Bike "Noob" here with some serious questions about San diego races/bike clubs/ ect!
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Bike "Noob" here with some serious questions about San diego races/bike clubs/ ect!
So a little backstory about me, I started solo riding in march of 2011. I had a Fuji with sora components that cost me about 699$ and I rode that for around 2,000 miles for 3-4 months and absolutely FELL in love with this beautiful sport and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, I had to have surgery on my chest (Gynocemastia) and had to take a break from the bike... unfortunately that break turned into 6-7 months of individual therapy and I fell into depression and lost motivation to get onto the bike and ended up selling my Fuji.
I started school in september of 2011, and bought a new GT series 2, with apex components and as of today I have almost 5,000 miles on her. I love the sport even more than I did when I started! However, I'm SICK of riding solo... and I see/hear all of these guys that are "Cat 5" Or "cat 4"... and I have absolutely NO idea what it means... I feel like a total bike noob even when I'm on my 70-80 mile solo rides up the 101..
So I guess my questions are...
- What's the meaning behind the "cat 5" and "cat 4" stuff?
- How can I start racing? Does it cost money? Do I need to do things before I sign up for them?
I guess I just want to start getting MORE out of my riding and not just riding for 150 miles each weekend, just for "Kicks".. hehe
Thanks for the read all,
Erik
I started school in september of 2011, and bought a new GT series 2, with apex components and as of today I have almost 5,000 miles on her. I love the sport even more than I did when I started! However, I'm SICK of riding solo... and I see/hear all of these guys that are "Cat 5" Or "cat 4"... and I have absolutely NO idea what it means... I feel like a total bike noob even when I'm on my 70-80 mile solo rides up the 101..
So I guess my questions are...
- What's the meaning behind the "cat 5" and "cat 4" stuff?
- How can I start racing? Does it cost money? Do I need to do things before I sign up for them?
I guess I just want to start getting MORE out of my riding and not just riding for 150 miles each weekend, just for "Kicks".. hehe
Thanks for the read all,
Erik
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CAT5 means you paid $60 for a USAC license. CAT4 means you've done that, plus started in 10 CAT5 mass start events (or you were so awesome that they bumped you up early). CAT3 means you have a certain number of points from CAT4 and upgraded, etc all the way down to CAT1. It's a way to break races up so that in theory the fast guys aren't racing with the slower new guys as much.
Races cost money. The USAC license is $60 a year, or you can buy a one day license for $5 or $10 depending on the event. On top of that, there's usually some fee for the actual event ($20-$40 seems common).
I'm not familiar with what is available in San Diego as far as racing goes, so others can chime in there.
Races cost money. The USAC license is $60 a year, or you can buy a one day license for $5 or $10 depending on the event. On top of that, there's usually some fee for the actual event ($20-$40 seems common).
I'm not familiar with what is available in San Diego as far as racing goes, so others can chime in there.
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CAT5 means you paid $60 for a USAC license. CAT4 means you've done that, plus started in 10 CAT5 mass start events (or you were so awesome that they bumped you up early). CAT3 means you have a certain number of points from CAT4 and upgraded, etc all the way down to CAT1. It's a way to break races up so that in theory the fast guys aren't racing with the slower new guys as much.
Races cost money. The USAC license is $60 a year, or you can buy a one day license for $5 or $10 depending on the event. On top of that, there's usually some fee for the actual event ($20-$40 seems common).
I'm not familiar with what is available in San Diego as far as racing goes, so others can chime in there.
Races cost money. The USAC license is $60 a year, or you can buy a one day license for $5 or $10 depending on the event. On top of that, there's usually some fee for the actual event ($20-$40 seems common).
I'm not familiar with what is available in San Diego as far as racing goes, so others can chime in there.
That being said.. what does a "license"... do for me?
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The license allows you to race, you can't do a USAC race without it. The best way to start racing is by joining a race club, that way you can get used to riding on big groups at high speeds and also make sure that you have the fitness to race in CAT 5.
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I'm not a racer, but if it helps, I've found Facebook has been the best way of finding recreational groups to ride with. I used to check in once a week or so, just to see what my kids are doing, but once I had a few cycling contacts, It became the place to go if I want to find a ride.
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You might want to check out the sticky thread in the road racing forum.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-a-tip-or-two
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-a-tip-or-two
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If you don't have someone to mentor you for learning how to ride in groups and racing, you should join a club. SDBC is good for beginners. SDBC, san diego bicycle club.
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Before you think about racing, for your sake and the sake of others, get comfortable riding in groups. SDBC is a good beginner group. They have a lot of rides at different paces and lengths that you can try out.
Their main page is www.sdbc.org.
Here is a page describing all of their Saturday rides. They meet in front of UC Cyclery and the rides leave at 8:30am.
https://www.sdbc.org/core/template.php?page=ride.satride
There is currently a new ride that isn't listed there. It's the "C" ride, but the C stands for Climbing, not an indication of the pace. The C ride is probably as hard, effort-wise as the B ride, but does between 3,500 and 5,500ft of climbing. Rides are around the 55-65 mile mark and the routes change every week.
Note that the Sunday ride page is wrong.
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Tomorrow morning the Trek group is is doing one. PLan to show up if you want.
EDIT: Heres the website with the information. https://trekbicyclesuperstore.com/art...ions-pg565.htm
I plan on showing up tomorrow morning and it will be my first group ride in months. Ive been really busy with school and work that I didnt have time riding so I will be either in the B or C group in my black CAPO jersey w/ Specialized Tarmac. I have to take it a little easy on my legs. Say hi if you stop by. Cheers!
EDIT: Heres the website with the information. https://trekbicyclesuperstore.com/art...ions-pg565.htm
I plan on showing up tomorrow morning and it will be my first group ride in months. Ive been really busy with school and work that I didnt have time riding so I will be either in the B or C group in my black CAPO jersey w/ Specialized Tarmac. I have to take it a little easy on my legs. Say hi if you stop by. Cheers!
Last edited by NotZeroSix; 04-20-12 at 11:57 PM.
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USAC = USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport of bicycle racing in the US, including Olympic selection. Beginning in 2012 Cat. 5 racers must not only start 10 races to upgrade to Cat. 4, they must also finish the races.