Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin

I've been racing pretty consistently for most of those 12 years. It doesn't seem like people suck more at soft skills. It does seem like the lower categories have gotten faster though as access to power training has become normal, and the byproduct of that may be that things seem sketchier than they were a decade ago. I'm pretty new to the upper category stuff so I can't speak to rider quality at this level.

Originally Posted by Voodoo76

I think if anything back in the day (which is way back for some of us) it was slower/easier early season in lower Cat's. How much different would the first training race of the year be if everybody was coming in on a month or two of little ring or fixed gear JRA ? Now even Cat 5's have coaches, access to very effective training information and a higher level of fitness.