Serious question about handicapped classes
Okay serious question here,
Three years ago I lost a leg in the war in Afghanistan. Had been a highly ranked MTB racer before I got hurt and got into road racing after.
Nearly every sport has a classification for handicapped athletes. Every sport at least gives a handicapped athlete a handicap factor for ranking...except for USA cycling
In the cycling arena, the paralympics does, but USA cycling has nothing, nada, for bike racers with physical handicaps. There are only 20 or so registered leg amputee racers in the US right now. In any given race, 99% chance I am the only one legged guy there so as long as I finish with the pack I consider it a fantastic race.
I am only physically capable of generating about 80%, with perfect prosthetic performance, of what I could with two legs, so does it seem like sort of a ripoff that USA cycling does not have a ranking structure for crippled racers?
I race nearly every weekend and am frustrated almost to the point of quitting racing, as I have no paralympic dreams so what is the point? I want to compete with something. But right now I have no measurement to compete agaisnt.
Does it seem a little unfair?