Originally Posted by CrimsonKarter21

So, the last road race of the year is coming up at the end of this month. There are four races in total, the Cat 1-2's, 3's, 4-5's, and women. Obviously I can't do the firat and latter. Since it's the last race, I want to use it as a kind of meter to rate myself on. Will I have a problem getting into the 3's race, even though I'm a 4? I've got no huge problem sticking with 3's on the competitive group rides I have on Wednesday's, but I'm 2-3 mph behind them in the sprints.
So, has anyone ever gotten into a higher category race before? How could I do it?