Championship.
If you win your category at months end, you will be promoted.
If you are in a category where 4 or more riders have done all 4 races, the rider with the lowest points total will be moved down a category.
TOP 3 ELITE RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| BareRemi |
| Andrus17 |
| n/a |
ELITE LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | BareRemi | 448.4 | 2 |
| 🥈 | Andrus17 | 447.9 | 2 |
| 🥉 | nelsonsnyder | 239.0 | 1 |
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
TOP 3 CAT. A1 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| luke_vin |
| Snowshark |
| karel_sousek |
A1 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | VeloBuch | 431.9 | 2 |
| 🥈 | karel_sousek | 431.1 | 2 |
| 🥉 | Hans.Holm.Moeller | 426.6 | 2 |
| 4 | luke_vin | 239.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Snowshark | 237.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A2 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| m-forby |
| Micken |
| Dave12 |
A2 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Micken | 429.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | lrollin | 407.8 | 2 |
| 🥉 | MikeHagen | 407.0 | 2 |
| 4 | stfmgr_65 | 355.0 | 2 |
| 5 | Pablo1945 | 325.0 | 2 |
TOP 3 CAT. A3 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| Yumile |
| EddyDomino |
| enry1963 |
A3 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Grochang | 393.9 | 2 |
| 🥈 | Yumile | 391.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | EddyDomino | 386.0 | 2 |
| 4 | ludwigdb | 377.0 | 2 |
| 5 | enry1963 | 372.0 | 2 |
TOP 3 CAT. A4 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| perswe |
| wolli.d |
| Andy_UP |
A4 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | wolli.d | 388.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | simonjp | 301.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | Squalo_delle_Alpi | 295.0 | 2 |
| 4 | perswe | 212.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Andy_UP | 175.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A5 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| RaTim |
| MNHROUVY |
| Pan.Rorisi |
A5 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | RaTim | 361.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | Pan.Rorisi | 342.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | MNHROUVY | 337.0 | 2 |
| 4 | antyradziu | 329.0 | 2 |
| 5 | UncleE64 | 298.0 | 2 |
TOP 3 CAT. A6 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| Mick_Michel |
| Mikeee73 |
| S.Ludford |
A6 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | S.Ludford | 289.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | Mucker1974 | 247.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | Mick_Michel | 177.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Bates1980 | 162.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Mikeee73 | 152.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A7 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| PL1969 |
| 4WorldPeace |
| sunniva |
A7 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | 4WorldPeace | 264.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | sunniva | 242.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | Aslan_Chen | 187.7 | 2 |
| 4 | PL1969 | 167.0 | 1 |
| 5 | JaniKraner | 102.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A8 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| StepanB |
| stelviobound |
| VilemStrakos |
A8 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | VilemStrakos | 229.0 | 2 |
| 🥈 | StepanB | 226.0 | 2 |
| 🥉 | stelviobound | 219.0 | 2 |
| 4 | fazzo34 | 202.0 | 2 |
| 5 | Amadeus69 | 94.4 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A9 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| EatmorCake |
| cdtchris |
| METATRON |
A9 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | cdtchris | 188.4 | 2 |
| 🥈 | EatmorCake | 187.8 | 2 |
| 🥉 | METATRON | 94.3 | 1 |
| 4 | ADRIS73 | 92.4 | 1 |
| 5 | TonyNLD | 92.0 | 1 |
THIS MONTHS TOP 100 LEADERBOARD SO FAR:
*Ballast added to this table
The Aim here is to get into the top 50 positions by the end of each 4 week period. If you do, you get World Championship points that are updated every month for the year.
Top 10 at the end of the Month get ballast added which is basically a percentage figure your points get deduced by and lasts for the whole of the year
We use your best 10 Months Out of 12 for the world championship.
| Pos | Rider | Cat. | Points | Races | Ballast |
| 🥇 | BareRemi | ELITE | 448.4 | 2 | 8.50% |
| 🥈 | Andrus17 | ELITE | 447.9 | 2 | 6.50% |
| 🥉 | VeloBuch | A1 | 431.9 | 2 | 5.50% |
| 4 | karel_sousek | A1 | 431.1 | 2 | 5.25% |
| 5 | Micken | A2 | 429.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 6 | Hans.Holm.Moeller | A1 | 426.6 | 2 | 5.00% |
| 7 | lrollin | A2 | 407.8 | 2 | 1.50% |
| 8 | MikeHagen | A2 | 407.0 | 2 | 0.50% |
| 9 | Grochang | A3 | 393.9 | 2 | 2.25% |
| 10 | Yumile | A3 | 391.0 | 2 | 0.25% |
| 11 | wolli.d | A4 | 388.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 12 | EddyDomino | A3 | 386.0 | 2 | 0.25% |
| 13 | ludwigdb | A3 | 377.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 14 | enry1963 | A3 | 372.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 15 | RaTim | A5 | 361.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 16 | stfmgr_65 | A2 | 355.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 17 | Pan.Rorisi | A5 | 342.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 18 | MNHROUVY | A5 | 337.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 19 | antyradziu | A5 | 329.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 20 | Pablo1945 | A2 | 325.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 21 | simonjp | A4 | 301.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 22 | UncleE64 | A5 | 298.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 23 | Squalo_delle_Alpi | A4 | 295.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 24 | S.Ludford | A6 | 289.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 25 | DonMatteo_07 | A2 | 284.1 | 2 | 0.75% |
| 26 | Duckman2 | A5 | 279.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 27 | ValRdz | A5 | 275.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 28 | 4WorldPeace | A7 | 264.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 29 | Mucker1974 | A6 | 247.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 30 | sunniva | A7 | 242.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 31 | luke_vin | A1 | 239.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| nelsonsnyder | ELITE | 239.0 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 33 | Snowshark | A1 | 237.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 34 | Badeskum | A3 | 235.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 35 | BartVandenBrande | A2 | 230.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 36 | VilemStrakos | A8 | 229.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 37 | StepanB | A8 | 226.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 38 | Dave12 | A2 | 222.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 39 | m-forby | A2 | 221.9 | 1 | 2.25% |
| 40 | nielsbrynnum | A2 | 221.4 | 1 | 0.25% |
| 41 | stelviobound | A8 | 219.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 42 | L.Arena | A1 | 212.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| perswe | A4 | 212.0 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 44 | IvanSagan86 | A2 | 204.9 | 1 | 1.00% |
| 45 | fazzo34 | A8 | 202.0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 46 | Stefan793 | A3 | 198.5 | 1 | 0.75% |
| 47 | Orion75 | A1 | 197.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 48 | El_Tractor | A5 | 190.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 49 | cdtchris | A9 | 188.4 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 50 | EatmorCake | A9 | 187.8 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 51 | Aslan_Chen | A7 | 187.7 | 2 | 0.00% |
| 52 | MauroMarcuccilli | A3 | 185.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 53 | Mick_Michel | A6 | 177.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 54 | Andy_UP | A4 | 175.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 55 | PL1969 | A7 | 167.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 56 | Bates1980 | A6 | 162.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 57 | Saulius_Gruodis | A3 | 160.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 58 | Mikeee73 | A6 | 152.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 59 | szaol | A1 | 149.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 60 | schmidti | A5 | 145.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 61 | rouvy1bryon | A6 | 137.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 62 | danie78 | A6 | 130.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 63 | BTK_jiri70_cz | A4 | 125.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 64 | CZESTER304 | A4 | 117.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| JLGP | A2 | 117.0 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 66 | LinV | A6 | 115.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 67 | Risckys_SOB | A5 | 107.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 68 | Jonbaker | A6 | 104.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 69 | JaniKraner | A7 | 102.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| Kalle-FW | A4 | 102.0 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 71 | Mauro_Dezolt | A7 | 100.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 72 | jacinto | A2 | 94.9 | 1 | 0.00% |
| johanwilderom | A7 | 94.9 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 74 | Itxik | A3 | 94.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| JotaLorenzo1970 | A7 | 94.8 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 76 | DavidKvapil | A5 | 94.7 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 77 | PedroT.B. | A5 | 94.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| runeholtzmann | A6 | 94.6 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 79 | alfiocrist75 | A3 | 94.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 80 | Amadeus69 | A8 | 94.4 | 1 | 0.00% |
| Denis_Obedkin | A4 | 94.4 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 82 | METATRON | A9 | 94.3 | 1 | 0.00% |
| RoyYu | A6 | 94.3 | 1 | 0.00% | |
| 84 | FishScent | A6 | 94.2 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 85 | regaldo | A6 | 94.1 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 86 | Sbaia.74 | A6 | 94.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 87 | DTKaresz | A7 | 93.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 88 | RidliAndris | A6 | 93.7 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 89 | ArnoSchutten | A8 | 93.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 90 | Feile | A2 | 93.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 91 | Mr_K | A8 | 93.4 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 92 | nice8282 | A7 | 93.3 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 93 | Luciano2 | A8 | 93.2 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 94 | Dbala | A4 | 93.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 95 | RadekLB | A8 | 92.9 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 96 | a.pe | A8 | 92.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 97 | zlinak | A8 | 92.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 98 | SimTheo | A8 | 92.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 99 | ADRIS73 | A9 | 92.4 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 100 | martin_ffm | A8 | 92.3 | 1 | 0.00% |
WHATS NEXT TO COME:
Remember you are more than welcome to come and race with us on any of our races even if the championships are of no interest to you. The more the merrier!! These championships are just here as extra motivation and fun ways to train.
Sunday Hill Climb (aka the Sunday hill climb championship)
Another Double Header! Both routes from the Teton Wilderness challenge
“Grand Teton Pass East | Wyoming | 14.63 miles | 2,172 ft. elevation” is the first one then 79 minutes later we kick off the 2nd route ( “Grand Targhee | Wyoming | 18.48 miles | 2,159 ft. elevation” ) . both add up to 33.47 miles and 4331 ft. elevation. Remember the only thing you have to do to get top points in this championship is finish the route, so it doesn’t matter how fast, it makes no difference. So pace the first one so you get to the 2nd one either before it starts, or even up to 29 minutes late as you will still get the max points as long as you enter the race. It’s all about Pacing the climb on Sundays
Search “Muckers Sunday” in the event search function on ROUVY to find all the scheduled climbs we have created so far. All start times included in the championship.
Tuesday Race Night (aka the w/kg training championship)
Target of 2.3w/kg as its the 2nd Tuesday of the month. We use the “Mt. Cadillac | Acadia | Maine | 16.28 miles | 1,670 ft. elevation” route. Those doing it as part of the championship will need to think if they need to get a higher average in the bag before the long descent!? But 2.3 is a nice training figure to aim for!
P.S. we also have a warm up race at 18:25 (UK) where we use the relatively short challenge route: “Moose | Grand Teton | Wyoming | 11.68 miles | 407 ft. elevation” so you can either pace this one or give it the beans! like all our races, its up to you!
Both routes from the “Across America’s National Parks” challenge.
Search “Muckers Tuesday” in the event search function on ROUVY to find all the scheduled races we have created so far at the 5 different start times. All start times included in the championship
Thursday Race Night (aka the world championship)
We are off to Wales for Race 3 of this months championship! We use the “race-looking” “RideCymru 2026 | Eryri National Park | 18.7 miles | 1,283 ft. elevation” which has a very similar profile look to todays route in Belgium! Wonder if it will be just as good??
Search “Muckers championship” in the event search function on ROUVY to find all the scheduled races we have created so far at the 6 different start times. All start times included in the championship
TO FINISH OFF:
It’s always great to race in Belgium isn’t it. We do love it when ROUVY throw this countries route into a challenge or two so we really hope you enjoyed it.
Not gonna get on your case about the merch, but it’s there if you want to have a look. The new colors for this year do look good though.
Thanks everyone for racing with us, commenting on the blog and especially those that read this to the very end. Can’t wait to read how the race was from your perspective!
Mucker1974
Knew i was pushing too hard up that long continuous first part, but being in a large draft pack from about 28th to 38th was a no brainer to set a fast time. Got to the downhill, but the 2 kickers after than just killed me off and i had to settle down and get into my rhythm, But was happy I’d stuck with them as long as i did, with an average watts of 255…. which was almost all draft assisted as well! It was that fast!!
Was able to settle into 2.6s and 2.8s on the next 2 climbs but got caught and passed by a few until the last rider to catch me just before the crest of the last hill before the last part, StepanB, made me dig deep so i had him for an assist on the downhill! We worked so well together! dropping the rider who came over the crest with us, but also eating into stelvios 1/4 mile lead and it was just on the flat bit before the last climb/finish where we caught him. It was quite funny watching all 3 of us side by side (on my screen we were anyway) waiting to see who was gonna kick first! i was waiting for either 50ft of elevation left or when the distance changes from 0.2 miles to the ft counter… but Stepan Kicked early, with no real reaction from Stelvio i was caught in 2 minds but i didn’t kick… i just kept stelvio on my back wheel then kicked when i felt i could empty the tank all the way to the finish! Stelvio didn’t come with me so i was safe from behind and Stepan was 100ft in front and my position looked set, but all of a sudden i saw i was properly eating into his lead!! Has he bonked?? do i still have the legs??? One more big effort and I’m closing in but the distance to the line is decreasing just as fast!!! arrrggghhh ANGRY PUSH TO THE LINE!!! WAIT!? did i actually get him?? it looked like it on my screen and my result shows 41st (we were 41st to 43rd) but maybe the ROUVY gods have other ideas… but even on the final results table i am in front. 0.1 seconds! Where’s Colins Race coverage on you-tube when you want it!! lol! What a strange but exciting race.
I hate hills. My goal for this race was clear: to stay with a group of riders for as long as possible. Unfortunately, I fell behind the group before the first descent; they quickly pulled away from me—and that was the end of the race for me. Luckily, I was able to ride with VilemStrakos. And on the last hill, I was happy to catch up to you. Thank you and Stelviobound for an excellent finale (a race within a race). I thought Stelvio was saving energy for the final sprint, so I tried to surprise both of you with an early sprint. And it almost worked. :-/ 😉
Thank you all for a great race. 🙂
Thank you so much for jumping into the comments Stepan!! This is what i love about this aspect of the blog, it’s like we are sitting in a pub talking about the race we just had and getting everyone’s opinion of what just happened! Everyone catches me on the bloody hills lol and i only went with you because i could see the profile changing to green soon on the profile and we all know its best to go over the crest as close to someone else as you can possibly be rather than solo! You did surprise me with that early kick and i was quite shocked i held my nerve and went when i knew/hoped i could last to the line. Great race!
Tactically, I couldn’t have played it any better in this race. I joined a group of riders who were all stronger than me and was able to sit in the pack and keep a good pace, a group of riders in my typical performance range caught us but I had a feeling they had burnt some matches to achieve it and kept the pressure on up the first long climb hoping I could hop onto the draft of schmidti, and more specifically, Grochang and ludwigdb who were storming through the field. Unfortunately, schmidti didn’t latch on as ludwigdb came through and I had to make a choice, I knew teammate Ludwig was trying to help me and he also needed to not lose Grochang so I jumped on and abandoned schmidti with the thought he could be my safety net when I would ultimately be solo on the steeper Kanarieburg. That was exactly how it played out, I eased up the climb trying to coordinate it so we both arrived together at the top, gave schmidti some draft while he recovered from the catch, then with much mutual encouragement we teamed up to maintain the gap ahead of the riders behind. I didn’t contest the finish but I could see my race partner had some legs left to finish the job. Enjoyed it, and nice to revisit the roads the Muckers rode for real when we met up on two previous occasions in Flanders.
i saw you now and again in that group at the beginning but as i can only see 3 riders around me in the nearby list, i never really know whos moving in and out of the group i am in. But well rode Mucker. really strong and tactical riding
Back from another very good Dry Cleaning gig at midnight and the FIRST thing you check – before football results and mails – are the results from the main Muckers race 😂🤔
But I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by not losing more places after this mornings solo ITT on the Cinelli Aeroscope – without draft it was just a horrible TT route hitting the two climbs and especially Kanarienberg completely in the red 🥵🥵🥵
lol, respect Hans! an ITT on this route would have me in tears! But your category is still wide open between the 3 of you so well done!
Okey dokey. Someone once said you may have a plan, but only until someone punches you in the nose. My plan was to rocket out at the start and hook up for the draft fest with the main Mucker big dogs. But as stated before, my rocket is like a soggy party popper…pffft. I could see y’all, but it was a bridge too far within two or three minutes. So, was my day over? Not at all. I had a super day really racing with a great bunch. Having cut the head off the snake, we had our own genuine competition. Everyone going hard, giving no quarter, and draining the tanks to the final fumes. I am talking about folks like Mick_Michel, Andy_up, PL1969, UncleE64, ludwigdb, ValRdz, Sharkey, Mikee73,Sunnive…I also confirm that more than half way there was Mucker1974 in my back pocket (and I know I had not relaxed my effort
). Also, Duckman, note that I did not include you in this group. You must have burned a ton of matches in the beginning and got with the big dogs near the front. It was only near the very end of the last big climb that I ran you down, and you did not relent even one watt. And then going over the top for the final descent, there was Grochang. You must have forgotten where you put your shoes and got a late start, but there you were. I hooked on and you can confirm that we traded pulls almost to the end, when you revealed one more gear and pulled ahead. So, to sum up, not a super day for me in the final statistics, but one of the more fun racing days I have had this year. Thank you everyone. Cheers.
great write up as per usual Paul. thank you.
That was a nice route, as Flanders usually is, really enjoyed that. I got a great start for a change. Got to the front three and looked up to see . . . no MatthiasHeil? Huh? That was disappointing. By the time I’d recovered from the surprise, I’d drifted back into the mid-20s and was in danger of losing all contact with the leaders. I was happy to see perswe, grabbed his wheel, and he towed me up to the next group that was forming. He kept going and got in with the leaders; I couldn’t do it. But the second group of about nine was a great group for me. We picked up a few dropped from the lead group of 15 or so before the middle climb. I turned in as good a four minutes as I’ve done this year going up that middle climb; five of us left over the top. We dropped enry1963 shortly after that, but RaTim (good to see him in my group! been awhile), EddyDomino, Velosport34Lattes, and I hit the Kanarieberg together. RaTim let go first, and I made it halfway before losing contact. I got a 20 second PB on the segment, so I’m not unhappy; and a minute faster than my first time up four years ago now. That speaks to better equipment as much as anything; lighter frames, faster wheels. Good stuff! That was a tough course; kudos to all that finished.
Nice one Mike and well done on a really strong race.
Really enjoyed this one – especially with so many blue-shirted Muckers in our group (see Paul’s post some of the names). I feel like Paul/Pablo and Sharky were being kind to us keeping the pace really smooth – thanks guys – hopefully I did a little to “pull my weight” today on the easier sections. For whatever reason that first 15 minutes was in the goldilocks zone for me – and I was SO glad I hadn’t rocketed out too hard. Pretty sure I could have made the front group off the line, but to what end? I’d only get dropped on the climbs (if not sooner) and then gobbled up by the next group, so why not sit in that group from the start? Plan was simple – try and keep it just under FTP for the first 15 minutes and then do 110-115% on each of the 5 minute climbs. I was super worried when I was falling behind on the 2nd steeper climb, but — for once — I had enough in reserve to surge the last 30 seconds and re-establish contact. I’m pretty sure If I’d have done the rocket start and then fallen back I wouldn’t have had enough left to do this. I even felt good enough to push hard at the end today. While I didn’t keep it going all the way to the line I’m happy with the result. Kudos to everyone in our group today and sorry I could only give a single “thumbs up.” Like Neil, I’m using a phone, and I’m terrified to touch it while we’re riding lest I accidentally hit the wrong thing (this has actually happened). Cheers
that reminds of when i was doing a just ride and a drip of sweat dropped on my phone screen and i just automatically wiped it away and in that one swipe, i pushed myself back 10 miles!!! So i get the whole bit about being scared to touch the screen, but i am always a risk taker at heart so i do hit the tiny kudos, but only when im sat down and not blowing out my arse! lol
Great summary, sometimes the rocket start and gradual drop back works, sometimes just being in the right group from the start and gradually getting faster works. Not 1 race is the same is it, and its probably why we love to race as we really don’t know whats going to happen until we are in the thick of it!
Well today I woke up early because I couldn’t go back to sleep (dwelling on a current back yard project) so I plugged in my AirPods and turned on some club music while I made breakfast hype myself up. It really put me in the mood for race 2. Had time to prep my bike and do the Rouvy update (great to see all the bug fixes). I didn’t have my best start but, I was able to ride in a faster pack for some of the roller in the first quarter. It didn’t last long but did manage to ride with ludwigdb for a short bit until he grab the wheel of someone that blew by me. I didn’t want to blow my self up so early for no reason because a big group with sunniva, Muckers1974, stelviobound, StepanB weren’t to far behind and closing in quick. I grabbed on and rode with this group for a while. My plan was to push hard up the the second hill and try and stay up front over the top. sunniva obviously had the same plan so we were able to pull away from the rest of the group and get up over the top with a pretty good gap. We took a little breather on the down hill and hit the Kanarieberg hard and at that point my plan was to just not let sunniva get away (she can climb those hills). I managed to get up and over the hill with her which set up a race to the uphill finish. We were probably only a foot apart until the last 900 feet which is when I gave it everything I had through the finish line. Not sure how, but I ended up in front. I am very happy with my 37th place finish in the heat and 38th for whole race. Great riding with you sunniva! A really fun race and great race within a race competition. Looking forward to next week!!
nice one Brian. sounds like you pushed just around the time i had to back off. You were too strong for me tonight and you made it pay. Glad to hear i’m not the only one who starts to get excited about the race well before it starts as well!
A beautiful route in Flanders; I always enjoy riding there.
The plan was to stay with the group for as long as possible. To climb the hills in the group and hang on tight on the descents. I think something has improved in the latest Rouvy’s update because I felt I could accelerate and still have resistance under my legs when going downhill.
The strong group eventually split up anyway, and I was left with Brian (4Worldpeace). I knew we could work together and support each other. At one point, ludwigdb waited for us, but he only rested with us for a moment because Grochang was already charging up from behind. He took Ludwig with him and we were left alone again with Brian, and I gave it my all on the Kanarieberg climb (this was my fourth race here; every year I improve my time and power – there’s progress 💪). We finished the race calmly, keeping an eye on those behind us, but there was no danger. Thank you Brian for working together 😀 Thank you all.
Thank you Sunniva for not letting me succumb to the Kanarieberg climb. I was pushing my max heart rate. 😉
strong ride Mucker! you were in a class above me tonight. well done!
Nice race these evening, when I finished I don’t know if be more happy for my 31st position or not. I thinked to a good start, legs works, and find many friends around me, riders both more heavy of me and other no, and in this moment in my mind appear many dubious on my performance. The data sound good, 3.3 agv but I know that I can do a little better I’ll see later. Great work with Loudford, Pablo1945, UncleE64, Mikeee73, Andy. I’m very impressed to catch Duckman2 after many km… very good work mate 💪. When I saw to come Mads and Ludwig, I hope to stay for a bit with them but only with the second I can ride on his wheels.
At the end no sprint but a good final effort for hold the 3rd position in A4.
Thanks to everyone who ride with me… see you for the next 💪👋🦈
Well done Mucker. riding with some hitters and holding your own as well. I almost feel like a proud dad! lol
I felt good for most of the race. Racing more than surviving. I could see 4worldpeace and sunniva up ahead and StepanB and neil1974 behind, I just needed to scamble across the flat section and finish uphill, I was in survivial mode but I had enough lead to keep away from them 500′ then 400′ oh no they are working together then 300′ they smelled the fear after they got within 300′ the last bit evaporated before we got to the sprint, I thought for a second that maybe I could just put in a sprint, but when I asked my legs they just laughed at me.
I watched you three and thought it was going to be a sprint to the finish and then noticed Neil and StepanB pass you and said “oh no”. I learned my lesson last mont with an uphill finished racing with Neil. He did the same thing to me but by him self. Still a strong ride.
lol, i had the legs laugh at me after that long pack ride and everyone decided to do 4.0s up those kickers! Thought i was in for a proper beating up but i think the Tuesday training races have taught me i can hold 2.6-2.8 for a good while if i just focus which is what i did and weirdly on that horrible climb Stepan caught me on, i was ok at 2.9 to 3.0 up that. SO i think that 2nd wind, Stepans co operation just meant we flew along and caught you. i was then doing everything i could to keep us all quite calm so i could recover for a sprint. Like Brain says, i can sometimes get a decent sprint on but i only know once i crank it up a few gears and get out of the saddle. sometime the cranks turn nicely, sometime i get the “oh shit” moment and have to knock the gears back down, sit down and cry to the line whilst having a strong word to myself about being delusional…. its 50/50 lol
You can be my satellite. Decent race profile attracted over 80 riders. To my pleasure teammate Luke showed up after training camp in Tuscany and it was visible how he is hungry. Very early we stayed six seven group. With partly broken drafting there were moments where one had to push very hard not get dropped, but otherwise it was quite ok in my view.
We got dropped with Snowshark in main climb in the second half. I decided let best riders go as i could feel light signs of cramps. Looks like i lost few fast fibers over long Easter ride. I continued with steady effort till the finish, not focusing on sprint. Honest effort, thank you all who joined us!
Well done Karel and thanks for sharing the comments.