MUCKERS 2026 JANUARY CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 4.
ROUTE AND RACE DETAILS:
Yeadon to Harrogate via Almscliffe Crag | 18.54 miles | 1,657 ft. climbing |
ROUVY SAY: This scenic ride leaves Yeadon behind for winding lanes and open farmland, skimming past the striking Almscliffe Crag before descending through Burn Bridge and gliding into Harrogate. Gritstone drama, Yorkshire charm, and a satisfying mix of effort and ease.
WE SAY: Nice Route to finish off the January Championship! And in the UK so we are riding on the correct side of the road and it all just looks familiar…. But it had some Kickers here and there didn’t it!
20:30 and no ones on the route so lets shut this one down. 129 riders set a time so after our 3 rules implemented we have 104 left. Now, lets see what that does to the results:
FULL LEADERBOARD RESULTS FROM THIS RACE:
*Points before Ballast Added.
CATEGORY ROUND UP:
Your Category is not set in stone! it is re-learned after every race you do with us so please keep this in mind when checking your results as your category might move up or down at the end of the month compared to the start of the month depending on your performances.
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.
TOP 3 ELITE RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: luke_vin
2: Andrus17
3: BareRemi
ELITE LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Stages |
 | Andrus17 | 941.00 | 4 |
 | BareRemi | 936.00 | 4 |
 | TijsV | 929.00 | 4 |
| 4. | ErlendSundstrom | 917.00 | 4 |
| 5. | VeloBuch | 831.04 | 4 |
TOP 3 CAT. A1 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: Alieno79
2: karel_sousek
3: lrollin
A1 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| karel_sousek | 860.20 | 4 |
| lrollin | 817.74 | 4 |
| Pablo1945 | 587.00 | 4 |
| 4. | Alieno79 | 490.00 | 2 |
| 5. | Tuden | 455.00 | 2 |
TOP 3 CAT. A2 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: przemokrk
2: Badeskum
3: Tim_U
A2 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Tim_U | 874.00 | 4 |
| nielsbrynnum | 797.00 | 4 |
| Hans.Holm.Moeller | 789.93 | 4 |
| 4. | przemokrk | 667.64 | 3 |
| 5. | Badeskum | 611.00 | 3 |
TOP 3 CAT. A3 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: KarianneKanebog
2: Grochang
3: Thomas_Lyhne
A3 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Grochang | 697.38 | 4 |
| EddyDomino | 675.00 | 4 |
| KarianneKanebog | 664.00 | 4 |
| 4. | MikeHagen | 649.00 | 4 |
| 5. | Thomas_Lyhne | 492.77 | 3 |
TOP 3 CAT. A4 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: Stefan793
2: Yumile
3: akoval
A4 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Stefan793 | 818.00 | 4 |
| akoval | 593.51 | 4 |
| Yumile | 541.00 | 4 |
| 4. | RaTim | 505.80 | 4 |
| 5. | wolli.d | 499.70 | 4 |
TOP 3 CAT. A5 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: Pan.Rorisi
2: Squalo_delle_Alpi
3: Hugo_Nmt
A5 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Squalo_delle_Alpi | 420.20 | 4 |
| Klinthomie | 377.70 | 4 |
| Bates1980 | 372.70 | 4 |
| 4. | Pan.Rorisi | 321.00 | 3 |
| 5. | Sepp1718 | 281.50 | 3 |
TOP 3 CAT. A6 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: ValRdz
2: S.Ludford
3: Slyfly
A6 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| ValRdz | 380.20 | 4 |
| Slyfly | 376.50 | 4 |
| S.Ludford | 372.00 | 4 |
| 4. | sunniva | 368.50 | 4 |
| 5. | 4WorldPeace | 365.70 | 4 |
TOP 3 CAT. A7 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: Mucker1974
2: stelviobound
3: Orutra27
A7 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Mucker1974 | 366.00 | 4 |
| stelviobound | 271.50 | 4 |
| PaulC70 | 180.40 | 2 |
| 4. | Cal65scot | 179.60 | 2 |
| 5. | Jojje76 | 91.90 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A8 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: StepanB
2: EatmorCake
3: fazzo34
A8 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| StepanB | 362.20 | 4 |
| cdtchris | 358.60 | 4 |
| fazzo34 | 356.00 | 4 |
| 4. | EatmorCake | 180.50 | 2 |
| 5. | Sille63 | 179.10 | 2 |
TOP 3 CAT. A9 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
1: n/a
2: n/a
3: n/a
A9 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos. | Rider | Points | Stages |
| Wartaal | 88.90 | 1 |
| Eliotrician | 88.70 | 1 |
| Fanarim | 88.50 | 1 |
| 4. | Figer | 88.50 | 1 |
THIS MONTHS FINAL TOP 100 LEADERBOARD:
*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.
We use your best 10 Months Out of 12 for the world championship.
273 riders had points here. So top 100 is well inside the top 50% for the month. But who gets top 50 and who gets the bonus category points??
Jan = The Ballast this months top 10 have been awarded
C.B = Category Bonus. 10 for 1st, 7 for 2nd and 5 for 3rd. only for those who finish top 50. will be added to your world championship points
W/C = World Championship points for the top 50. Will be added to the separate table for the year that will be posted on the world championship blog in a few days time.
LINK TO NITEOR PAGE:
This is where you can find all the data, full lists, full run down of races (past and future) and if you join, which is free, you can get even better insight into your rides. Give it a go, it’s really good. Even if you just use it for the ROUTE ANALYZER that helps you pick the best wheels and frame based on your data for the actual route your looking at makes it worth a look.
https://www.niteor.com/events/MUCKERS%202026%20WORLD%20CHAMPIONSHIP
TO FINISH OFF:
Please remember if you haven’t already emailed us about your winnings for last year then to do so before the end of the month. We have finally been given the voucher codes for the ROUVY shop so i will be sending those codes, along with the Muckers shop codes, out this weekend. But i can only do that if you’ve emailed us at info@muckersworldwide.com
Please remember we are only doing this as a way to make riding the challenge routes more fun and hopefully push you to ride harder and race your nearest rivals. Let the points lay where they lay and just go for it. We can review and see how its worked at the end of the year.
Well done to everyone who got top 10 and if your new you now have some ballast that you carry for the year to slow you down! The idea is to not let certain riders run away with the championship and it all be wrapped up by September. the idea came from British touring cars where they used to add ballast to the faster cars to keep the racing more compact and together. We obviously cant add weight to you or your bike, so we just use a system that is a percentage off your points.
Top 50 riders! Great start to the month! That was a very tight GC to get in but you now have some points on the board, but will they be enough to be one of your top 10 scores out of 12 months or will they just be “spare” we will see at the end of the year.
51st to 100th. Cracking effort and does show your not far off as there was another 170+ riders below you! But top 50 is where it’s at so better luck next month!
So what’s coming next?
SUNDAY HILL CLIMB:
Masca | Tenerife | 26.77 miles | 4,547 ft. climbing | Conquer this legendary Tenerife route. Navigate tight switchbacks and steep gradients in and out of the secluded village of Masca; rewarding, spectacular views await at every turn. Link below to the event which includes start times for your time zone:
https://www.niteor.com/events/MUCKERS%202026%20HILL%20CLIMB%20CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY W/KG CHAMPIONSHIP:
Closest to 2.8 w/kg! | Samoa, Upolu, Le Mafa Climb | 8.93 miles | 1,194 ft. climbing | This route travels up the Le Mafa Scenic Road to the lookout. Link below to the event which includes start times for your time zone:
https://www.niteor.com/events/MUCKERS%202026%20WKG%20TRAINING%20CHAMPIONSHIP
THURSDAY: MUCKERS 1ST NIGHT OF HIIT IN 2026!
Every 5th Thursday in any given Month we do this type of event! This one is 16 short races over the hour that are full on High intensity races for a few minutes, then recover for a few as you make your way to the next race! 4 minute gaps between all 16 races. GC based on time so every second counts on all 16! Our way of making a high intensity interval training session more fun and competitive! But maybe that’s too much for you? Well, you could just concentrate on the 6 downhills that have been grouped together into the “sprint” leaderboard, or just the 6 that go upwards that have grouped together in the “mountain” leaderboard and try to just win that category and just relax/recover on the others?? Make it what you want, just enjoy it! Link below to the event which includes start times for your time zone:
https://www.niteor.com/events/MUCKERS%201ST%20NIGHT%20OF%20HIIT%20IN%202026!
Thanks again everyone for the continued support and thanks for checking out the blog, especially those that read to the very end. Means a lot.
Mucker1974
Great group at the start, from 61st to 71st place but was worried these guys would drop me once the long climb came up.. and they did. my 3.0 was no good so i get dropped and passed by about 10 riders as well. really gets you asking yourself if i’d better on a cheaper trainer or maybe stop the Wednesday night jog!! 😂. But i plug away, “Stelvio” acts as the carrot and i do catch and pull away but thats about it for positives. I also held off VinceR05 on the last climb as he pushed me all the way up it, and i cross the line in 81st.
checking the results later, I’m top rider on this route in A7 and actually win the A7 category. I finish the GC in 52nd so i don’t even get any Category Bonus points either… which Muppet came up with the rule that you had to finish top 50 to get these bonus points…. hmmm might have been this guy!! But i need to get back to A6 that’s my aim!
Lets see how Feb goes shall we lol
A shame you didn’t get the category bonus. Good luck getting back to A6, Neil!
thank you. As much as i didn’t think it’d be too big a deal to award them to myself, and maybe up the GC to the top 55 riders lol, the little voice inside told me it was a test and i must stay… erm….. stoic!
What a beautiful route. Fortunately I rode it previously in ERG mode, so I was able to appreciate the country side and all of the incredible stone walls. Personal disclosure, our oldest grandson is a master dry stone mason, He did much of his apprenticeship in Yorkshire, and has many close friends there. AS for the race, it was just a blur. Neil, you have set the bar awfully high considering it is only January. Do you lie awake nights dreaming up future pain? thanks and cheers. Pablo 1945
Both of this weeks routes were great! Just shows what ROUVY can do when they create a random challenge with 3 random routes included instead of 5 from the same region! The have been fun!
Had to ride this one solo in the 9:30 race, so missed out on any draft, which presumably added a bit of time to my result. But enough of the excuses, what a cracking course! Fantastic to be riding on the correct side of the road!!!!
Solo ride add you more time than you think (even in Tourmalet, it’s not only draft but also direct contact with other that pull you ahead).
I can confirm from last weeks race, even though of course the draft means something, I actually think that the motivational factor of chasing somebody or trying to latch on to the wheel is a bigger factor for me (personally).
That was a hard ride. I really struggle to stay with my group on the kickers, often I get dropped and then it is a challenge to catch someone to draft with. Got dropped on the middle climb. Good to see that RaTim stuck with the group, and he got 400 m up at one point. I was solo, but reeled in akoval and Yumile, and the three of us together reeled in RaTim and Brampaulussen. It was a hard ride, did I say that? Bram surged on the last climb and dropped us. I ended up last in our group sprint, but was mostly relieved to stay ahead of EddyDomino, wolli.d, and cdhudsonx who were closing the gap rapidly. Of course I checked Niteor, to see that KarianneKanebog had had a great race and picked up enough points to knock me off the A3 podium and leave me with no WC bonus points. Well, drat; but good for her!
well done Mike and glad to see everyone’s loving (or maybe not for you…) the category bonus points!
I felt not very well in warm up ride and before start, but once I started I forget it (and had idea about thinking of it the whole race). I was around 50 after red part, but there were only little gaps so I tried hard and on the beggining of downhill I saw only fasterriders around me. I thought that it would be tough, and it was. I focused to save as much power as was possible and somehow I maneged to stay with the leaders of group even in climbs. We even droped Mike, but I knew that I had lost most of my strenght. I gave all to stay with Brampaulussen, he gave me a chance, but on the top I wasn’t able to help with any single watt. So it was clear that the strong 3 rider behind, wasn’t far enough. I was happy that I could stay in group when they caught us. On the last climb Bram left us in dust, but the others were probably tired too, we were together on the top. I struggled to stay in group even in draft. At the end I’m very happy with result, despite I was only passanger in groups my IF was 0,997. I beat Andy in his way of racing in draft as a king, another positive thing. I’m in top 50 but 4th in cat, so no points as Neil, but those 3 are much better and they deserve the points. And with cat points I have new direct rival in championship ranking: welcome in fight Sharky :-)).
It will be very difficult to ride with you and Mike, now don’t have your yours pace level but for me will be a good challenge 💪
thanks for the comments Mr Ratim, great read.
I’ll remember this January, newly promoted in this category, very tough battles and first place in the first month 🥂. My legs feel sore after the tough solo race on Campo Imperatore, but the race was beautiful and very tough. After the initial purple, I find a tough group on the downhill, Macko, Chak, ValRdz, Pan.Rorisi and others, I manage to hold on, it’s tough but I know it will be an advantage. The climbs come one after the other, what a struggle, on one I break away and think it’s over, but by not giving up I catch up… the group is finished, I work almost exclusively with Pan.Rorisi, we are direct rivals in A5 but here a collaboration is born, good work, I have to leave the last kicker but I hold on because they want to catch me behind… I cross the finish line in the end it will be 40th whaoo incredible like the victory in A5. Notes that give me energy, I rode a bit of road with Pablo and I didn’t think it was possible, and on the last climbs I saw that Belgian elf Andy on the list 😂.
Now it’s a shame to go on duty for the Olympic Games in the second week… it’ll be a wasted month….
Thanks to everyone who rode with me, 🫶🏻💪🦈.
For Neil, maybe the 4-race rule for points per month is too selective for riders at my level… but we’ll see what’s happen
Congrats on A5, Sharky! Well done!
The Olympic games, how exciting. And I think we only have to do a max of 10 months to do a complete year. Also I hear that in a few years they will include cycle cross as a winter sport. Wonder if they will have an 85+ category. cheers
well done Sharky great read. As for your last point, there is no 4 race rule in place? although i think anyone who gets into a category top 3 with only 3 rides must have gotten into a lucky group or is ready for a bump up a group!
Race of the week with another challenging course, full of short bursts. First wave reduced starting field to 20 riders. Second wave reduced starting field to 8 riders. Third wave at 20km mark reduced starting field to 7 riders, leaving me in the nomansland. With strong group behind i was pretty sure they will catch me soon, but luckily i did not lost ~300m advantage complete and could finish in top10. Very happy today despite being dropped, thank you all who joined us!
Nice start to the year. top 10 and also A1 Category winner. well done
The route was absolutely beautiful, however I had no time to appreciate the landscape. Did you see the little squirrel crossing the road? Did I dream? OK, let’s go to race report: the start was really hard, after the first small climb I had to slow down several minutes to catch my breath… Then I spend the whole race trying to catch the Mike & Ratim group, but it was impossible even with the help my co-mates.
Nevertheless, despite a strong result from Karianne, I was able to keep the second place of the A3 cat, I’m very happy with this result. I’m looking forward the next month races, hoping it will be as funny as this january. Thank you to all riders, and to Muckers team for the great work.
I almost flinched because of that squirrel.
thanks for jumping into the comments. So many people commenting on the categories and just reading how it made you see the race differently is great.
After spending a year telling Neil I have no interest in categories I find out I’m in 1st position of C6 with one race remaining, lol, suddenly I’m interested. I calculate what I need to secure my position, if ValRdz and myself finish outside the top 50 I can allow her to finish 14 places ahead. Easy. No it wasn’t, it was agony. Lots of drafting available in the early stages so I had to go harder than I wanted to maintain a good position, we catch ValRdz as the steep kickers are ‘kicking’ me, I make a tactical withdrawal and start counting for 14 riders filling the gap. Stronger riders were drifting past and more were appearing on the list behind, I manage to join Mikeee73, an ally in recent races, as we successfully pace each other ahead of another fast group to the end, he pipped me by 0.1 seconds at the line, could that be costly in my race objective. Val 54th, Steve 61st, 7 place gap with earlier events to add in and a few DSQs, beaten by the better rider but surely I’ve done enough to top C6. Then the cycling version of VAR had other ideas outside of my control, not enough faster riders in the early events to outnumber the DSQ riders and ValRdz gets the ‘bump up’ into the Top 50 in the race and the ‘big points’, I am pushed to 2nd, no wait, 3rd, where did teammate SlyFly come from. C7, that’s where he came from, I hadn’t realised that the system ‘re-learning’ our categories adjusted our categories mid month … aaargh. It must be said, for this one race where I was ‘interested’ it was… erm…interesting. I really enjoy how the various Muckers events keep the brain occupied as much as the legs.
lol, yes you are NOT a fan of the categories… remember that! But last years way of doing the top 3 championship was totally wrong and i hold my hands up, it just didn’t work, but i knew there was something there, i just needed to use it right. And i think this is good. Slyfly has been hiding in A7 for the first three races and i was hoping he would eventually move up as he just isn’t A7 at all is he!? So his “promotion” does show the process does eventually catch up to those who are slightly out of place which i think is great, AND it keeps everyone on there toes as well, especially going into the last race!
Ah, the good old SlyFly sneaking up from the categories below – I’ve been there. It’s a trick he’s known for 😉
Nice belgian style race in Yorkshire. Haven’t done a lot of shorter interval training this month and perhaps as a consequence at the moment I somehow always end up alone in no-mans land for long periods of the races. This time more than 12 km – after being dropped from the front group at km 14 – as #17 chasing Karianne and Niels 100 m ahead and being chased by 7 riders and finally caught at the worst time possible at the beginning of the last climb while completely in red. Managed some damage control on the climb and surprisingly ‘only’ lost 2 places in the final downhill sprint. More important it seemed I managed to shift the last ballast of the month to Niels as #10 in the january Muckers Championship – but of course didn’t count on the massive 10, 7 and 5 points also on offer 😁 Thanx for another fun race guys and girls 👍🏻
Nice one for jumping into the comments. This is mad though, reading how everyone is so into the points this year! As I’m scrolling down through all these amazing comments, it’s just really interesting to see how everyone is seeing them and how they affect different riders.
Do the categories work? Absolutely! I’m so motivated by them. I had a nightmare night with my 5-month-old waking us up every 30 mins – honestly felt like he was possessed by a demon! Anyways … I woke up exhausted, but seeing the results brightened my whole morning. So stoked to be #2 in A5 and crack the top 50 for WC points. It makes that early morning ‘no-draft’ ride I did last week feel worth every watt! And not pointless at all, literally.
About last night: what an awesome route. It reminded me of riding in Flanders but a bit more scenic. I had no warm up, as I tuck in the kid to bed around 19.00 Copenhagen time, so it was a race just to get to the bike (as per usual). I was a bit worried about how I would feel, not having been on the bike for a week, but mostly because of last week’s surgery (which was in the nether region). Anyways – didn’t feel any pain and all was good.
I’m more of a Clydesdale and less of a Thoroughbred, so this wasn’t my ideal profile, but I loved it. I found myself early on in a group with Steven Ludford and MNHRouvy, somewhere around 44 – 55ish. Their company motivated me grealty, and I figured if I could just keep up with Steven, I would be okay. However, I was terrified of those last three red inclines, but I somehow outlasted Steven – which I didn’t expect! Maybe it was those gummy bears that I had stocked up on before the race?! Or maybe it was seeing SlyFly and Duckman in the chasing group that gave me that 7th gear.
We caught up to ValRdz, who is one of my “main competitors”. I tried to stick to her wheel for as long as I could, and it went okay, but she played it perfectly and dropped the hammer on the very last incline. Well played, Val! Huge props and well deserved!
Sorry for the long write up, but I am just very pleased with this effort and happy in general about it all. It feels great to see some of my semi-hard work paying off. Can’t wait for the February championship!
I’m very happy that all for you is ok. Compliment also for your second place in A5, also for me the battle in Cat. sound good. Unfortunately the next month for me will be difficult to battle for 4 races, but for 3 times Sharky will bite 😉💪🦈
Please don’t apologize for the long write up! It was a great read. Man, its so good to read this kind of feedback and how you were riding with this rider and that rider, and knew that someone was your main competitor rather than trying to win-win the race is just so nice to read. This is exactly how i wanted these categories to work, just that extra motivation and feeling of a race within a race. Great to read that.
so glad to hear all seems ok after the surgery, and erm…. send me a link for those special gummies 😏