Originally Posted by cycloneo
Hiya
all
I currently am an regular road bike rider and I work out nearly 20miles a day & I have not begun to RACE.
I am moving to CALIFORNIA
to do my graduate studies.
I have taken a serious & inspirational decision to become a PRO RACER.
I would like to know how an amatuer(Ride but not getting paid for it..
)
How do I begin my career in CYCLING(how to select races?) and when can a person claim to be a PRO racer?
I need your help on my path to a racing career !!
Here are the steps to become a Pro Racer:
I've been at this about 1 year so far, so
1) Ride lots - as much as you can and even more
2) Find group rides. If you're not the strongest guy there keep riding with this group until you are, then find a stronger group.
3) Get a USCF license.
http://www.usacycling.org
4) Do your Cat 5 races, if you're dominating these races, get a coach and upgrade to Cat 4.
5) Cat 4 to Cat 3 should only take 3-6 races if you're really good and placing in the top 3. If you're not dominating Cat 4 the likelihood of going pro is about 10 million to 1.
6) Spend 4-8 races in Cat 3. If you're not consistantly in the top 3, the liklihood of going pro is about 1 million to 1.
7) Upgrade to Cat 2.
That's as far as I've made it so far.
I plan to really build a strong base this winter and next year I hope to move up to Cat 1 and try a couple stage races against the domestic pro teams (Toyota United, etc.). That will be the true test. If I can't hang with those guys I'll go back to racing in the local 35+ races and just have fun.
Even if you do go from Cat 5 to Cat 2 (or even Cat 1) in your first year the chance of becoming a pro racer are still very very slim. I have no plans to quit my day job......yet.
Good luck!
PM
ps, what part of CA are you moving to?