This weekend I watched a rider from Jittery Joe's lap an entire field of Cat 1 racers. I was amazed.
Of course I was impressed by his ability, but I was also surprised that there could be such a difference in ability. I came to realize that Jittery Joe's is only a tier III team. So now I'm really curious about the difference in ability among the tiers.
How big of a difference is there between tier III and tier I pro teams? As big of a difference between NCAA division I and III teams?
In Wikipedia it
says that UCI is controversial, among other reasons, because the lack of mobility in the tier system. Is this true? How do they decide where teams are? How do teams move up?
I'd appreciate any feedback on the subject or tangents. After seeing Sunday's crit I'm trying to figure out what it means to be a pro.