Jancouver

BTW we do have 4 fields in 2015

Cat 1-3
Cat 4-5
35+ 1-5
50+ 1-5

Cant wait for all the Cat 5s 35-49 years old to line up for the 35+ races, should be fun (but slightly dangerous)

caloso

My first race ever, I signed up for the Cat 5 race and the M35+ 1-5. After I finished the Cat 5 race, I thought "Oh this second race with all the old guys is going to be much easier!"

D'oh!

tetonrider

that just seems lame on so many levels. who would do that? guess a team has to be pretty desperate.

himespau 

And the thing is, what good is that? If they go race anywhere else, they'd probably be OTB rather quick if they need those tactics to get upgrades.

fiataccompli

sort of, sometimes, maybe. For just me...ie, not part of a team effort or based on logistics like the start time or something, I opt for what will challenge me the most. But I don't do it for personal superlatives.

caloso

One thing about being a 47 year old Cat 3 is that I sometimes have a choice of 5 races. But having kids who have their own activities and a wife who often works weekends, more often than not I'm choosing races based when I need to pick up the kids.

fiataccompli

I can relate to that (except the Cat3 part) quite well. Around here, Cat3 seems to offer a number of good racing options and seems a reasonable spot for a guy like me at mid-40s and having never been paid to ride a bicycle. Again, I appreciate the input here. I think when the time is right, I'll have a conversation with the local official.

grolby

P123 is pretty common in TBRA-land, so that made my 3 upgrade exciting. But I loved it, it was like "so you think you know how to race a bike?" I learned more in 10 P123 races than I had in the last four years. Now that I'm up in NEBRA, fields are much bigger and P123 races are most common at early season training races or the big mid-week crits in late summer, like Witches' Cup.

It was also an eye-opener about what a potential 2 upgrade would be like, though. If I have a season where I come in a little flat, I can still hang in a 3 crit without much difficulty. Out of shape in a P/1/2 crit? Out the back.

shovelhd

Clif Bar did that at Blue Hills a few years ago to get Mark up the road. One guy crossed it through the dirt on the inside, and a bunch of others got sent to the back for crossing the yellow. Those guys are all Cat1's, 2's, and ex-pros so they don't need points nor are they desperate.

Jancouver

Exactly, that was my case too when I got sent to the back because I could no longer take to ride at 10mph and crossed the yellow line. Then the ref asked me to ride behind the group which I protested against and got into argument with him just to be DQ.

Haha and that was that, then it was obvious I will get kicked out of the next race which I have publicly predicted and so it did happen when I allegedly crossed the invisible line. Then the 3 month USAC ban arrived as those not in check with the local promoter/sponsor/officials agenda are just not welcome.

BTW I'm not any kind of rebel and never had single issue with any promoter, official, sponsor, team or rider and I can tolerate more than enough but when the BS level is even too much for me, you know there is a real problem.

So guys remember, sometimes the guy with the broom is the one pulling the strings!

Ygduf

wb you had us worried

mattm

still lame tho.

furiousferret

In addition to disguising your bf location, I suggest this:

gsteinb

pffft he blocks his IP and his thoughts with this

tetonrider

i think it's ego. pretty much everyone in cycling wants the next upgrade or would love to get to cat 1, right?

it's lame, but from what i've seen these people don't really travel for races, so they just get the artificial upgrade/pat-on-the-back, then park in their local p12 scene.

would be pretty hollow for me, but whatever floats one's boat, i guess. it's a shame that it has impact on guys like jancouver and others, though.


jancouver is a super nice guy, a mentor to junior riders, and a solid racer. that he is caught up in this is pretty notable.

shovelhd

True that. Surprising.

fiataccompli

I have no aspiration for Cat1. I'm 46 years old in a few months, riding all my life in varying levels of intensity and got into road racing only in the last couple (3 technically) years. Cat3 is a nice spot with lots of challenging options & long enough races to be worth booking a full day for travel. Cat1 for a guy coming into the sport at my age seems pretty poseur-esque & maybe even so as simply an aspiration. I probably have a bit of an outlier enjoyment of the sport, but whatever.

revchuck 

In my LA, most Master's races are 40+/55+, started together but scored separately. Even in the one local race that draws folks from across the country (Rouge-Roubaix), that field is only about 40 or so. The field at Joe Martin is going to be about the same, and it's an NRC race. That means that even down here among the gators and such, I still get to line up next to former Olympic racers and guys in stars-and-stripes jerseys...huge breadth of ability levels.

I'm in pretty much the same position, except my RA is 64. Due to a combination of lack of racing opportunities and lack of talent I don't see myself even getting out of Cat 4. I'm learning a bunch from the fast geezers I race with, though.

furiousferret

Keep your chin up! Things can train drastically year to year, and everything may just come together. Really it doesn't really matter, Cat 4's get the same rush that the 1's get, just not the attention. The important thing is you line up having at least a punchers chance at a win (or your teammate).

Also, one of our guys is a pilot and occasionally rides in Golden Meadow; weird place. His instagram pics are on these roads surrounded by the ocean.

globecanvas

Yeah. Totally. Cat 1 is for poseurs. The real salt of the earth racers are cat 3 lifers. After that, if you win races or do well, it's just showing off and putting on airs.

furiousferret

I beg to differ, but whatever. Cat 4's train with no support vehicle, no free coaching or systematic doping programs like the 3's. No big prize money or champagne drenching. Half the time, we don't want to win because the podium girl is named Bob.

fiataccompli

huh? I think I glossed over the tone on that one. My point is that for a guy starting a racing career in mid life with a family, a career, etc., perhaps his goals and motivation for racing may be different than someone 20 or more years younger. It's a balance thing I guess, but I can only speak for myself so I don't mean to imply anyone else is a poseur or whatever.

gsteinb

shrug. racer X came into the sport in his 40s and became a 1 with national titles, and a national record. I upgraded to 1 at 45.for the record I like it just fine.

shovelhd

I have half the points and will never get there. And so it goes.

Ygduf

I have until mid-may to find another 15 points (10 can be masters!) to go 2->1 in under a year and not have to use the "points never expire" clause. I did my first race at 31 and bought a bike at age 28.

I feel like the goal should always be to upgrade as upgrading is just an effect of doing well. If you're going to race, you might as well try to do well.