Getting to cat 3
#51
Senior Member
One thing is when teammates need/want to upgrade to help out their teammates. A good friend of mine wanted to be a 3 so he could keep leading out the sprinters. He requested the upgrade (with all his teammates' letters of recommendations ) and got it.
cdr
cdr
#52
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edit: although I don't know how much of that actual happens in the 4s
#53
aka mattio
It's interesting to read opinions that somebody struggling to get out of the 4's might do better as a 3. I hope that's the situation I'm in. I'm close on points and have plenty of top tens - fifteen or so, mostly late last spring and summer - but pridefully hoped for a strong podium or two before upgrading on points. I can sprint well enough to get 5th place consistently (I'm a dead ringer for Tyler Farrar!) and small enough to survive at the front when - if - the climbs are long enough to make a difference. Rather than make me feel capable, it makes me feel stunningly mediocre, so I've been planning to upgrade based on my top tens, race 1/2/3 circuit races, and get stronger by virtue of racing harder races. Reading this thread gives me confidence that it might not be such a dumb idea after all.
#54
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With all due respect, riding with fast guys in a group is a lot different then racing with 80-100 people in a pack. You may be strong as heck and able to ride away from everyone but on a tight course the inexperience could be harmful.
There is a local guy who started racing around the same time as I, he was a monster, winning time trial after time trial, but if he didn't ride away from the group he either crashed or caused one. He is dangerous in a group. He now races for a domestic pro team and from what I hear still sketchy.
Again I mean no disrespect towards you but IMO 4 races is not enough to be mixing it up in the 3's.
There is a local guy who started racing around the same time as I, he was a monster, winning time trial after time trial, but if he didn't ride away from the group he either crashed or caused one. He is dangerous in a group. He now races for a domestic pro team and from what I hear still sketchy.
Again I mean no disrespect towards you but IMO 4 races is not enough to be mixing it up in the 3's.
*edit* just googled your county....maybe not
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Damn, reading all of this makes me want to request an upgrade to the 4's. I just want these points to be counting for something and I want to get out of the 5's. I have to keep reminding myself not to rush it though, I want to try and get a win first. From the sounds of it the 4/5 races are not any harder than a 4 races so this is a good sign I guess.
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Damn, reading all of this makes me want to request an upgrade to the 4's. I just want these points to be counting for something and I want to get out of the 5's. I have to keep reminding myself not to rush it though, I want to try and get a win first. From the sounds of it the 4/5 races are not any harder than a 4 races so this is a good sign I guess.
#57
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It's interesting to read opinions that somebody struggling to get out of the 4's might do better as a 3. I hope that's the situation I'm in. I'm close on points and have plenty of top tens - fifteen or so, mostly late last spring and summer - but pridefully hoped for a strong podium or two before upgrading on points. I can sprint well enough to get 5th place consistently (I'm a dead ringer for Tyler Farrar!) and small enough to survive at the front when - if - the climbs are long enough to make a difference. Rather than make me feel capable, it makes me feel stunningly mediocre, so I've been planning to upgrade based on my top tens, race 1/2/3 circuit races, and get stronger by virtue of racing harder races. Reading this thread gives me confidence that it might not be such a dumb idea after all.
(not that I would suggest it, but you could test the waters)
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IMHO on upgrading to Cat 3
Okay... I waited a while before piping in, but there is one other reason you might consider upgrading sooner rather than later. Yes, the 3's are harder, smoother, and more competitive. That's a given. You have guys like me who returned to racing after taking a hiatus to raise their kids and will never get out of the 3's, and you have guys who are just doing time there until they get enough points to make it to the 2's. BTW, I get within a couple of points to upgrade to a 2 every year, and I ask myself the same questions that Matt is pondering...
One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Cat 3 races are a much better value than the 4's. Typical entry fees are the same, but distances are longer (or in the local crit scene, race times are longer)... Most of the 4's only race for 40 minutes or so, whereas the 3's are racing close to 60 minutes... do the math. Close to 25% more racing for the same price! Plus the awards & preems are usually better. Besides the more 3's we have the larger the purse. I'm tired of getting shorted b/c we don't hit the 50% field size.
So my advice is to go for it, regardless of how you get there.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Cat 3 races are a much better value than the 4's. Typical entry fees are the same, but distances are longer (or in the local crit scene, race times are longer)... Most of the 4's only race for 40 minutes or so, whereas the 3's are racing close to 60 minutes... do the math. Close to 25% more racing for the same price! Plus the awards & preems are usually better. Besides the more 3's we have the larger the purse. I'm tired of getting shorted b/c we don't hit the 50% field size.
So my advice is to go for it, regardless of how you get there.
#59
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With all due respect, riding with fast guys in a group is a lot different then racing with 80-100 people in a pack. You may be strong as heck and able to ride away from everyone but on a tight course the inexperience could be harmful.
There is a local guy who started racing around the same time as I, he was a monster, winning time trial after time trial, but if he didn't ride away from the group he either crashed or caused one. He is dangerous in a group. He now races for a domestic pro team and from what I hear still sketchy.
Again I mean no disrespect towards you but IMO 4 races is not enough to be mixing it up in the 3's.
There is a local guy who started racing around the same time as I, he was a monster, winning time trial after time trial, but if he didn't ride away from the group he either crashed or caused one. He is dangerous in a group. He now races for a domestic pro team and from what I hear still sketchy.
Again I mean no disrespect towards you but IMO 4 races is not enough to be mixing it up in the 3's.
I understand what you're saying, but there are a lot of people who have ridden for a very long time and have good handling/pack skills from group rides and such. It just depends on the person. There are a bunch of people who have upgraded and done a ton of races but are still sketchy as hell.
#60
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One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Cat 3 races are a much better value than the 4's. Typical entry fees are the same, but distances are longer (or in the local crit scene, race times are longer)... Most of the 4's only race for 40 minutes or so, whereas the 3's are racing close to 60 minutes... do the math. Close to 25% more racing for the same price! Plus the awards & preems are usually better. Besides the more 3's we have the larger the purse. I'm tired of getting shorted b/c we don't hit the 50% field size.
And we can't forget that cat 3 is half way to pro right? It just sounds better than "cat 4".
#61
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One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Cat 3 races are a much better value than the 4's. Typical entry fees are the same, but distances are longer (or in the local crit scene, race times are longer)... Most of the 4's only race for 40 minutes or so, whereas the 3's are racing close to 60 minutes... do the math. Close to 25% more racing for the same price! Plus the awards & preems are usually better. Besides the more 3's we have the larger the purse. I'm tired of getting shorted b/c we don't hit the 50% field size.
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I hear ya, I guess you're right. I was setting my lofty goal of upgrading to cat 3 by the end of the season and I just wanted a headstart, heh.
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If you place/podium in combined fields like 4/5, but you're still a 5, will those points count towards your 3 upgrade once you're a 4? Or does your 12 month window only start when you're officially a 4?
#66
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I'd say that this depends on what you're doing with the fast guys. If they're teaching you how to paceline, and you're riding side by side with a few of them, you'll be fine.
I understand what you're saying, but there are a lot of people who have ridden for a very long time and have good handling/pack skills from group rides and such. It just depends on the person. There are a bunch of people who have upgraded and done a ton of races but are still sketchy as hell.
I understand what you're saying, but there are a lot of people who have ridden for a very long time and have good handling/pack skills from group rides and such. It just depends on the person. There are a bunch of people who have upgraded and done a ton of races but are still sketchy as hell.
#67
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the mixed cat training rides around here and definitely harder and just as good of training for pack skills as the local cat4 races
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Correct.
You can only earn upgrade points toward Cat 3 as a Cat 4.
#69
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#71
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Thanks to this thread; my upgrade to category 3 was just approved
#73
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i hope all the strong cat 4's in socal with tonnes of points, upgrade to cat 3 asap so I can score some points and move to cat 3 also
lol
lol
#74
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