Originally Posted by El Diablo Rojo
+1. I also think that if you are an elite tri-athlete or an expert mtb'er then you only get two or three races in the fives. Some of the these guys come in and race two or three races a year and slaughter the field.
I think an argument could be made for making these guys 4's or even 3's right out of the gate. I mean, a NORBA expert mountain biker is at least on a cat 1/2/3 level of fitness, and certainly has the bike handling skills to at least negotiate a pack.
This would be another spot where technology would help. As I understand it, there's nothing keeping a racer who was a cat 3 but let his license lapse from buying a 1-day license and destroying a Cat 5 field. Also, if Mr. expert mountain biker shows up with a USAC license that says NORBA expert, his one-day license could get bumped up to 4 or 3. Just ideas...