The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread
#2576
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apparently you can get your cat 1 upgrade without the full 35 points now, and instead, petition to USAC, and they'll do it?? it's definitely not something i'd do, but I know of 3 guys who have done it?? one of these guys had like 6 points from crits, and couldn't even hang in a 60 mile road race as a cat 3 last year??? wtf**********
#2577
**** that
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apparently you can get your cat 1 upgrade without the full 35 points now, and instead, petition to USAC, and they'll do it?? it's definitely not something i'd do, but I know of 3 guys who have done it?? one of these guys had like 6 points from crits, and couldn't even hang in a 60 mile road race as a cat 3 last year??? wtf**********
That's just sad.
Maybe we can all petition USAC to stop allowing just anyone to be cat 1!
#2578
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surely there must be more to it.
i've heard of early upgrades at all levels -- even the ones approved by CO springs -- but 6 points from someone who 'could not hang' as a cat 3 seems... unlikely.
#2579
commu*ist spy
could you provide a little more info? maybe a link to race results? (you can use this format: https://usacycling.org/results/?compid=first+last)
surely there must be more to it.
i've heard of early upgrades at all levels -- even the ones approved by CO springs -- but 6 points from someone who 'could not hang' as a cat 3 seems... unlikely.
surely there must be more to it.
i've heard of early upgrades at all levels -- even the ones approved by CO springs -- but 6 points from someone who 'could not hang' as a cat 3 seems... unlikely.
#2582
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I think being able to use weeknight training crits for upgrade points is a copout for the upper categories (3s and up should have to get points in actual weekend races, in my opinion), but even that pales in comparison to using a few points from master's races as well. I mean, that's not even racing in a p/1/2 race (yes, I know many master's racers are 1/2; it's still not a 1/2 race).
#2583
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There's certainly a deterioration... (probably said by every generation).
I think being able to use weeknight training crits for upgrade points is a copout for the upper categories (3s and up should have to get points in actual weekend races, in my opinion), but even that pales in comparison to using a few points from master's races as well. I mean, that's not even racing in a p/1/2 race (yes, I know many master's racers are 1/2; it's still not a 1/2 race).
I think being able to use weeknight training crits for upgrade points is a copout for the upper categories (3s and up should have to get points in actual weekend races, in my opinion), but even that pales in comparison to using a few points from master's races as well. I mean, that's not even racing in a p/1/2 race (yes, I know many master's racers are 1/2; it's still not a 1/2 race).
I get what you're saying though. A Cat 1 should get their points via premier events, but that also punishes some regions (and masters). Personally, I don't think there are enough Cat 1's out there for it to be an issue. Than again, I'm not a Cat 1.
#2584
Nonsense
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Oh man, my coach has gone on so many epic rants RE: soft 1's in CCA and MABRA.
I will say that using training crits for upgrade points is not my cup of tea. I kinda wish you still had to collect em in a rolling 12 month period too. I am a glutton for punishment.
I will say that using training crits for upgrade points is not my cup of tea. I kinda wish you still had to collect em in a rolling 12 month period too. I am a glutton for punishment.
#2585
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Oh man, my coach has gone on so many epic rants RE: soft 1's in CCA and MABRA.
I will say that using training crits for upgrade points is not my cup of tea. I kinda wish you still had to collect em in a rolling 12 month period too. I am a glutton for punishment.
I will say that using training crits for upgrade points is not my cup of tea. I kinda wish you still had to collect em in a rolling 12 month period too. I am a glutton for punishment.
I spent months traveling out of state to do races with sufficient field sizes. Up mountains both ways in the snow.
Now it's like, "here's 5 points for winning a 12 person master's field" or some such shenanigans.
#2586
**** that
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@Ygduf & I are old enough to remember that rule, and for the record upgraded to 1 during its reign. Hell I got like 50 points in less than six months.
Some of the crits I won/placed in were 2/3's crits. Someone once said I got to 1 "the easy way" - what's funny is they were in some of the same "easy" races, trying to do it the "easy way," and still couldn't get it done. They're still a 2.
But none of us new-age 1's are as hardcore as the olden days, when there were only like 200 1's in the US, and you had to keep getting points to stay a 1. Uphill both ways no less!
At the end of the day, I don't actually care that much about how someone gets to cat 1, even if it does dilute the awesomeness of being a 1. If they sucked on the way to their cat 1 upgrade, they'll continue to suck in races. All that matters is who wins & gets in the money. (to cat 1's)
#2588
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Seems like a slippery slope...we have a lot of weekends where there is a big race all the names show up to and another that has a relatively light 1/2/3 field.
I get what you're saying though. A Cat 1 should get their points via premier events, but that also punishes some regions (and masters). Personally, I don't think there are enough Cat 1's out there for it to be an issue. Than again, I'm not a Cat 1.
I get what you're saying though. A Cat 1 should get their points via premier events, but that also punishes some regions (and masters). Personally, I don't think there are enough Cat 1's out there for it to be an issue. Than again, I'm not a Cat 1.
Having minimum races in a 12 month period or something like it used to be meant that you were hitting the road, seeking out the good races, and getting legitimate results. It was kind of a big deal. Now, eh.
At the end of the day, everyone pretty much knows what's up, of course, and you've got legit cat 1s and pretender cat 1s and it's pretty evident once the race starts, but still.
#2590
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IIRC to be a 1 you also had to have a mustache, which at the time was the biggest difference between the domestic peloton and the euro peloton.
#2591
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I agree about not posting names You could post the USAC # and then the name itself is not floating around (/searchable) but someone could find the results in question.
I looked at the PM you sent me (thanks) and spent a few minutes scanning the results. What stood out to me is that he was racing as a Cat 3 in June/July. He did well at Tulsa Tough as a Cat 3 (legit result in the 3s), and then on July 20th he won the Driveway Series Cat 3/4 field -- and on the same night also took 8th in the 1/2/3 field. He's listed as a 1 on those results.
Lots of his results are from that Driveway Series.
He only raced the 1/2/3 field on 7/13, so he didn't get a forced upgrade mid-way through the 7/20 races; that can happen sometimes.
Yeah... I don't see it. You need to get 6th or better to get points for a crit, even in a large field. He's done that a couple times.
In theory, results from a single series should not count towards an early upgrade. If a rider got a big result at 1 or 2 NRC races, for example, against national competition, that is more meaningful that 3rd, 6th, 9th , 8th, 3rd at a single local series. And if the rider did get those results at a couple NRC races, it is probably not a problem for them to get a couple more results.
I'm surprised. Perhaps there is more to the story. Otherwise, this doesn't appear to be a case of letting a point or 2 slide. Looks like there are maybe 8 points. Correct me if I'm wrong there -- I spent 5 minutes on it and could have missed something.
I looked at the PM you sent me (thanks) and spent a few minutes scanning the results. What stood out to me is that he was racing as a Cat 3 in June/July. He did well at Tulsa Tough as a Cat 3 (legit result in the 3s), and then on July 20th he won the Driveway Series Cat 3/4 field -- and on the same night also took 8th in the 1/2/3 field. He's listed as a 1 on those results.
Lots of his results are from that Driveway Series.
He only raced the 1/2/3 field on 7/13, so he didn't get a forced upgrade mid-way through the 7/20 races; that can happen sometimes.
Yeah... I don't see it. You need to get 6th or better to get points for a crit, even in a large field. He's done that a couple times.
In theory, results from a single series should not count towards an early upgrade. If a rider got a big result at 1 or 2 NRC races, for example, against national competition, that is more meaningful that 3rd, 6th, 9th , 8th, 3rd at a single local series. And if the rider did get those results at a couple NRC races, it is probably not a problem for them to get a couple more results.
I'm surprised. Perhaps there is more to the story. Otherwise, this doesn't appear to be a case of letting a point or 2 slide. Looks like there are maybe 8 points. Correct me if I'm wrong there -- I spent 5 minutes on it and could have missed something.
#2592
commu*ist spy
I agree about not posting names You could post the USAC # and then the name itself is not floating around (/searchable) but someone could find the results in question.
I looked at the PM you sent me (thanks) and spent a few minutes scanning the results. What stood out to me is that he was racing as a Cat 3 in June/July. He did well at Tulsa Tough as a Cat 3 (legit result in the 3s), and then on July 20th he won the Driveway Series Cat 3/4 field -- and on the same night also took 8th in the 1/2/3 field. He's listed as a 1 on those results.
Lots of his results are from that Driveway Series.
He only raced the 1/2/3 field on 7/13, so he didn't get a forced upgrade mid-way through the 7/20 races; that can happen sometimes.
Yeah... I don't see it. You need to get 6th or better to get points for a crit, even in a large field. He's done that a couple times.
In theory, results from a single series should not count towards an early upgrade. If a rider got a big result at 1 or 2 NRC races, for example, against national competition, that is more meaningful that 3rd, 6th, 9th , 8th, 3rd at a single local series. And if the rider did get those results at a couple NRC races, it is probably not a problem for them to get a couple more results.
I'm surprised. Perhaps there is more to the story. Otherwise, this doesn't appear to be a case of letting a point or 2 slide. Looks like there are maybe 8 points. Correct me if I'm wrong there -- I spent 5 minutes on it and could have missed something.
I looked at the PM you sent me (thanks) and spent a few minutes scanning the results. What stood out to me is that he was racing as a Cat 3 in June/July. He did well at Tulsa Tough as a Cat 3 (legit result in the 3s), and then on July 20th he won the Driveway Series Cat 3/4 field -- and on the same night also took 8th in the 1/2/3 field. He's listed as a 1 on those results.
Lots of his results are from that Driveway Series.
He only raced the 1/2/3 field on 7/13, so he didn't get a forced upgrade mid-way through the 7/20 races; that can happen sometimes.
Yeah... I don't see it. You need to get 6th or better to get points for a crit, even in a large field. He's done that a couple times.
In theory, results from a single series should not count towards an early upgrade. If a rider got a big result at 1 or 2 NRC races, for example, against national competition, that is more meaningful that 3rd, 6th, 9th , 8th, 3rd at a single local series. And if the rider did get those results at a couple NRC races, it is probably not a problem for them to get a couple more results.
I'm surprised. Perhaps there is more to the story. Otherwise, this doesn't appear to be a case of letting a point or 2 slide. Looks like there are maybe 8 points. Correct me if I'm wrong there -- I spent 5 minutes on it and could have missed something.
#2593
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Wife was chatting it up with one of the Jelly Belly riders this morning, they're staying in her hotel in Carlsbad. I don't recall how many pro sports teams she's seen that way, but its a few.
#2594
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Some good riding, even for the big guns, in that area. The hard group rides are ridiculously hard, at least to me.
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#2595
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Jellybelly team HQ is San Marcos, and their traveling riders have often stayed in Carlsbad. Team pictures are usually within 15-20 minutes drive of HQ.
Some good riding, even for the big guns, in that area. The hard group rides are ridiculously hard, at least to me.
Some good riding, even for the big guns, in that area. The hard group rides are ridiculously hard, at least to me.
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#2597
Not actually Tmonk
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I spent my boyhood (years 2-10) on Lodgepole road in San Marcos, about 1.5 blocks from what I assume is the Jelly Belly HQ. I say this because I still ride through there from time to time for nostalgiac purposes and I always take note of this house with a huge Jelly Belly bus and team cars on Lake Ridge road.
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#2598
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As far as becoming a Cat 1, on the track, USAC requires you have results from more than one Velodrome to move up.
#2599
Senior Member
I spent my boyhood (years 2-10) on Lodgepole road in San Marcos, about 1.5 blocks from what I assume is the Jelly Belly HQ. I say this because I still ride through there from time to time for nostalgiac purposes and I always take note of this house with a huge Jelly Belly bus and team cars on Lake Ridge road.
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"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
#2600
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There's a good chance it may snow at the Devil's Punchbowl for UCLA RR; since my race starts at 7am it'll be in the low 30's. Can someone from a region that actually snows let me know how they deal with this? Do they cancel it or do we race?