Originally Posted by
shovelhd
Going from not finishing Cat5 races to Masters is going to be a swift kick in the nuts. I strongly suggest you focus on Cat4 first. Crashing is part of racing. Get used to it.
Crashing is part of cycling; we crash more in racing but anytime you ride its a risk. I just find it odd so many people do group rides and ride sketchy as hell then bring up crashing as a reason not to race. Our worst ride is the Monday recovery ride, cuz you got 5 newbies, and 10 experienced riders weaving through the pack to flirt with the ladies.
Last few weeks I've found the 4's to be more manageable but luck hasn't been with me. A lot of dudes wining *should* be upgrading but they're trying to hook up teammates or get more wins....I s'pose there's never an easy time.
At racing age 43, my plan is to hit Masters at 45....good thing for me we have some fast masters dudes (half the Nats podium in the 40's do our Raincross Ride) to use as a benchmark. Bad thing is they're fast and they don't skip races.