For you Sport racers out there.

[goldsbar]

They should really rename the racing classes to short, medium, long. There are some beginners that would do just fine in expert. Unlike road racing, your race isn't blown if you can't hang with the front pack. MTB XC is a timetrial on trails. The only downside of having slower people in a race is if they all insist on lining up at the front and block the faster riders. Beginner for the sandbaggers is just an ego thing (you're not really winning, you're just limiting the field of competitors).

Beginner should be for first time racers and people who have been riding their bikes for 2 months and want to get a feel for things.

 

[TonyC]

if you're even mildly serious about racing your bike, start in Sport!!

totally agree. Beginner class is just to get a taste of racing or lack there of. Although I pushed myself I was in no shape to race. It was more of an organized fast paced bike ride.
It's a good gauge on how much you blow

 

[jbogner]

They should really rename the racing classes to short, medium, long.

What if they were to name them Cat 3, 2,1?

As far as cross goes, I was just reading in Bicycling about how top coaches like their racers to train at highly intensity levels but for just under an hour, because the body actually starts breaking down muscle tissue the longer you ride. Long and painful training rides can actually be *less* helpful than shorter but more intense workouts. Seems cross would be pretty great training for mtb, and vice-versa.

 

[The Kalmyk]

What does CAT stand for anyway

 

[Mare]

What does CAT stand for anyway

Category.

 

[jbogner]

What does CAT stand for anyway

It's either A) an animal of the feline family or B) Category.


Edit- beaten to the punch on that joke.

 

[Cyclopath]

Hmmmm...

So where does this leave me?
I went into racing this year on a whim. Heck, I had only been off road 6-7 times total before I jumped in my first race and about 12 times by my third and final race. I got third in my class in the H2H series with only three races by some miracle of there not being anyone else who entered 3 races. The beginners in my class who took 1st and 2nd were well beyond me in skill, time on the bike, number of races and had finished more than 10 min ahead of me on avg. They were serious, they had raced the previous season and I was still learning how to handle my bike.

So, encouraged by how close I was in the end, I'm thinking I may take this thing a bit more seriously next year. Maybe shift my focus away from the road and big rides and go for MTB. Before these races, I'd never been physically competitive in anything my entire life and here I have a shot at being a contender, not a guarantee but a shot. For me, this is exciting, it's new and it's fun.

So, now I've podiumed(3rd) once in a field of six... am I sandbagging if I race beginner next year? I'd hate to be looked at as a sandbagger and I surely would not want to have an unfair advantage and discourage others. But I think going into Sport and coming in DFL might just discourage me from continuing to push myself into a class I'm not going to be remotely competitive in. On the other hand, I'm very used to being at a huge disadvantage and I push myself all the time towards goals that should be beyond me.

Honestly, I looked up to the more experienced racers and didn't see anything wrong with them racing a second season as beginner as they gave me something to shoot for. Since the racers who took 1st and 2nd are surely moving up, wouldn't the beginner class suffer by not having a little experience/competition in it?

Someone said being a beginning racer is not the same as being a beginning rider. Am I wrong to consider another season in beginner?

 

[RacerChick]

They should really rename the racing classes to short, medium, long. There are some beginners that would do just fine in expert. Unlike road racing, your race isn't blown if you can't hang with the front pack. MTB XC is a timetrial on trails. The only downside of having slower people in a race is if they all insist on lining up at the front and block the faster riders. Beginner for the sandbaggers is just an ego thing (you're not really winning, you're just limiting the field of competitors).

Beginner should be for first time racers and people who have been riding their bikes for 2 months and want to get a feel for things.

Huh? Some beginners would do OK in a Sport race, but never survive the expert class. The beginner class is for new racers to try out MTB racing. If a rider places in the top 3 in 5 or more races with atleast 5 in their class than that rider should move up. I also think MTB racing is not even close to a time trial, some races in the sport class can be 2.5 hours long with lung busting climbs (Tymor). The USCF should also impliment "Mandatory Advancement" to weed out the sandbaggers and cherrypickers.

RC ...

 

[Norm]

Am I wrong to consider another season in beginner?

Not at all! When you consistently come in first or second in the beginner races and people are writing these posts about you, then it's time to move up.

I agree with the sentiment that people should move up as soon as they can. But if you're in a class of 6 there's really no pressing need to. Like you say, you might not race again if you go to sport, blow up, then never race again.

Ultimately you need to feel comfortable where you are. The people who cry sandbagger need to find their own peace and not call other people names. You know that whole sticks and stones thing

 

[stb222]

As far as cross goes, I was just reading in Bicycling about how top coaches like their racers to train at highly intensity levels but for just under an hour, because the body actually starts breaking down muscle tissue the longer you ride. Long and painful training rides can actually be *less* helpful than shorter but more intense workouts. Seems cross would be pretty great training for mtb, and vice-versa.

sounds good to me, I retract my previous statement then. So based on my riding habits (1 hour road rides, 1.5 hour mtb) I sould do ok in CAT 5.

 

[ArmyOfNone]

sounds good to me, I retract my previous statement then. So based on my riding habits (1 hour road rides, 1.5 hour mtb) I sould do ok in CAT 5.

Drop some more climbing in to your rides as well.

 

[RacerChick]

totally agree. Beginner class is just to get a taste of racing or lack there of. Although I pushed myself I was in no shape to race. It was more of an organized fast paced bike ride.
It's a good gauge on how much you blow

If you are a seasoned rider and have good endurance than racing in the Sport class might be a good idea. Last year was my first year racing any form of cycling. I raced in 6 races in the H2H series, for me the Beginner class wasn't easy. I thought about staying one more year before moving up, I was told by more than one racer that the Sport class was basically the same as Beginner with longer laps. Wrong! Yes the race distance is more than twice as long but the competition is much faster. To me the Beginner was a much slower lala pace. The Sport class the racers have their sights set on the Expert class and they sure can rip.

RC ...

 

[goldsbar]

Huh? Some beginners would do OK in a Sport race, but never survive the expert class. The beginner class is for new racers to try out MTB racing. If a rider places in the top 3 in 5 or more races with atleast 5 in their class than that rider should move up. I also think MTB racing is not even close to a time trial, some races in the sport class can be 2.5 hours long with lung busting climbs (Tymor). The USCF should also impliment "Mandatory Advancement" to weed out the sandbaggers and cherrypickers.

RC ...

I stick with my statements Yes, some "beginners" would do just fine in expert because of the fact they're not beginners - that's the whole point. My experience is from a decade + ago when racing was all the rage for me and I saw many beginners move to expert extremely quickly. Can't imagine it's changed much. This is a sport - like most - where if you're going to be good you'll be good quickly. Genetics are like that.

Time trial in the sense you're not drafting anyone. It's just you and the trail. Sure, once in a while someone will get in the way and you need to strategize - is it worth blowing the energy to pass in a technical section - but it's basically a time trial with some handling skills.

 

[scotth]

Thank you for all the replies. I think my only problem will be my conditioning. I ride as much as I can, which is not much compared to some other riders, but it's all I can do. If I didn't get a podium in Beginner I may as well chase someone in sport. I'm confident with my riding, I just need lungs and legs.


Scott

 

[mwlikesbikes]

Like you say, you might not race again if you go to sport, blow up, then never race again.

I think I blew up in half the sport races I did this year! That's half the fun!!!
Am I crazy or just plain stupid?

 

[Norm]

I stick with my statements Yes, some "beginners" would do just fine in expert because of the fact they're not beginners - that's the whole point. My experience is from a decade + ago when racing was all the rage for me and I saw many beginners move to expert extremely quickly. Can't imagine it's changed much. This is a sport - like most - where if you're going to be good you'll be good quickly. Genetics are like that.

I agree with this. I saw the guy who won a beginner class last year show up and start winning sport races this year, which means he's clearly fast enough to do just fine in expert.

 

[scotth]

I think I blew up in half the sport races I did this year! That's half the fun!!!
Am I crazy or just plain stupid?

When you say blew up, is this something I should look foreward to or try to avoid?

Scott

 

[mwlikesbikes]

When you say blew up, is this something I should look foreward to or try to avoid?

Scott

It all depends if you enjoy leg cramps or not! Apparently I can't get enough of them.
But seriously, if you can handle at 2 hour mt bike ride with minimal stops I say make the jump to sport. I look at the races as a giant group ride at hammer pace.

 

[cyclocrossfool]

I stick with my statements My experience is from a decade + ago when racing was all the rage for me and I saw many beginners move to expert extremely quickly. Can't imagine it's changed much.

hey racerchick, was it 3 or 4 touchdowns al bundy threw for polk high in 66 ?, or was it 67 ?

 

[jontotman]

I raced two beginners category this year, Ringwood 14th place out of 19 racers and Blue Mountain 12 place out of 19 racers. I'm planning to race beginners cat. again next year just because I believe that if I can't placed myself in the top 10 in the beginners cat. I think I have no business in the sports cat. The only slight reason I may upgrade to sports cat. is, I noticed that on the two race I participated this year it seems on the last 3 miles of the race I felt my legs got stronger and breathed more easily than the first 5 miles of the race.
Oh and one more reason to join sports category is they get more action photos than the beginners category.