johnybutts

I requested a downgrade to cat 4. I want to race in late september but don't want to race cat 3. The training has started.

merlinextraligh

Just quote any bible verse in response to any voir dire question. Judge not lest ye be judged works. Freaks out both sides and gets you struck quickly.

A jury is made up of 12 people ( now 6 in most places) not smart enough to get out of it.

merlinextraligh

How old are you? Racing Masters to me would be a more attractive option going back to 4/5 races.

revchuck 

Yeah, then he gets to race against 41-year-old Cat 1s in M40+. Actually, I don't think he's old enough.

johnybutts

I have a long ways to go - I'm 30. It shouldn't be hard to get out of the 4s if I'm fit. Hell... I've done it before.

I asked if I could just race on a single day license, but that was denied. I just dont want to race cat 3 distance and people without fitness. It's going to take at least a year or so to build back up some fitness and that will be plenty of option to get out of the 4s.

revchuck 

Assuming you get the downgrade, might it be possible to request an upgrade/restoration to 3 once you're back in shape, regardless of points?

topflightpro

I got called for Jury Duty about 10 years ago. I tried everything I could to get out of it, even waving to my friend the assistant DA in the courtroom. It didn't work. They were in desperate need of jurors that week. I went through voir dire in one case - wasn't selected - but I was sent back to the jury pool for consideration in a second case. I didn't get out of that one.

In the end, I am really glad I served on the jury. It was a fascinating experience. The thing I struggled with most was the presumption of innocence. I saw the defendant walk in, and my first thought was, "That guy is so guilty," before hearing any of the evidence. Still, we ended up finding him "Not Guilty." Everyone on the jury agreed that we thought the guy was guilty, but we didn't feel that the prosecutor proved "beyond a reasonable doubt" that he was guilty.

And really, every one of us on the jury thought it never should have gone to trial.

EastCoastDHer

No interest in Man Soaps. That's time and energy I could spend farming, lifting or riding. Ok, so usually just farming. I just don't understand the shows. When SOA came out I was selling bikes at a Harley Dealership. Half my coworkers were into it. But every time the Angels walked in everyone would scurry around all tight lipped. Just never got it. Like the show was fun but when reality set in everyone realized it wasn't all Hollywood gun fights and black bikes.

I've been off Facebook just over a year now. I got tired of all the drama. I could never win. So I figured why bother sharing my thoughts with people who aren't living in reality in the first place. I don't miss it. Too much of other people's generally garbage lives. Just like the man soaps. I'm alot more focused and happy now. No more trying to drown out thoughts of other people and their bad relationships, bad kids, bad spouses, bad days, bad jobs, bad friends.....

MDcatV

IME the difference between cat 3 and cat 4 is often negligible. I can support a decision to downgrade from 2 to 3, as, again IME the differences are substantial unless cat 2 only or 2/3 races are offered, but to go from 3 to 4 is not something I'd encourage.

island rider

I don't know... When I race 3/4 road races it feels WAY different than racing 4. Crits, different, but not wildly so.

echappist

They must have known that there'd people like me, showing up late, so while things start at 10, they tell me to show up at 9. I sauntered in at 9:20 (getting lost and issue with parking), and everyone else seems to be present.

this shoild be interesting

johnybutts

Its not so much the intensity that scares me but the distance. Considering my longest ride in the last 18 months was yesterday and totaled 52 minutes.... I dont want ot get dropped on the first hill and solo for 60+ miles in the Texas heat, but I am willing ot get dropped on the first hill and solo for 40.

furiousferret

I'm not a fan of the longer distances either, so if there's an option I'll go with the shorter one.

We have quite a few racers winning that already have points to go up, it would completely bog things if you get guys coming down from the 3's. Going down because you haven't trained for awhile imo isn't a very good reason.

grolby

Warning: cyclocross talk.

Just registered for The Big One, i.e. GP Gloucester at the end of September. Like all cross races in New England, staging in Cat 3 is based on Cross Results points. And it turns out that I have essentially the second-worst points in New England right now, excluding only people who don't have any results in the system at all. I had planned in coming in slower, but right now I'm looking at a back-row start. Because of the way the system works, if I do 5 races prior to Gloucester, and I do better than my most recent results (almost impossible not to), my points will be calculated from that and I should move up a bit. Problem is the other races will also be staging me from the back.

All of this means it looks like I'm starting my cross season on August 29th. Oy vey!

/cyclocross

mike868y

cross in august = dumb.

Wylde06

I agree with @mike868y only because I don't have a cross bike.

caloso

As a Terminal Cat 3, my only goal is to remain fit enough to not get immediately blown off the back.

wens

Cyclocross before October is dumb. People skipping road races in July and August to do base for cross is super dumb.

MDcatV

cross is dumb

furiousferret

I'm going to have to ride 35 miles to the race this weekend...not sure how its going to affect my legs when I actually get there!

grolby

Agree, but I need me some points. And it's August 29th so could be worse.

Disagree. If 'cross is your bag, you have to bow out of road season a little earlier unless you love burnout. And this is North America. The weather here sucks. We pretty much have to start cross in September.

MDcatV

i thought the bad weather and rolling around in the mud is what made 'cross so "epic"

mattm

I thought it was the tutus?

revchuck 

Maybe, but cold beer handups in August = good.

hack

I recently bought a cross frame and was disappointed in the lack of complimentary tutu or costume. I don't think there are many usac cx races out this way, quite a few independent series though.