Originally Posted by
mikewaters
So with my numbers, I'd be doing above expectations to be able to stay in the pack? But with the right strategy and staying out of the wind, it might be possible?
I noticed a guy win a local time trial race. 9 miles at 390 watts avg. Looked him up, he races the crit I was looking at. Cat 5. Didn't even win, came in third place. Another guy I know of, won a Cat 5 crit just last week. He does training rides with the Cat 2s. He's way faster than me. I get the impression that many of the Cat 5 racers are more like Cat 3 or better on the e-wang.
Don't get hung up on numbers. First race, you'll be doing great to finish with the pack. If you're really asking "Can I win my first cat 5 crit with a 2.48 w/kg ftp?", the answer is that the odds are against you, but primarily because its your first crit. There is much more to racing than power.