Originally Posted by
McTufferton
As already stated, it has to be fun. While dedication and sacrifice are required to race, there's more to it than that...
It's fun to ride and train with my friends and teammates, pushing each other harder than we would if we were riding solo.
It's fun to compete. I enjoy strategizing with teammates to win and the banter after a race about how things went down and the congrats on a good effort or break or victory.
It's rewarding and fun to see gains from my efforts. Progressing over the years to cat2 while doing new races and disciplines (crits, road, tt, cyclocross, mtb, etc.).
It has been fun to travel as a result of my racing allowing my family and I to see different parts of the country and experience bike culture/racing in different cities.
It's fun to have my family involved. We enjoy traveling together to races, getting the kids involved and engaged in cycling/racing, cheering, celebrating, spending time together and even teaching the value of giving something your all.
I disagree.
If you want to really push yourself and see how far you can go, then yes.
Otherwise there doesn't have to be. Sign up, pin on that number and ride around in circles. At some point you will realize what your limits are given the amount of time and energy that you wish to spend on cycling. At that point it becomes more about fun, unless you're already at the P/1/2 level and have some prospects.
Me? I will likely remain a 3 for a long time. I know I can make it to the 2's, but I would not be competitive without sacrificing too much in my life outside work/girls. Not interested.
At this point it's about fun, healthy competition and less about points and primes. I see myself racing on the track a whole lot next year (just got into it) and on the road maybe once every 4-6 weeks or so just to support local events.
I race because I like to ride, not the other way around.