Originally Posted by
canuckbelle
This. I think the real 'inflation' is when riders are getting points from really weak races. I'm a lowly Cat 3 at the moment, but there are lots of Cat 2 and Cat 1 girls I'm beating. I know at least a couple of them came up through relatively small, weak fields. So if there are lots of those races available each year, it's pretty easy to upgrade.
riders can't really control who else shows up to race. small races give very few points -- big fields with WEAK racers would give more points, but that's hard to predict.
there's ALWAYS been a participation element: if you race as much as you can and take calculated risks, EVENTUALLY they pay off.
maybe people will start saying "i got my cat 1 upgrade in 30 races (but it took 3 years)" instead of "i got mine in one 12-month period / 125 races"?
road racers will always be a bit catty and talk about the guy who got points from an early season race vs winning the gila. it turns out to be a very small community, and i've had people come up to me -- out of state -- and talk about the "legitimacy" of someone else's upgrade. really...who cares?
things do seem messed up in women's cycling--seems like in a number of races i've seen, you go from cat 4/beginner to racing pro/1/2/3 as the next step, and it is harder to find enjoyment for many.