RacerChick
Hudson Valley Girl
It was 4 touchdowns for Polk High in 67, boy that Bundy was sure some gunslinger
RC ...
For you Sport racers out there.
- Thread starter scotth
- Start date
It was 4 touchdowns for Polk High in 67, boy that Bundy was sure some gunslinger
RC ...
s4lnj
New Member
man, i've read this whole thread and have no clue how to register when teh time comes. like the other guy in like page 2 said, big difference between "rider" and "racer".
with my bmx background i thought for sure sport would be a starting point for me, with a quick move to x.
i guess we'll see
with my bmx background i thought for sure sport would be a starting point for me, with a quick move to x.
i guess we'll see
Panhead
Well-Known Member
Justin,I didn't even see this until after we talked on the phone.
I moved up to s/s sport after the summer break. Didn't feel I should be considered beginner after doing the DH 40 and the 24HOA on my single speed.
If I didn't move up I could of probably taken second for the year in beginner. Instead I only raced Ringwood, think I finished one away from DFL, and missed the rest of the season from a crash on a "fun" ride. But thanks to PayDirt I took 11th wih 1 race.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
If you were racing DH, I'd say yes - an experienced BMX racer should start in sport and probably move up if the results warrant it (in DH, there's usually a big difference in the courses - the Expert course is usually MUCH more fun to ride).
However, there's a HUGE difference between BMX racing and XC racing... 60 seconds or so vs. and hour and a half... At the same time, if do a lot of road training for BMX (which I know a lot of top BMX'ers do), then you'll probably do fine racing Sport (Cat 2?) XC.
I suppose we should reitterate the revised Norba classes for next season:
Beginner - Cat 3
Sport - Cat 2
Expert - Cat 1
Pro
Regarding the previous question about water packs... I think it varies. If doing a race where water stations are unlikely, then a pack may be a good idea. However, most races do have water stations for a quick drink. Typically, I used to only carry a tube, a multi-tool, a CO2 kit and one bottle on the bike. You'll figure out what you need. Weight is bad.
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RNG1
Well-Known Member
My 2 cents: I think the sooner you get out of beginner is best most importantly if you are comfortable. First off you get a longer ride in and will be way better because of it and you learn a lot more about how to pace yourself. Granted it has been a while since I moved up as I was off the scene for 12 yrs but I do remember that to be competitive there it was a frantic all out sprint that did not suit me that well in placement results.I remember when I did move up that I felt a lot more relaxed as I knew that the race was not necessarily won in the first 5 minutes.something I wanted to do this year but never got to do was do a sport race and continue for an additional lap just to see if I could stay on a similar pace maybe try that first.
Screw it just move up you'll be better for it.
Screw it just move up you'll be better for it.
Race in the class it's fun for you to race in. This is amateur racing. If you race beginner (Cat 3) and you win or place well all the time, it's not going to be fun because it's not challenging enough, so move up. If you race sport (Cat 2) and have a hard time finishing the course in the allotted time before the experts start, then don't feel bad about moving back to beginner (Cat 3). If you're serious about racing, your goal is to get into Cat 1, since it's more prestigious to just *be* in Cat 1 than to win a Cat 2 race. But not everyone needs to be serious about racing- if you're just out to have fun, then choosing the race class based on the distance you want to ride/race is perfectly OK.
RNG's right about beginner and sport- the main difference is just distance, not pace. Pace in beginner races is crazy from start to finish- very little strategy other than go all out for the entire race. In sport class, I definitely enjoy the ride and the distance much more, and the extra lap means I know what's coming for certain the second time around.
Of course, my goal this year is two top 5's so I can move up to expert...
RNG's right about beginner and sport- the main difference is just distance, not pace. Pace in beginner races is crazy from start to finish- very little strategy other than go all out for the entire race. In sport class, I definitely enjoy the ride and the distance much more, and the extra lap means I know what's coming for certain the second time around.
Of course, my goal this year is two top 5's so I can move up to expert...
NJMX835
New Member
It was 4 touchdowns for Polk High in 67, boy that Bundy was sure some gunslinger
RC ...
It was 1966.... now where's my copy of Big'uns?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Bundy
cyclocrossfool
New Member
get officer dan, jefferson, griff, ike and bob rooney together . were having a meeting, "no' maam" 2008
i did 3 races this year and 2 times top ten (6th & 4th) it's a sport singlespeed class. my question is. should i move up next year?? maybe some of you could give some advise....thanks in advance!
Those results don't qualify you for upgrade to Cat1/expert class. You need two top 5 finishes to upgrade to Cat 1/expert...
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
You can race expert, but your license will not reflect that.
RacerChick
Hudson Valley Girl
Race in the class it's fun for you to race in. This is amateur racing. If you race beginner (Cat 3) and you win or place well all the time, it's not going to be fun because it's not challenging enough, so move up. If you race sport (Cat 2) and have a hard time finishing the course in the allotted time before the experts start, then don't feel bad about moving back to beginner (Cat 3). If you're serious about racing, your goal is to get into Cat 1, since it's more prestigious to just *be* in Cat 1 than to win a Cat 2 race. But not everyone needs to be serious about racing- if you're just out to have fun, then choosing the race class based on the distance you want to ride/race is perfectly OK.
RNG's right about beginner and sport- the main difference is just distance, not pace. Pace in beginner races is crazy from start to finish- very little strategy other than go all out for the entire race. In sport class, I definitely enjoy the ride and the distance much more, and the extra lap means I know what's coming for certain the second time around.
Of course, my goal this year is two top 5's so I can move up to expert...
I was going to put my thoughts in to, but as usual Jamie hit the nail on the head. If you are on placing in the top 3 at each event than move up to Sport.
RC ...
ellbiddy
Active Member
I've been having the same issue, I've done a handful of races in beginner, but I've done fairly well. I've been mashing hills in anticipation of doing next year's H2H series. Right now I'm still shooting for racing beginner, but I think if I do really well (as I feel like my training is getting better and better) I'll probably bump up mid season, since I just want to get better instead of getting silly plaques and such, I still get nervous over racing, but once it starts it just turns into a fun group ride as others pointed out.
MTB Aussie
Member
Why I quit racing
My experiences Scott:
I raced sport from the beginning since I felt I had the lungs and legs. I got my arse kicked thoroughly but enjoyed it. I took a look at the beginner times and noticed the leaders in beginner were lapping (yes only a single lap at some courses) about as fast as the leaders in sport class. Sure they needed some endurance to make the extra distance but most of them should have moved up after a couple of races in beginner and left that field for the real beginners.
My best result ever in sport was 12th place so I was never a threat to move any further given my training volume. The reason I stopped racing was the reason some others say they prefer sport - the start time. Most of the races start late (for me) around 10:30, and with slippage sometimes 11 am. Close to two hours on course and you don't finish until 1pm and by the time you cool down and pack up, driving home over an hour in many cases the whole day is gone. My family commitments just don't allow for that on a frequent basis. I had to give it up. If you have the same time crunch you may find the same issue. Maybe when the kids move out I'll start racing again. Look for me in the 50+ group in about ten years!
My experiences Scott:
I raced sport from the beginning since I felt I had the lungs and legs. I got my arse kicked thoroughly but enjoyed it. I took a look at the beginner times and noticed the leaders in beginner were lapping (yes only a single lap at some courses) about as fast as the leaders in sport class. Sure they needed some endurance to make the extra distance but most of them should have moved up after a couple of races in beginner and left that field for the real beginners.
My best result ever in sport was 12th place so I was never a threat to move any further given my training volume. The reason I stopped racing was the reason some others say they prefer sport - the start time. Most of the races start late (for me) around 10:30, and with slippage sometimes 11 am. Close to two hours on course and you don't finish until 1pm and by the time you cool down and pack up, driving home over an hour in many cases the whole day is gone. My family commitments just don't allow for that on a frequent basis. I had to give it up. If you have the same time crunch you may find the same issue. Maybe when the kids move out I'll start racing again. Look for me in the 50+ group in about ten years!
Nope. I even looked it up in the rulebook before posting just to make sure. 2 top 5's is the minimum requirement to move up. 5 top 5's is a mandatory upgrade.
That may change for 2009 to make Cat 1 more competitive- we'll see how the rule changes play out.
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Nope, I checked the rulebook again and edited my reply. Here's the wording:
Licensed sport racers cannot enter expert class races. You've got to earn it.
mfennell
Well-Known Member
This is where road racing has it all over mtb racing, as long as you don't mind getting up super early. Earlier and closer (to me) races. I'm home before lunch after most of them.
I had fun doing a couple mtb races this fall but in both cases I didn't get home until 4 in the afternoon.