heckler

I am signing up for the NJ state Championship race in 2 weeks and wondering if a state championship race is any different than a regular race. This will be my 7th cat 5 race and I am pretty excited since they normally alway combine the 4/5 fields, and this one will be separate.

Anything special I should expect, teams working together more than normal, or for a specific guy?

Anyone else going down there? It is way out there especially since most of the NJ crowd is from up north.

mattm

WA state RR/crit chapionships races are going on soon - from what I can tell the only difference is no payouts, just medals/bragging rights.

Might be my first 3's races in fact - should be interesting.

Homebrew01

Pretty much "regular" races here in CT, including prize money:

Crit:
https://www.bikereg.com/events/regist...?eventid=10397

RR:
https://www.bikereg.com/events/regist...?eventid=10634

mattm

I was wrong, there are payouts for the 1/2 men/women in the State Champ crit, but not the RR (held on the same weekend, same town this year). Medals/merch for other cats.

In some states you get a jersey I think.

Racer Ex 

Cat 5 Championship? Never got that.

That being said nobody gives a jersey for free. Expect a harder race.

Creakyknees

agreed. there should be only 1 race: "open".

Homebrew01

That's how it was here for the RR in the old days. Cat 1-4, 100+ miles. Top 6 or 7 qualified for nationals.

umd

I don't see anything wrong with having championship races for each category, except 5. There's stll something to be said about being the best in your category or age group.

Our championship road races were over the weekend. I just checked, the cat 5s were non-championship

https://www.scnca.org/2010raceflyers/GEC.pdf

45suited

I am signed up for the 4's right now. Yeah, I am not too excited for the 2 1/2 hr ride each way. Hopefully I will get the last of my points for my 3 upgrade if it doesn't happen this weekend.

Also, doing the 35+ championship on Sat where I am in way over my head. It should make the 4 race feel like a recovery ride though =).

DrWJODonnell

It's a fun course. People want the Jersey and the stupid little medal. Having said that, it's a cat 5 race. Expect it to come down to a bunch sprint (though the little hill at the end will actually separate things out if you can avoid the crashes going into that hill) unless a triathlete just rides away from everyone.

heckler

Sounds good, I will expect a little more intensity to it then. I am just glad I get a RR semi local. I am normally stuck with crits and the one RR I have done seemed to fit my riding much better. I will watch out for people going nuts at the end for the medals/jersey and all. Seeing as how it is 5s I am really just looking for another start, but I hope to do well.

veloboy971

Expect a few more people to show up, especially the ones that are good in the discipline. At the FL state TT, there were lots of peeps you don't normally see who are really good at time trials and nothing else. Next weekend at the crit, you get a huge 3's field, much larger than you normally see...just expect the state championship to be a little harder since the possibility of a state title will bring everyone and their brother out.

It's not that it's that much faster, just so many more people that you have to be that much stronger to get a successful break going.

Grumpy McTrumpy

nobody is showing up to the NY state champs. mostly canadians.

MDcatV

in MABRA (MD, NoVA, DE, WashDC) you win a jersey for winning the district championship road race or crit. Cat 5 isnt considered a championship event, and the winner from cat 3 or 4 is required to upgrade to wear the jersey (for Sr. Championships). for whatever reason, the events are not as well attended as several of our more marquee annual events. for instance, bigger crowd for the reston town center crit and kelly cup than for sr. crit championships, and a bigger crowd for the poolesville RR and Jeff cup than for RR championships. Also, more racers target said marquee events than the championship ones.

Masters district championships are a wasteland, i dont think we've had an age-graded RR or crit for a few years now. Surprising because at normal events, these are popular race categories.

Homebrew01

I'm sure they could have found a more remote location if they tried a little harder.

GirlAnachronism

That's because it's practically IN Canada.

I wanted to go, but no way am I trekking all the way out there. I should be able to make it to the NJ RR though, since they allow out of state women.

Dunce

Be careful not to mention these sorts of facts to your local association reps.

spinwax

When I was a Jr in the 80s-90s that is how it was. You had to be in the top 5 I think to qual for Nationals. Hell, even at Nationals, you had to qaulify for the actual Champ race. Once you got to Nationals, there was a first day of 3 heats of 60 riders each. You had to place in the top half to make it to the champ race of 90 the next day.

Homebrew01

Come race the CT RR and Crit too.

GirlAnachronism

If I can bum a ride, I will!

mollusk

Does the Mann Act apply here?

mollusk

I was there.

I'm not good at TT's.

I'm not good at anything else either.

ElJamoquio

I agree.

Nevertheless, should I be so lucky to win one, I will wear my Master's jersey with pride.

Last year, I was eligible to race in the 30-34 category 4/5 race. I would've won. I decided that jersey wasn't worth wearing.

Grumpy McTrumpy

yeah I know it's a hike, but I did the race last year, and it is a truly awesome course.

it's also around the same distance as Syracuse (from NYC), not to mention it's in some of the most lovely country the NE has to offer.

However, this weekend is like race central in every part of the Northeast. Buffalo, NYC, CT, NJ...the list goes on.

Racer Ex 

I believe the age graded championships are more reflective of actual racing prowess than the category-based championships, other than the 1 & 2's. There's no denying that age slows people, and you can't sandbag your birth certificate; there's nothing subjective about being 40, 50, or 60.

You certainly can sandbag your cat though, and people do. And the categories are quite subjective and easily manipulated.