MUCKERS 2026 MAY CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 1.
ROUTE AND RACE DETAILS:
Sint-Denijs-Boekel to Ronse | Belgium | 20.95 miles | 1,503 ft. climbing
ROUVY SAY: Starting on the Molenberg, the route hits its first rough cobbled test straight away. From there, it flows onto the Marlboroughstraat and into the steady Berendries, where rhythm replaces brute force. The terrain then rolls towards the Valkenberg, before finishing on the sharp Berg Ten Houte, where gradients bite and fatigue begins to show.
WE SAY: TT Time!!! Yes we picked a tough route but sometimes it’s just the way the ROUVY challenges fall, but it was a nice non-draft challenge with a bit of everything thrown in!
Quick reminder about HR data required to take part in this championship! So many Category 8 and 9 riders getting a DSQ seems such a shame as there could be some great battles going on down there so please try and ride with one. Amazon do some at around £30 and they really are a great way to take your training to the next level as you see what your heart is doing while you ride!
FULL LEADERBOARD RESULTS FROM THIS RACE:
*Points before Ballast Added.
| Pos | Rider | Time | Pts | w/kg | mph | Cat. |
| 🥇 | danrocky | 00:48:09.7 | 245 | 4.7 | 26.2 | ELITE |
| 🥈 | BareRemi | 00:48:36.4 | 242 | 4.3 | 25.9 | ELITE |
| 🥉 | VeloBuch | 00:49:48.0 | 239 | 4.1 | 25.2 | A1 |
| 4 | HelmSyerforest | 00:50:50.8 | 237 | 3.9 | 24.7 | A1 |
| 5 | Stefan793 | 00:50:53.5 | 235 | 4.0 | 24.7 | A3 |
| 6 | markro | 00:51:55.8 | 230 | 3.9 | 24.2 | A2 |
| 7 | Grochang | 00:52:06.9 | 227 | 3.7 | 24.1 | A2 |
| 8 | nielsbrynnum | 00:52:08.6 | 224 | 3.7 | 24.2 | A2 |
| 9 | FlyingSkywalker | 00:52:15.0 | 222 | 4.1 | 24.1 | A3 |
| 10 | lrollin | 00:52:34.3 | 220 | 3.7 | 23.9 | A2 |
| 11 | Dave12 | 00:53:07.9 | 215 | 3.6 | 23.7 | A2 |
| 12 | Pablo1945 | 00:53:29.3 | 212 | 4.1 | 23.5 | A2 |
| 13 | karel_sousek | 00:53:44.1 | 209 | 3.8 | 23.4 | ELITE |
| 14 | macko | 00:53:51.7 | 207 | 3.5 | 23.3 | A3 |
| 15 | Dok_PS | 00:54:04.1 | 205 | 3.6 | 23.3 | A4 |
| 16 | RJL1925 | 00:54:09.0 | 200 | 3.6 | 23.2 | A3 |
| 17 | MikeHagen | 00:54:12.5 | 197 | 3.7 | 23.3 | A1 |
| 18 | EddyDomino | 00:54:13.8 | 194 | 3.6 | 23.3 | A3 |
| 19 | wolli.d | 00:54:22.0 | 192 | 3.5 | 23.1 | A3 |
| 20 | laborg | 00:54:26.3 | 190 | 3.5 | 23.1 | A4 |
| 21 | enry1963 | 00:54:45.0 | 185 | 3.5 | 23.0 | A4 |
| 22 | simonjp | 00:55:46.9 | 182 | 3.3 | 22.6 | A4 |
| 23 | MatthiasHeil | 00:55:59.2 | 179 | 3.3 | 22.4 | A4 |
| 24 | Yumile | 00:56:03.4 | 177 | 3.2 | 22.4 | A3 |
| 25 | MNHROUVY | 00:56:10.4 | 175 | 3.3 | 22.4 | A5 |
| 26 | Stefan_MTB | 00:56:26.8 | 170 | 3.4 | 22.3 | A4 |
| 27 | Kewing73 | 00:56:29.4 | 167 | 3.6 | 22.3 | A3 |
| 28 | lolo71 | 00:56:32.3 | 164 | 3.8 | 22.2 | A2 |
| 29 | Squalo_delle_Alpi | 00:56:33.3 | 162 | 3.1 | 22.2 | A4 |
| 30 | Klinthomie | 00:57:00.1 | 160 | 3.1 | 22.1 | A6 |
| 31 | RaTim | 00:57:10.7 | 155 | 3.1 | 22.0 | A4 |
| 32 | BTK_jiri70_cz | 00:57:13.5 | 152 | 3.5 | 22.0 | A4 |
| 33 | antyradziu | 00:57:25.8 | 149 | 3.2 | 21.9 | A5 |
| 34 | TomC68X-SLX | 00:57:28.9 | 147 | 3.5 | 21.9 | A3 |
| 35 | TheDrewB | 00:58:12.5 | 145 | 2.9 | 21.6 | A5 |
| 36 | Pan.Rorisi | 00:58:29.1 | 140 | 3.0 | 21.5 | A5 |
| 37 | S.Ludford | 00:58:36.3 | 137 | 2.9 | 21.5 | A6 |
| 38 | ludwigdb | 00:58:42.2 | 134 | 3.0 | 21.4 | A3 |
| 39 | Duckman2 | 00:58:43.9 | 132 | 3.2 | 21.4 | A5 |
| 40 | rouvy1bryon | 00:58:46.4 | 130 | 3.0 | 21.5 | A6 |
| 41 | Buystje67 | 00:58:47.1 | 125 | 3.3 | 21.4 | A4 |
| 42 | El_Tractor | 00:58:51.7 | 122 | 3.0 | 21.3 | A5 |
| 43 | UncleE64 | 00:59:03.6 | 119 | 3.0 | 21.3 | A6 |
| 44 | FlowRider82 | 00:59:32.6 | 117 | 3.1 | 21.0 | A5 |
| 45 | BikeandDogTrips | 00:59:58.4 | 115 | 3.0 | 21.0 | A4 |
| 46 | WayMe | 01:00:00.5 | 110 | 3.3 | 21.0 | A4 |
| 47 | Bates1980 | 01:00:12.9 | 107 | 3.0 | 20.9 | A6 |
| 48 | 4WorldPeace | 01:01:48.0 | 104 | 2.8 | 20.4 | A6 |
| 49 | Ramparu | 01:02:00.4 | 102 | 2.7 | 20.4 | A7 |
| 50 | Chak | 01:02:10.8 | 100 | 2.9 | 20.3 | A4 |
| 51 | sunniva | 01:02:21.4 | 95 | 2.8 | 20.2 | A7 |
| 52 | JensDWulf | 01:02:28.7 | 94.9 | 3.1 | 20.4 | A5 |
| 53 | Mucker1974 | 01:02:30.7 | 94.8 | 2.6 | 20.1 | A5 |
| 54 | MAROCAJE | 01:02:53.7 | 94.7 | 2.8 | 20.0 | A4 |
| 55 | iandalton65 | 01:02:55.2 | 94.6 | 3.1 | 20.0 | A4 |
| 56 | Rouven8 | 01:03:09.3 | 94.5 | 3.0 | 19.9 | A5 |
| 57 | DanWren | 01:03:49.7 | 94.4 | 2.7 | 19.7 | A6 |
| 58 | stelviobound | 01:04:07.2 | 94.3 | 2.4 | 19.7 | A8 |
| 59 | ValRdz | 01:04:30.7 | 94.2 | 2.7 | 19.5 | A5 |
| 60 | SteuBlanc | 01:05:05.4 | 94.1 | 2.7 | 19.2 | A7 |
| 61 | Beldar | 01:05:10.4 | 94 | 2.6 | 19.3 | A8 |
| 62 | fazzo34 | 01:05:43.0 | 93.9 | 2.4 | 19.2 | A8 |
| 63 | conejoblanco | 01:06:17.9 | 93.8 | 2.5 | 19.0 | A7 |
| 64 | FauconRiff | 01:06:39.6 | 93.7 | 2.6 | 18.8 | A7 |
| 65 | JoerVH | 01:06:45.5 | 93.6 | 2.6 | 18.8 | A7 |
| 66 | cdtchris | 01:06:46.2 | 93.5 | 2.2 | 18.8 | A8 |
| 67 | Jendor.net | 01:07:18.8 | 93.4 | 2.2 | 18.6 | A8 |
| 68 | VilemStrakos | 01:07:23.0 | 93.3 | 2.4 | 18.6 | A7 |
| 69 | vero-r | 01:07:32.4 | 93.2 | 2.5 | 18.6 | A6 |
| 70 | EatmorCake | 01:08:21.3 | 93.1 | 2.3 | 18.4 | A9 |
| 71 | gregorp | 01:08:45.2 | 93 | 2.3 | 18.3 | A8 |
| 72 | Txesko15 | 01:09:06.6 | 92.9 | 2.5 | 18.2 | A7 |
| 73 | PaulC70 | 01:09:40.9 | 92.8 | 2.5 | 18.1 | A8 |
| 74 | Mick_Michel | 01:09:57.7 | 92.7 | 2.4 | 17.9 | A6 |
| 75 | Nalon | 01:12:39.9 | 92.6 | 2.3 | 17.2 | A8 |
| 76 | srednik | 01:13:43.0 | 92.5 | 2.2 | 17.0 | A8 |
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.
TOP 3 ELITE RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | danrocky |
| 2 | BareRemi |
| 3 | karel_sousek |
ELITE LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | danrocky | 245.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | BareRemi | 215.4 | 1 |
| 🥉 | karel_sousek | 193.8 | 1 |
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
TOP 3 CAT. A1 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | VeloBuch |
| 2 | HelmSyerforest |
| 3 | MikeHagen |
A1 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | HelmSyerforest | 237.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | VeloBuch | 222.3 | 1 |
| 🥉 | MikeHagen | 195.5 | 1 |
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
TOP 3 CAT. A2 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | markro |
| 2 | Grochang |
| 3 | nielsbrynnum |
A2 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | markro | 230.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | nielsbrynnum | 223.4 | 1 |
| 🥉 | Grochang | 219.1 | 1 |
| 4 | lrollin | 216.7 | 1 |
| 5 | Dave12 | 215.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A3 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | Stefan793 |
| 2 | FlyingSkywalker |
| 3 | macko |
A3 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Stefan793 | 233.2 | 1 |
| 🥈 | FlyingSkywalker | 222.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | macko | 207.0 | 1 |
| 4 | RJL1925 | 200.0 | 1 |
| 5 | EddyDomino | 192.1 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A4 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | Dok_PS |
| 2 | laborg |
| 3 | enry1963 |
A4 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Dok_PS | 205.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | laborg | 190.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | enry1963 | 185.0 | 1 |
| 4 | simonjp | 182.0 | 1 |
| 5 | MatthiasHeil | 179.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A5 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | MNHROUVY |
| 2 | antyradziu |
| 3 | TheDrewB |
A5 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | MNHROUVY | 175.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | antyradziu | 149.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | TheDrewB | 145.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Pan.Rorisi | 140.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Duckman2 | 132.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A6 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | Klinthomie |
| 2 | S.Ludford |
| 3 | rouvy1bryon |
A6 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Klinthomie | 160.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | S.Ludford | 137.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | rouvy1bryon | 130.0 | 1 |
| 4 | UncleE64 | 119.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Bates1980 | 107.0 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A7 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | Ramparu |
| 2 | sunniva |
| 3 | SteuBlanc |
A7 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | Ramparu | 102.0 | 1 |
| 🥈 | sunniva | 95.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | SteuBlanc | 94.1 | 1 |
| 4 | conejoblanco | 93.8 | 1 |
| 5 | FauconRiff | 93.7 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A8 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | stelviobound |
| 2 | Beldar |
| 3 | fazzo34 |
A8 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | stelviobound | 94.3 | 1 |
| 🥈 | Beldar | 94.0 | 1 |
| 🥉 | fazzo34 | 93.9 | 1 |
| 4 | cdtchris | 93.5 | 1 |
| 5 | Jendor.net | 93.4 | 1 |
TOP 3 CAT. A9 RIDERS FROM THIS RACE:
| 1 | EatmorCake |
| 2 | |
| 3 |
A9 LEADERBOARD SO FAR THIS MONTH:
| Pos | Rider | Points | Races |
| 🥇 | EatmorCake | 93.1 | 1 |
| 🥈 | |||
| 🥉 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
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 |
| 🥇 | danrocky | ELITE | 245.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 🥈 | HelmSyerforest | A1 | 237.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 🥉 | Stefan793 | A3 | 233.2 | 1 | 0.75% |
| 4 | markro | A2 | 230.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 5 | nielsbrynnum | A2 | 223.4 | 1 | 0.25% |
| 6 | VeloBuch | A1 | 222.3 | 1 | 7.00% |
| 7 | FlyingSkywalker | A3 | 222.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 8 | Grochang | A2 | 219.1 | 1 | 3.50% |
| 9 | lrollin | A2 | 216.7 | 1 | 1.50% |
| 10 | BareRemi | ELITE | 215.4 | 1 | 11.00% |
| 11 | Dave12 | A2 | 215.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 12 | Pablo1945 | A2 | 212.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 13 | macko | A3 | 207.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 14 | Dok_PS | A4 | 205.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 15 | RJL1925 | A3 | 200.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 16 | MikeHagen | A1 | 195.5 | 1 | 0.75% |
| 17 | karel_sousek | ELITE | 193.8 | 1 | 7.25% |
| 18 | EddyDomino | A3 | 192.1 | 1 | 1.00% |
| 19 | wolli.d | A3 | 190.1 | 1 | 1.00% |
| 20 | laborg | A4 | 190.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 21 | enry1963 | A4 | 185.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 22 | simonjp | A4 | 182.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 23 | MatthiasHeil | A4 | 179.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 24 | Yumile | A3 | 175.7 | 1 | 0.75% |
| 25 | MNHROUVY | A5 | 175.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 26 | Stefan_MTB | A4 | 170.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 27 | Kewing73 | A3 | 167.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 28 | lolo71 | A2 | 164.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 29 | Squalo_delle_Alpi | A4 | 162.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 30 | Klinthomie | A6 | 160.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 31 | RaTim | A4 | 155.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 32 | BTK_jiri70_cz | A4 | 152.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 33 | antyradziu | A5 | 149.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 34 | TomC68X-SLX | A3 | 147.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 35 | TheDrewB | A5 | 145.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 36 | Pan.Rorisi | A5 | 140.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 37 | S.Ludford | A6 | 137.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 38 | ludwigdb | A3 | 134.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 39 | Duckman2 | A5 | 132.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 40 | rouvy1bryon | A6 | 130.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 41 | Buystje67 | A4 | 125.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 42 | El_Tractor | A5 | 122.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 43 | UncleE64 | A6 | 119.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 44 | FlowRider82 | A5 | 117.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 45 | BikeandDogTrips | A4 | 115.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 46 | WayMe | A4 | 110.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 47 | Bates1980 | A6 | 107.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 48 | 4WorldPeace | A6 | 104.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 49 | Ramparu | A7 | 102.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 50 | Chak | A4 | 100.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 51 | sunniva | A7 | 95.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 52 | JensDWulf | A5 | 94.9 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 53 | Mucker1974 | A5 | 94.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 54 | MAROCAJE | A4 | 94.7 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 55 | iandalton65 | A4 | 94.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 56 | Rouven8 | A5 | 94.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 57 | DanWren | A6 | 94.4 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 58 | stelviobound | A8 | 94.3 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 59 | ValRdz | A5 | 94.2 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 60 | SteuBlanc | A7 | 94.1 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 61 | Beldar | A8 | 94.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 62 | fazzo34 | A8 | 93.9 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 63 | conejoblanco | A7 | 93.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 64 | FauconRiff | A7 | 93.7 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 65 | JoerVH | A7 | 93.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 66 | cdtchris | A8 | 93.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 67 | Jendor.net | A8 | 93.4 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 68 | VilemStrakos | A7 | 93.3 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 69 | vero-r | A6 | 93.2 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 70 | EatmorCake | A9 | 93.1 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 71 | gregorp | A8 | 93.0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 72 | Txesko15 | A7 | 92.9 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 73 | PaulC70 | A8 | 92.8 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 74 | Mick_Michel | A6 | 92.7 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 75 | Nalon | A8 | 92.6 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 76 | srednik | A8 | 92.5 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 77 | Anton_vivas | A8 | 0.0 | 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)
Hardangervidda | Norway | 38.06 miles | 3,041 ft. climbing.
Bit of a strange route this. All the climbing seems to be done by the time you hit 11 miles, then its over 20 miles of rolling roads. But it hits over 3000ft, is a current challenge route, and is way too long for a weekday ride so it’s slotting into this weeks Sunday slot. Just this 1 route this weekend .
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)
Tour of the Alps 2026 | Stage 3 – Arco | 21.62 miles | 1,391 ft. climbing
This looks like a fun profile and this weeks target of 2.3w/kg means it should be quite a nice training session as well.
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
P.S we have scheduled a warm-up race at 18:35 UK as well using the 9.56 mile long “Des Plaines River Bike Trail-Pine Dunes to Wadsworth-GoPro 13 Black” route from the “Together Around the World” challenge
Thursday Race Night (aka the world championship)
Tour of the Alps 2026 | Stage 1 – Innsbruck | 21.75 miles | 1,568 ft. climbing
Tough looking challenge route (we do pick the harder ones for Thursdays!) which has a killer of a climb at around 4 miles in, but then at around 9 miles in, the fun begins, especially for those that have just wondered “what the heck am i doing on this climb!” for the last 30 minutes or so! lol But we will at least have draft back so make sure you crest the climb with at least 1 other rider as sling-shot downhilling is the way too go rather than trying to solo it! Trust us!
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:
What a great little challenge that was! We really hope you are liking the first race of the month TT and it’s now set you up for the next 3 races. Hope those that moved up a category are doing ok, and those that got demoted, you better be winning yours lol only joking, there’s a long way to go so good luck this month and my tip is to try and do all 4 races in the month to secure the points to get top 50 in the GC. If you don’t think you can make it on the Thursday, remember we have the RECON and 2LATE4ME versions on the Wednesday as well. Yes, the RECON is non-draft, but 90+ points from riding that is so much better than 0. Plus, it’s still a challenge route that you’d still be doing at some point so why not TT it on a Wednesday, get a proper training session in and at least get some more points added to your total. Just a thought.
We are loving the comments after the blog is published so please keep them coming as it really is great to read how the race was for yourselves and who you’re keeping an eye on!
Thanks for the support, and thanks for reading the blog, especially those that read to the very end. Appreciate it.
Mucker1974
Okay, lets see how bad i do in A5 shall we! But first, lets actually see how fast i can do this TT. ETA was 1:09, impossible was under an hour so closer to the hour rather than my ETA was the goal. Also, another aim was not to blow up on the first climb! So, 3.0 max was my goal to keep the heart rate steady, but on the flats or downhills, recover, but only as low as 2.5. Got to the top of the first climbing part in 52nd place out of 76ish so now lets see how far i can go at my plan. Actually got well over half way with an average of around 2.7 and still felt ok, but i was now resting on the downhills and rolling whenever i felt the speed was high enough to do so, but was feeling ok.
i think i saw i was in 41st place at one point, but then the last climb came and my 3.0 was no more, but 2.8 was ok, but i was overtaken by a few that I’d just blasted past on the downhill just 5 minutes earlier. Whenever this happens, it just gives me more motivation to loose weight lol!! But i caught a few up on the last section again and managed to stay in front of them, All the while just keeping Sunniva in sight which if i can do that, i know I’ve done alright!
Came over the line with a 1:02:30 and really quite pleased with how far away from the 1:09 i was, especially as this had no draft help whatsoever. It was all me, and i suppose this is what makes these TT races a bit more accurate on where you are.
oh, A5?? somehow not last, but nowhere near the top 5. But i plan on doing all 4 races so lets see how it goes but if i get battered, i know the organizer and I’ll be lobbying for a drop to A6 at the end of the month, but i hear he’s a stickler for the rules so fingers crossed.
Great read! I finished 6th in A6 and 45 seconds from 4th which is a lot especially in a TT. I would have had to do a lot better on the hills. Even those little rollers in the end were killing me. Who knows where we end up at the end of the month. 🙃
cheers Brian, it was those little rollers where i started to enjoy it more and was out the saddle and doing 5.0s up and over them. It’s strange, if i start a climb and i see green on the bottom right profile, i know i can power over it. If i see it change to orange or red, well, then i’m buggered!
I know the feeling.
I find I’m really looking forward to the first Thursday of the month. This looked like a great, rolling route; with some sharp kickers to keep you honest. First question: bike choice? RA said the Icon was a few seconds faster than the TT frame, and that made sense; one could get up the kickers faster on the lighter bike, and not lose much on the downslopes and flats as the Icon is quite aero. Went with that. Second question: target pace? I did 3.9 last month, I could do it again with the caveat of holding mid-4s on the kickers and resting on the downs. Would that work? Got a good start. Could see nielsbrynnum, Grochang, and lrollin just ahead, but I wasn’t going with those guys, nope. We settled in. Drifted away from Yumile and MNHROUVY. Caught and passed MatthiasHeil. Caught and passed macko. Things were looking up. Gaining on Dave12, and, look!, FlyingSkywalker is only a little further ahead! But that was as good as it got. Halfway now, and that 4.5 on the kickers strategy was, maybe, not the best? Faded a little in the last half. macko caught me back. Dok_PS caught and passed. I was hearing Velosport34Lattes’ footsteps, but held him off. Averaged 3.7; that’ll do!
Interestingly, I’m third in A1, but slower than the top five in A2 and the top 4 in A3, and even the top one in A4. It’s clearly going to be a few more months before Cats A1 to A4 get sorted out. All part of the fun!
I used to dread the TT races but, I’m feeling a little better about them over the last 3 months. My first goal was to finish in the top 50 which meant I probably needed to finish in the high 30’s in my heat.I held a 3.0 on last months flat TT which is my high end and a 2.9 in March’s bigger hill climb TT so my goal was to try and average 2.9. And third, try and not be last in cat6. I never want to finish a race, especially a TT race, with anything left in the tank. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. So I was close to 3.2 for the first 1/4 but, new I couldn’t keep that up and saw many of the A6 riders pulling further away from me so I eased off and hung around 3.0 through the the halfway point. I was getting passed every now and then but, managed to. stay closed to HighBPM and iandalton65 for the next 1/4. They would pass me on the hills and I would catch up with them on the down hills so I just tried to not get too far behind them on the hills. I just kept grinding and they both finally let up a bit and I managed to pass them. I passed 2 more riders in the last 1/4 and settled into 37 place. I didn’t look like I was going to catch anyone else but, now I had to hold on and get over those last few hills because there were 5 riders (Ramparu, Chak, sunniva, JensDWulf, Mucker1974) gaining on me and within striking distance if they had anything left. I was pretty gassed but, just dug deep and talked my self up and over those last 2 rollers and held on to my 37th finish. didn’t hit all of my goals (2.8 w/kg) but, felt good about my effort. I think for next week I’m going to check out the other races leader boards to get a feel of the other A6 finishers and maybe set some time goals. Haha!!
Sorry Mike, click reply by accident.
Not a problem. Others have done it; I’ve done it myself. But your story reminds me of what I think are the two primary skills for a TT: pacing, knowing what pace to do; and persistence, refusing to let yourself stop even as it gets harder and harder. Good job! Unfortunately, it never gets any easier.
Thanks! Yah, I know, never easier, unless your not giving it your all but, just maybe a little faster. 😉 I’m learning a lot from reading all the plans and strategies from you stronger riders!! The problem is I’m not getting any younger but, I think I still have some room to grow.
To clarify the Categories, unlike other systems, these Categories only use w/kg power for your initial Category assessment. After this, they are based on your performance within the Muckers Thursday Championship, almost like Pros moving up UCI rankings … so, turn up, earn the points and finish top you get moved up, irrespective of the power and speed of other riders around you. We do need to consider the impact of riders getting stuck in an unsuitable category so the option to manually review these riders remains viable in the system. All the riders in Categories below you have the opportunity to climb higher using performance.
So if you never miss a race, and relentlessly claw and scratch and battle for every meter, and second, and placing, you will find yourself over your head in a category far above your rating? Gotcha.
lol, “over your head”. you are funny Mike. but if what we are doing is making you : “relentlessly claw and scratch and battle for every meter, and second, and placing”, meaning you are pushing and training as hard as you possibly can, then our work here is done lol. . 👊
nice read Mike. Don’t think too hard on the categories after 1 race, remember we are using everyone’s performance history and giving the new riders categories based on the w/kg they just did in this race. Its never going to be totally sorted out, but that’s also part of the fun to keep them fresh rather than the same categories or riders against each other week in week out. I’m not saying it’s totally a raffle and i think after a while, riders will find themselves hopefully in 1 of 3 categories. A main one, one they get into after a cracking month, and one they drop into after a bad one. rather than just one category all year long….yawn…..😉🥱💪
(Pablo) So when exactly do all the big hitters stop wasting part of their Thursdays indoors on the trainer? This was one stacked field. At the end of his comment for the April TT, EddyDomino who has an experienced eye for these things looked ahead and predicted that this Flemish route would be interesting. Indeed.
I’m not all that keen on doing the TT, but trying to figure out a plan is kind of fun. So, what did we come up with?
1) Keep the beautiful bright red Trek TT bike, like Tomas, Sharky and others have, on the hooks, and go with the climby road bike and wheels.
2) Pre ride the pre ride and break it down. Seven bergs by my count, 1500 ‘ climbing, no long steep downhills in sight. So crush the bergs, 90+ RPMs, small chain ring, HR near the top of zone 7…5++w/kg territory. On the yellow parts, big chain ring, 90 RPM, get what you can get, and maybe recover just a tinge on the green parts.
3)Plan to ride a negative split. Go hard on the first part, but don’t flame out before the half way point. Then take a chance and just go for it to the end.
4) Do the recon race because no one else will be there. Less distraction from what everyone else is doing. 14 others showed up, including some big hitter types. Oh well, I can watch them for a few seconds until they are out of sight. Stick to the plan!
So, how did it go? I remember writing Kyle last summer when I joined the Muckers and told him my racing had pretty much devolved into me against the course, and me against myself. Today, 4.1 w/kg, 5.1w/Kg on the bergs, HR average 145 (lower zone 7), avg cadenced 91, NP 280. I don’t feel like I left anything out there. One bit of a problem, I am only #6 in the category A2 right now. Some of you need to go outside and play. You know who you are.
Looking ahead for a moment to June TT. Porto. The wife and I loved this route IRL. For a Sunday stroll maybe. Dead Flat. Early plan includes putting my big fan behind my bike for as much tail wind as possible. Otherwise I will have difficulty finishing in the same time zone as some of my racing friends.
Neil, thanks for mixing it up. Cheers everyone.
Hey, Old Man, I’m having a tough time keeping up with you. Your plan was largely my plan too. 1) Went with the Icon; 2) no pre-ride, but hammer the kickers, yep; 3) Negative split? Planned it, didn’t happen; 4) Recon race? Nope. Main event for me. I like to keep an eye on the competition. Helps me draw inspiration.
Love reading your thoughts, Paul. Also the comment “some of you need to go outside and play” hahaha
great read Pablo and hopefully see you on the next 3.
Oh yeah, finally the first race, and this month is a very difficult race for distance and elevation. But it’s a new championship in A4 and I’ll see how it goes… not super rocket start for safe my legs, after a high intensity week, but I see many red and purple section, and not sound good 😅. Very nice work along the route, first section 3.8 agv, second 3.5 and last 3.4 agv. At the end not so far to my nearest competitor but I arrived 7th (a4 3.1 agv), here I see new names, and I look to see how they ride for the other battle.
Very interesting and compliments to Klintomie, always near me, often in front or behind but your work is well 🔥👏, You are my special reference for hold a good pace, next month we battle together perhaps 😎😉. Also good work to MNHROUVY, you was more speedy that me especially in downhill, and right to finish in front of me. Thanks a lot for all we rode with me, see you all to the next for another adventure 😎💪🦈
It was very nice to ride with you, and quite a surprise to me that I was able to actually be in front of you in small stints. But make no mistake,Manuel, once the climbs hit (and I have checked the program, they will come) you are gonna leave me behind in the dust. Don’t use me as a reference 😉
Keep being my carrot in front of me, the holy grail that I am chasing!
Oh for the days long ago when I could swim with the Shark. You keep getting stronger, while I keep getting older 😉 Seriously, nice ride and special thanks for pulling me most of the way up the climb in the “E” race on Wednesday. Cheers!
It was very nice to ride with another Muckers on Wednesday, very great job 💪
nice read mucker and i agree with Uncle Eric, i also remember racing around you and keep waiting for you to slow down or me to speed up but the gap is getting bigger ever race! how great is it to be able to write about different versions of 3w/kg planning, where i am just hoping to hit 3.0 for 5 mins now and again. well done Mucker
After a month in Colorado and New Mexico, I am back! Woop woop! But first things first, I gotta hit the weight and ch… 87 kg?! I lost 3 kilograms while being in the states? What the actual …
Great news and I cannot believe it. Who goes to America and loses weight? I thought for sure I was gonna gain. Anyways, that means that I am down 13 kg from October and of course it also means that I run to open my laptop and put in the new weight in Rouvy. The RA tells me that 3 kg shredded should shave off about 45 seconds on my TT – okay! I will take it!
I was worried about the race, as tuesdays race was a bit rough on me, and altough I have been riding some in Colorado, being with your friend and enjoying the ride is not as intense as being alone in your basement on a hometrainer against Sharky.
I didn’t have too much of a tactic going into the race, other than go hard on the climbs and try to get my heart rate a bit down on the descents. My main force is that I am very persistent and I am focused on my goals, and that makes me push the extra effort out. It was very fun to ride around Ronse, I have down several of the climbs before a couple of times, I know Berg Ten Houte for instance. I was very surprised once the first bergs/muurs starting coming – I was not getting dropped? In fact, I actually overtook a lot of people?! What is going on … And for the entire route, I was sitting with my italian buddy, Mr Sharky himself – sometimes even in front of him, distancing myself to him, which was very motivation, because Sharky is someone I hope to one day beat or at least be on the level of.
Sharky did put in the dagger on the very last climb and left me behind, but it was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the ride and nice to “see” you all again.
I of course meant “I gotta hit the scale and check my weight” hahaha. Direct Danish translation blunder.
Thanks for the compliments, too many for me 🫶🏻 but I’m an simply rider, but a warrior that never give up 💪😉
nice read Mucker! i believe you have a calibration issue with your scales lol! No one goes on vacation and comes back at a “happy” weight, unless you went to get some Mounjaro???? Sounds like you had a cracking race so lets see how the month goes for you as you are looking really good for promotion already with a nice gap to 2nd place, but we now draft for 3 races so watch out!
I have two questions btw:
1) A lot less riders in this race – is that because the weather is nice and is this something that has also happened other years?
2) How do you get demoted in category?
Neil will confirm this, but as I understand it:
1) yes – it’s quite normal. I’m guessing there’s a fair number who either have 6 month subscriptions or choose to ride outdoors anyway during the nice months. Grab the top 50 points while we can!
2) be the lowest placed in your category who also does all 4 races. Exceptions are made, e.g. if only 1 rider completes all 4 in a category that rider isn’t going to be demoted.
Observation: This is part of the reason we have some riders still in categories they don’t belong in – if they don’t do all 4 races then they can’t be demoted and it’s unlikely they’ll get enough points to be promoted. Not really a problem imho.
Eric is spot on apart from “if a rider has only done 3 or less races they don’t move”, we will move someone who even after 3 races looks to be in a blatantly incorrect category.
As for race participation, it’s now going to be quieter till around September and riders start to come back and they just focus on doing well for monthly goals. It also depends on how new the races are, as when they are new, we get more, and when they’ve been out for a while and we’ve scheduled them late due to how many challenge routes have been released, you find a drop off then as well as riders have already completed the route.
This is kinda why we’ve had to leave out 3 of the 4 Italian challenges as we’d already got this month fully scheduled up with challenge routes, and ROUVY released the 4 challenges but with an end date of around the 14th of June giving me around 4 of our race days to try and squeeze about 15 races into. So i just went with at least scheduling all the routes from 1 challenge “Maglia Azzurra” into our events, but the other 3 are left for you to at your pleasure, then hopefully the next round of challenges can get scheduled “early” and we get more racers.
First, I didn’t look where we were riding this week so it was a nice surprise to see I recognised everywhere. Muckers have met up and ridden these ‘real’ roads and climbs on a few occasions and the area is a cycling Mecca.
TT week, lovely. I watched parts of an earlier event and noticed that top speeds rarely passed 45mph on the descents. I ‘spin out’ and coast just before this speed but I could see it would only be for a few seconds so decided on an even paced strategy without needing to increase heart rate up the climbs. Gentle start (2.8) for a minute, gradually bring up to 3.0 then ‘hold’. Once again, ignore all other riders and stick to plan, once they impact your strategy it’s ‘game over’ so keep your pace whether passing or being passed.
Very pleased with performance, I could not have squeezed another second out tonight. Time to hang up the TT wheels until June (I stubbornly ‘keep it real’ and refuse to use them on road races even indoors … despite the obvious penalty)
Mr Ludford: Now I know why you seem to underperform in the non-TT events. You are penalizing yourself by refusing to use the TT wheels. I’m guessing you also weigh yourself wearing your full kit – shoes and all. Am I right? I for one would like to see as level a playing field as possible and encourage you to – in the name of fair competition – use the equipment that’s allowed for all races. And as far as the scale is concerned, I’m not sure what others do, but I use my “bare” weight just before the race. I think this is common. If I’m worng, I hope someone will jump in and correct me.
Kudos on another outstanding TT. When I saw you coming up on me late in the race I thought to myself, “I really need to learn how to pace a TT like he does!” Cheers -e
Good observation, yes, my system weight on Rouvy is almost always 2kg or 3kg higher than my net weight. I do this mostly so I can verify my indoor performance in preparation for riding major outdoor climbs. I actually wish we could all race on the Rouvy Bike as it is almost a 100% match to outdoors but if I do it unilaterally it’s just too hard and I risk injury trying to keep with my peers. But, no, 12 spokes remains my minimum wheel attribute for group racing 😉 I’m such a purist 🤦
Regards the non TT race underperformance … give me an even paced TT anyday … you guys kill me when it ramps past 3.5w/kg on the ascents.
Ste, I’ve always applauded your approach to always making the ROUVY experience as hard as you can. It makes perfect sense to do so, this is a training app at the end of the day, that should make you better or at least ready for if/when you go out in the real word. No point in getting all your stats to a point you are beating everyone on ROUVY, then you go out in the real world and you can’t get up and over the first hill you hit!
Remember when i wanted to do a championship where we were all on the same bikes, same height and same weight, then at the end of the race, the top 10 increase there weight 1 kg per place and last pace could drop there weight 10kgs, next place 9kgs and so on till we got to 1kg. Then go again with these new weights for the next race and repeat. I “guestimated” after about 10 races we’d all be fighting for first and no one got dropped and what a way to use this training platform as just that, training for outdoors! But it just wasn’t going to happen as people can get very upset when you try and do something different and just ask them to trust the idea, but the main reason we chose to leave it was how messing around once a week with your figures might actually get you a automatic DSQ from ROUVY, or at least mess up your stats.
And i always have my weight set 1 kg higher than my morning post-poo weight check lol but maybe that’s too much information……
It’s a really interesting subject/dilemma. Rouvy primarily, for me, needs to match real world scenarios as much as possible and I am often uncomfortable with the speeds we race thinking 🤔 could I really do this. Lack of wind resistance and bunch drafting is something most of us rarely experience in real life and I am sure easily accounts for 3,4,5+ mph extra on Rouvy. I am then reassured when I use the Rouvy Bike in solo ‘Just Ride’ mode and see the speeds are similar to real life.
The gamification of imagining I have access to 100 bikes and wheelsets does not interest me personally but I can see how it would trigger and motivate others and enhance their Rouvy experience. However, I love the racing on Rouvy, I don’t mind what other riders do in terms of equipment and personal weight/height settings as long as they are consistent, if they remain consistent in these areas then I have a solid reference to race against.
What I would add positively, including my Farnham team mates I estimate I have ridden with a least 50 Rouvy riders in real life and I would say 9/10 have performed as I expected based on Rouvy. The Muckers race series has developed a strong core of trusted riders without the overbearing ‘hurdles’ required for monetised competitions. The extra banter and encouragement you witness between the leading riders and riders all the way down the field is the icing on the cake.
Great thoughts Mr. Ludford. The one thing that doesn’t translate from Rouvy to the real world for me is bike handling, single track and all that, and racing downhill without brakes. But otherwise I have been pleasantly surprised with my outdoor performances. My best friend and teammate for 35 years says I am fitter now than ever before, and we have even raced in Europe. As for weight, I try to take a picture on the scale before any Mucker race (showing the my toes, but hopefully no other body part) Cheers
As Neil joked, “got demoted, you better be winning your” category – well that’s going to happen with Klinthomie back on the circuit! As expected, he was gone from the start – never to be seen again. This was the first TT where I got to do the Thursday “main event,” and I had a great opportunity to see how my peers approached it. Despite doing short races on Tuesday and Wednesday, I felt great and spent some significant time with Duckman2 and Rouvy1Bryon who both usually beat me when there’s any climbing. First 48 minutes of the race went about as well as I could expect given my poor climbing. And now “the Excuse”: I was on the phone with my wife for the final 11 minutes of the race. Not sure how much of an impact that had, but it gives me hope that if I can get a full race in next week – with no distractions – maybe I’ve got a chance to move up. Special call-out to SLudford. He was behind me when I took the call and not only blew by me but looks like he passed 3 others in the final 10 minutes! Great ride Ste! Now we just need to convince you to keep using the TT wheels in all races.
Being able to hold a call with your wife for 11 minutes while doing a TT? Now that is a feat!
Not to intrude into family dynamics, but was she maybe calling to tell you to up rhe watts by 5% ? lol
I only wish! Sadly she’s been suffering from an extremely painful, debilitating condition for the past 5 years. I ride downstairs and our bedroom is upstairs, so she calls me on the phone if she needs something. I’ve got the phone set to “do not disturb” when I’m riding, but it’s configured so her calls – and only hers – can always get through. Usually a call from her is ride-ending, but she was a real trooper yesterday and toughed it out with me until the end – I just had to keep talking her through it. I feel like I’m making excuses,(which I am), but helps me a little to share our situation. Thanks for your understanding!
Thank you for sharing. God bless both of you.
Well done Eric and thanks for sharing. Sometimes we all need these reality checks. She sounds like a real Mucker and even with what she’s going through she’s supporting you as well! Kudos to you both!
Unable to be present Thursday evening, due to à family training camp at the Mont Ventoux, I was happy to race Wednesday for the recon race.
I choosed a road bike with carbon spores wheel because of the numerous short steep climbs. What was the plan ? Strong pace for the climbs, small rests during the descents and 3.8-4.0 W/kg pace elsewhere… Did it work? Mainly, although I stayed all the race 10-20 seconds ahead of Wolli.d!
We were 5 in the same minute at the end: Karel S, Pablo45, RJL1925 and Wolli.d
Including a TT was definitly a great idea!👍
well Done Mucker! wow, a family training camp at Mont Ventoux! My favorite looking climb and one I’d love to do one day. Does it actually look at other worldly in real life, as it always does when i see it on the tour and on ROUVY??
We are all loving the 1st round TT, and after how i messed it up on 2 race times last month, i think i must have double checked this months 7 races at least 10 times to make sure they were all definitely set at “non-draft” . This non-draft format also means it really doesn’t matter which version you do as it is all about you versus the clock, but what a group of riders to have with you to keep the pace properly high!
Well done and good luck for the rest of the month!
The final kilometers are really beautiful on both sides. The white rocky landscape is breathtaking.
Perhaps we could organize a Mucker training camp one of these days at Vaison-la-Romaine… It is a nice place with a variety of routes from easy to very difficult, including Mont Ventoux and magnificent Roman ruins to visit.