Should I upgrade to Cat 3, 40+?

gib4321

New Member
Hello, could not be more happier that cx is back this year! Currently I’m a Cat 4, 40+. I had some good results in 2018 and 2019 racing masters, screenshot of 2019 attached. Did not lose any fitness due to fuckie 2020, probably even got a little stronger. Same 0.0 technical skill level though.

Should I upgrade to Cat 3? I don’t mind losing but do not wish to get lapped every race. Not sure how much faster are 3’s vs 4’s. i was also hoping not to race as much masters this season as the field is smaller.
 

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MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
You can race the 40+ races without upgrading... They're Cat 1-4. Unless your points have hit mandatory upgrade, you may wanna jump in a few of the 1-4 40+ races first...

-Signed
Cat 3 40+ back of the pack.
 

mbruno

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
1. Yes. You should upgrade. 2. Guys at the front of the 1,2,3 40+ field are significantly faster, which will force you to get faster.
 

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
Yes, upgrade. Cat 3 will allow you to race your own race. There’s nothing worse than spending the entire race just trying to get around other racers.
They added cat 5 to cx the year after I started, and I didn’t have the 10 races to voluntarily upgrade to cat 3. Now I’m stuck in cat 4 and racing uci races with 150 riders is really hard to get points. I’m not that motivated anymore, but if I do race I either do 3/4, open singlespeed or open masters. At least I can end the race giving everything I have physically.
 

taylor185

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
1. Yes. You should upgrade. 2. Guys at the front of the 1,2,3 40+ field are significantly faster, which will force you to get faster.
3. The Cat 3 field will also have some fast racers to force you to get faster. Plus the race dynamics in Master's 40+ and Cat 3 are very different. Try racing a few races in each field to gain more experience. Master's tends to be more controlled, where everyone seems to know their place. Cat 3 is complete chaos with fitness and technical skill levels of all kind.
 

mbruno

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I misunderstood. You want to race Cat 3 open, instead of Cat 4/5 40+. Yeah, that's an idea... You're worried that if you upgrade, you'll be forced to either race the killer Bs or 1,2,3,4 40+, got it.

Agreed with @MadisonDan about jumping into a 1,2,3,4 40+ if you can, but I still think you should upgrade. You won a race in a lower cat and you're fitter now than prior? C'mon bruh.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Wait. Cross is back?

No.

But talking about cross is back, which is right up there with talking about your yoga routine or the fact you're vegan.

In summary, I agree with the guys who say to upgrade to the Vegan Yoga class.
 

mtn

Well-Known Member
My advice would be to sign up for a local mini golf tournament. All ages welcome.
 
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