globecanvas

When Canadians come down to race with us, as I understand it, they get to choose what category they think they belong in.

beatlebee 

You from Tucson? I mean we are laid back here, haven't ya noticed?

BTW, I assume you are riding the Shootout regularly?

Alaska Mike

I was idly considering coming down to the Lower 48 to race a stage race in the Pacific Northwest. Our races aren't sanctioned by USAC, so even though I've been road racing for going on 9 years (probably averaging 20-25 race days a season), I have never held a USAC license nor participated in a USAC-sanctioned race. Depending on the official, I could be placed in a Cat 5 field, which doesn't bother my ego except that many stage races for Cat 5s have fewer stages than the higher categories. If I'm going to make the investment, I want as much humiliation as the guy that beats me to the line for 25th.

What do most officials do for racers that compete in non-USAC leagues? Is the blood bad enough between sanctioning bodies that some officials refuse upgrades based on non-USAC resumes?

Doge

English guy here today and we were talking. He says they don't have Cat 5. But categories transfer. He's a 1 there and a 1 here.

shovelhd

Go back and read what I wrote again. I qualified it quite clearly. All I have to go on is what you wrote. Since you choose to be cagey about your past then it means nothing to me unless someone I trust backs it up. Look at what you wrote. The title of this thread. Complaining about driving to earn your upgrade. Looking for shortcuts. Your reason to jump the system. Those are terrible reasons to upgrade someone short of the requirements.

Ygduf

I don't even touch them and they get mad.

Go do some c5 races. If you podium 3-4-5 of them ask for an upgrade. Worst they can say is no.

shovelhd

This is sound advice.

Bridrider

I've only done the Saturday Shootout once and the Tuesday one twice. They are like my new favorite thing though.

shovelhd

In the Northeast we don't have a "non-USAC league" although we have a few pirate races. Reporting is simple. If a USAC official is not present, the race didn't exist and no results are posted. No results, no finishes or points. I don't know how it works in areas that have multiple sanctioning bodies. I believe that Colorado and the Pacific Northwest have them, but I could be wrong.

globecanvas

I just want you to know I've marked this down in my little book of scores to settle later. Someday when you least expect it... let's just say, remember the last scene in The Godfather?

beatlebee 

OP: you riding for a team?

Alaska Mike

Like the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA), our local sanctioning body broke away from USCF because of the relatively high costs associated with operating under them. They could not hold as many races and had fewer racers because of the fees. When you have a relatively small pool of potential racers to draw from and no outside racers coming in, you have to do what works for you, and the break was almost entirely positive for us. Racers and the number of races are up significantly, thanks to a core of very dedicated individuals. Our fields are tiny compared to a lot of places, but all things considered the number and variety of races is pretty great. They're all timed and recorded, although we don't run a formal points system (like USAC) for upgrade and don't run the same classes.

I believe OBRA still has a reciprocity agreement with USAC so that their memberships are recognized. I'm not sure how that's spelled out, and I doubt we have the same agreement in place.

In my case, I wouldn't be looking for a significant bump up. I was thinking just to Cat 4 or Cat 4 Masters so I could get the extra stage in there.

valygrl

In CO I think there were two orgs, but they merged a couple years ago (the year I started racing, never raced under the old system) and now BRAC functions as the LA for USAC.

topflightpro

Yes. It was ACA. Many of the mtb races I did in Texas were under ACA.

furiousferret

I just hope you keep it on the forum; we got some prank calls today at our house which seems highly coincidental. As someone who has their race schedule, Strava data, and a plethora of other personal information I'm sure you could probably do quite a bit of damage. I personally think you're taking a comment which you know was not intended for you a tad bit too far, but whatever.

Keep it out of my home, don't call again if that was you. Go after me when I'm on the bike. My race schedule is posted. I have good health insurance and my wife will get a decent paycheck if you happen to get lucky and end me.

Doge

Where do you post your race schedule?

Alaska Mike

Wow. Did it just go there? In an amateur racing forum?

Just a suggestion all around- Lay off the trips south of the border to phamacias for "supplements" and instead go for a long ride. Maybe two.

globecanvas

BTW, Happy Hanukkah everybody!

https://www.hulu.com/watch/271363

revchuck 

Getting back to the original topic...just got this from the president of my LA concerning upcoming changes in the 2015 USAC rulebook:

Ygduf

You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn't you, paranoia? Oh

Bridrider

I am not yet however there's a local bike shop near me that may restart their team. If they do start the team, I will join or what ever you do.

pecos

hey bridrider,

2 years ago I raced this guy in the 5's.

Youth Olympics feature: Seth Rider |*Triathlon.org

AFAIK he did all his ten races before upgrading to the 4's. He won at least one if not more and was on the podium a handful on his first year of racing. He wasn't so successful once he upgraded. But to be fair road racing is just a way for him to fill in time, his sport is triathlons.

The point is, no matter how strong or gifted you are there are things that are only learned thru experience. Let me play the devil's advocate here, let's say you do get fasttracked to the 4;s. There are plenty of sandbaggers in that category, main reason being that once you become a 3 in most places they lump you with the 1s and 2s, even if you get scored separately it is not the same thing as racing against your category as a whole. So plenty of riders stick to the 4s when they should have upgraded years ago.

You may be strong enough to beat most 5's but don't think that you can race successfully against stronger riders if you haven't acquired the mental skills as well as technical to compete at higher speeds against higher caliber riders.

Pay your dues, take the effort to go to races, you will meet like-minded and equally gifted riders who may become friends for life and better yet teammates and cat up along with you. If you just drop into the 4's all alone you will find out they can be the biggest a$$holes out there. More so than the ones you have already encountered on this forum.

Racer Ex 

I remeber when Chad Haga and Lawson Craddock were both 5's.