Originally Posted by
Christobevii3
In Lambra you have a lot of people who are cat 1 in mtb, cyclocross, or cross country. They show up for their one or two road race a year, blow everyone out, then not show up till next year.
Cyclocross is different than MTB as far as categories go. In MTB you can declare yourself a Cat2 with zero experience. It is the equivalent of Cat5 men's road. Yes, there is a Cat3, but you can choose to be a Cat2 right from the get-go. Upgrading to Cat1 requires two top-five finishes. It's even easier than upgrading to Cat4 road. To get to pro, though, you have to get two top-threes or three top-fives at a national calendar event. So don't be impressed by a Cat1 MTB rider unless they're a solid road racer, too.