"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - How long it took to get Cat 3?

Alright, I am going to be upgrading to Cat 4 by the end of the season, so I was wondering how long it took you guys to be able to make the jump from Cat 4 to Cat 3? I'm curious if you spent more time as a Cat 5 or a Cat 4.

5-3

40 days.

5-3

40 days.


Wow, how many races?

Alright, I am going to be upgrading to Cat 4 by the end of the season, so I was wondering how long it took you guys to be able to make the jump from Cat 4 to Cat 3? I'm curious if you spent more time as a Cat 5 or a Cat 4.

5 to 4 about two months. 4 to 3 about three months. Still working on the next one...

Totally depends on the cyclist. If you are consistently winning or finishing in the top 5 in Cat5, you will likely have fairly immediate success in Cat4.

--Steve

5-3

40 days.

A little bit more...closer to 60 days 5-3. But I'm older and it takes me a while to get up in the morning.

I'm going to be spending a *lot* more time as a 4 than I did as a 5.

Hmmm, I guess I have to find more/ do more races... I only did 5 last season.

Cat 5 – 6 races (1st,1st,1st,3rd,20th,2nd) (plus 3 upgrade clinics) – 1 race in Sept 1995, 5 in January, 2006. (20th was a 35+ all Cats race)
Cat 4 – 8 races (1st,4th,crash – out for 3 weeks,2nd,3rd,2nd,2nd,1st) – 2 ½ months.
Cat 3 – 11 races (6th,25th,5th,4th,9th,46th,59th,9th,2nd,4th,1st) – 3 months.
Cat 2 – 29 races in 11 months, still a long way to Cat 1.

5-3, 4 mos.
Willamette Valley Classic was my last race as a 4. Took 6th in the road race then 1st in the circuit race.

1992-93 cat4
1994 - cat3
1995-early '97 - cat2
May 97 cat1 since

it took me a season to upgrade to a 3. Not too sure when I'll be able to upgrade to a 2, maybe the end of next season or the year after

2005 - Cat 5, upgrade to Cat 4 in June of 2005, finished season as pack fodder Cat 4
2006 - Cat 4, upgrade to Cat 3 in July (could have at end of May but held out to do a goal event as a 4), finished season as a 3.
2007 - Cat 3

Can you (or would you) upgrade to a 3 based only on the number of races rather than points ?

if you're competitive

Can you (or would you) upgrade to a 3 based only on the number of races rather than points ?

edit for more complete info.

Not sure if this is what you're after:

Yup. But what is considered a pack finish ?

Wow, how many races?


http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m106/Cypress818/Picture1-5.png


Edit: the 10th was actually a 1st. I was relegated.

I went from cat-4 -> 3 in 4 races over three weekends. Won my 1st three races and got 2nd in the 4th.

Cypress- Do the officials count your results towards points in the fields under 50?

5 races

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m106/Cypress818/Picture1-5.png


Edit: the 10th was actually a 1st. I was relegated.

Why? What'd you do?

Cypress, please consider Ryanf's reaction before you post leg-tearing results like that. I think you will have a stalker/boyfriend pretty soon.
Myself? Cat 5, 2 races, no desire/ability to upgrade yet :)

Why? What'd you do?


Slowed down after the finish line.

Cypress- Do the officials count your results towards points in the fields under 50?


We could have a P/1/2/3/4/5 field and still have less than 50.

He doesn't really have a choice.

I wonder who turned cat 1 at the oldest age.

We could have a P/1/2/3/4/5 field and still have less than 50.

He doesn't really have a choice.

Bring them massive guads to cali for 100 rider single class fields ;)

I think it was 6 or 7 races for 4 to 3. I started racing on June 10 as a Cat 5, and was a 3 by the end of August (but they didn't make me do all 10 cat 5 starts). This was in Colorado.

I wonder who turned cat 1 at the oldest age.

I'm 37 (racing age is 38) and my goal is to make Cat 1 before I'm 40.

What I need to do is find 2 or 3 good hilly stage races with separate Cat 2 fields.

I wonder who turned cat 1 at the oldest age.

I did it at age 32. Seems so young now...

wow, I feel so... insignificant!

I think my gravestone will say "How long will it take to get to Cat 3?"

:o

Hopefully pretty soon...

30 long years :)

Cat 5 to 3 in a year, but it was only 7 races. I did have experience from ages ago so I only raced 1 of those as a Cat 5.

I think my gravestone will say "How long will it take to get to Cat 3?"

:o


Shouldn't your gravestone say something more significant, like, "he saved many lives and raised beautiful children"?

My gravestone will say, "he always worried that he never got to do the Tour of Flanders, but in the end his great grandkids loved him best".

Shouldn't your gravestone say something more significant, like, "he saved many lives and raised beautiful children"?

My gravestone will say, "he always worried that he never got to do the Tour of Flanders, but in the end his great grandkids loved him best".

Get out of here with your "perspective", "balance" and "reality" :D

EDIT: To answer the question, it took me longer than a lot of the guys here...but then again, I have had two major knee operations. Started racing CAT-5 with a purpose in late March of 2006, upgraded to 4 in April of 2006. Raced until mid-July, tore my ACL, got surgery, did four winter series races, got a second ACL surgery, raced from late April until now - and upgraded to 3 as of yesterday.

Started as a 5 in March. Did 5 races (one win, 3 second places, and a 4th, four of which were in combined 4/5 or 3/4/5 races). Upgraded to 4 in the middle of March. Had pretty decent results as a 4 and upgraded to 3 on 5/23/07. I've had a smoking month since then and have enough points (depending on the upgrade official's take on field sizes, etc) to upgrade to 2 as of yesterday.

But to answer your question, two months or thereabouts.

Get out of here with your "perspective", "balance" and "reality" :D

EDIT: To answer the question, it took me longer than a lot of the guys here...but then again, I have had two major knee operations. Started racing CAT-5 with a purpose in late March of 2006, upgraded to 4 in April of 2006. Raced until mid-July, tore my ACL, got surgery, did four winter series races, got a second ACL surgery, raced from late April until now - and upgraded to 3 as of yesterday.

Congratulations.:)

Argh, MD beat me to it! Noah, congrats. See you at Ace tomorrow :) You can race the A race now if you want!

+1 congrats!

Gracias guys :D

Started as a 5 in March. Did 5 races (one win, 3 second places, and a 4th, four of which were in combined 4/5 or 3/4/5 races). Upgraded to 4 in the middle of March. Had pretty decent results as a 4 and upgraded to 3 on 5/23/07. I've had a smoking month since then and have enough points (depending on the upgrade official's take on field sizes, etc) to upgrade to 2 as of yesterday.

But to answer your question, two months or thereabouts.

5 to 2 in five months is smokin', man! I'm interested in your cat3 results; i.e. did you get GC points or just win four, etc... to get the min points for upgrade to cat2? There are some strong riders in your area for sure!

Seems like a lot of you guys have upgraded to Cat 4 before ten races as a Cat 5, or am I missing something?

and upgraded to 3 as of yesterday.


Only 60 points until cat1! and then a couple of "shots" at the ProTour

Seems like a lot of you guys have upgraded to Cat 4 before ten races as a Cat 5, or am I missing something?

I started in '92, the first year of cat5. Got 2nd in my first race and the rep upgraded me. He wasn't even sure what cat5 meant, as it was all new.

Our rep here will upgrade you before the 10 races, if you get the points, or are destroying fields, thus making it impossible for the "true" beginners.

5 to 2 in five months is smokin', man! I'm interested in your cat3 results; i.e. did you get GC points or just win four, etc... to get the min points for upgrade to cat2? There are some strong riders in your area for sure!
Well, I haven't submitted for the 2 upgrade yet- I just (in theory) have the points for it. But as I said, it'll depend on the leniency of the upgrade official since it's fairly difficult to find a 50-person cat 3 field even in a pretty active area like NC (D.C. area racers, count your blessings, even though you have to preregister as soon as events open).

As to results: 6th, 3rd, 4th, 1st (in an RR, so 10 points!), 4th, 2nd, 5th. I think it's likely that they won't count the two 4ths because they were in fairly small races, so I'm planning to race twice in Virginia Beach and then do the French Broad omnium before submitting for the upgrade- hopefully I'll manage good finishes in those races to pad the resume and points count.

I started in '92, the first year of cat5. Got 2nd in my first race and the rep upgraded me. He wasn't even sure what cat5 meant, as it was all new.

Our rep here will upgrade you before the 10 races, if you get the points, or are destroying fields, thus making it impossible for the "true" beginners.
Same thing in our area- with good results and assuming you're not wrecking other guys or crashing, you stand a chance at upgrading early.

I started in '92, the first year of cat5. Got 2nd in my first race and the rep upgraded me. He wasn't even sure what cat5 meant, as it was all new.

Same year and situation for my start. In 1992 in Colorado, they still had Citizen races, and the 5s could race the citizens or the 4s. I raced both categories for three events, placing top 5 in the Citizens and the 4s each time, and won a bunch of primes, so they upgraded me. My Cat 4 placings as a Cat 5 earned me points for upgrade to 3 as well.

and upgraded to 3 as of yesterday.

Yeah, I saw your upgrade on the Carolinas Cycling site. Nice!!

--Steve