You probably don't realize that to become a cat 1, you have to beat other cat 1s and pros. There are very few cat 2 only races. They are almost all Pro/1/2.
That's why Waterrockets, as gifted as he is, is downgrading back to a 3. Although he can destroy your typical cat 3, he just can't compete with the Pros and 1s.
I dont know waterrockets but calling a guy "gifted" that is downgrading from 2 to 3 cause he cant hang is a ******** joke. I am sure he is a great cyclist but the term gifted is usually used for the elite.
I dont know the path every single Cat 1 took to get to where they are and either do you. All I know is that a few guys that race in the Pro/1/2 field are not genetically superior. They will never win a Pro/1/2 race or place in the top 10 and they are basically on for the ride. Besides racing the local crit and TT series I dont keep tabs on the lates developments in upgrading points and amateur rules. However, when I used to race xc mountain bikes I remember that the Junior Experts would go directly to the Elite field when they came of age and I always remember think that it was a ******** joke that these average juniors could fast track to Elite without doing anything of note.