Originally Posted by
h2o_polo_boi
i've been riding for a little over a year now and am pretty comfortable on the bike.
i've been thinking about racing for quite some time but wasn't sure about the commitment involved. how much should i expect to be spending on racing? from my impression so far, it seems very expensive (esp with crashes). not sure a 20 yo college student can afford for very long. and because of my age, i have a feeling i'm going to be dropped by everybody in a cat 5 and be traumatized for life haha. my bike is middle-end if that's of any help. it's aluminum with carbon fork, 105 components, 20 lbs, and a triple with crankbrother eggbeater pedals
also, once into racing, how much time do you guys spend training per week?
First off, at your age and one year on the bike, I'd say you're ready to try any type of race. Regarding your question about commitment, I would look at it from the perspective of how much time do you think you can spend on the bike per week. Just a WAG, but if you can afford to train 10-15 hours/wk I bet you can make cat 2. That's being very liberal with assumptions on my part, but I've seen it happen with guys younger and older than you. If you can train 5-10 hours/wk, cat 3.
There are so many variables like genes, mind set, quality and depth of riders in your area, support from a team that make it impossible to say for sure how far someone can go.
Last thing, your bike won't be the factor that will hold you back. Race and train a while and you'll figure out what equipment works best for you. Getting some advise on how to train would be a wise investment considering your commitment with school.
Let us know how the first race goes!