"cat 3 kind of time".....doesn't have to be taken so literally.
I am sure there are plenty of cat 3's out there who can't make 18:27 because they are sprinters, have a lower ftp/kg ratio, or just have enough racing acumen to make it. As you might suspect, the racing scene in California is pretty competitive. A friend of mine was a top-level cat 2, winning races all over then moved here and now is pack meat. I would think a cat 3 here means more than one from say, Wisconsin.