Originally Posted by hubcyclist

First crit, got pulled 9 mins in, ona 0.6 mile course with 6 turns and one really quick but hard climb coming out of a turn. Somehow managed to get 32/44, I think some guys thought they were getting pulled but really weren't, hence the DNFs. My downfall was going into a punchy climb overgeared and quickly lost any possibility of staying with the group. But of 44 riders starting, only 9 actually finished without getting pulled, so it's not like I ever really stood a chance. Two guys from what I presume to be one of the stronger local teams were basically in a break by themselves the whole way, really solid stuff. I'll be possibly doing a less technical and flatter crit next week, but an inauspicious start to the season. On the plus side, I did meet grolby.

Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin

Brinkerhoff 1/2/3 - 15th, I think? Gnarly race, usual Brinkerhoff mayhem with epic weather thrown in.

Originally Posted by jsk

Been mostly lurking here for a while, started racing my first season as a cat 5 this year. This past weekend was the Race Du Lac Omnium/Stage Race in Lake Charles, LA.


Road Race - 5th place
2 loops on a rectangular 15-mile course. Solo break occurred right from the start. Was suprised when nobody seemed interested in chasing (this is Cat5, after all). I decided to attempt to bridge, nobody came with me. I was closing at first, but then the gap was holding constant and I was stuck in no man's land for about 2 miles, eased up and ended up back in pack. Chase never really got organized, only a few of us were willing to pull through and work. Breakaway guy stayed away for the win. Coming into the field sprint things got pretty bunched up; by the time I found a way to squeeze through was playing catch-up and ended up 4th in sprint, 5th overall.


Time Trial - 5th place
Got some clip-ons last week, this TT was my third time using them. 3 miles, pretty flat, no real turns. My pacing wasn't quite as smooth as it could have been early on, and I went all-out a little too far from the finish. Pretty happy considering it was my first TT. This is something I want to work on and improve, there are a couple more stage races with slightly longer TT's that I'll be doing later in the season.


Criterium - 1st place
Was a bit nervous going into this, as it was my first crit and I've heard a fair amount of talk about Cat 5 crits in particular being crash-fests. Course was .75 miles, with 7 corners and a roundabout. I was about 8 riders back on first lap, pace was fast enough right from the start that the field was stretched out, so the turns weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. Moved around a couple of riders who were getting gapped early in 2nd lap, ended up in 6 man break which was down to 4 after the prime lap. Things slowed a little with a few laps to go, break was back to 6. I was fortunate to be 2nd wheel behind a very strong rider starting the last lap (guy who won the RR & TT day before). He made a couple of attempts to drop me (including a brake check), but I stayed with. Coming around last turn into the headwind on finishing stretch I attacked, maybe went a little early but managed to hold onto the lead and take the win.


Cat 5 was run as an Omnium, thanks to crit win ended up 2nd in overall points.

Originally Posted by revchuck

Excellent, jsk! Hope to meet you in the future - my next race is the Mississippi Grand Prix. I'll be the really old guy in LCR kit racing in Master's 55+. Really nice to see someone from my neck of the woods on here.

Originally Posted by jsk

Been mostly lurking here for a while, started racing my first season as a cat 5 this year. This past weekend was the Race Du Lac Omnium/Stage Race in Lake Charles, LA.


Road Race - 5th place
2 loops on a rectangular 15-mile course. Solo break occurred right from the start. Was suprised when nobody seemed interested in chasing (this is Cat5, after all). I decided to attempt to bridge, nobody came with me. I was closing at first, but then the gap was holding constant and I was stuck in no man's land for about 2 miles, eased up and ended up back in pack. Chase never really got organized, only a few of us were willing to pull through and work. Breakaway guy stayed away for the win. Coming into the field sprint things got pretty bunched up; by the time I found a way to squeeze through was playing catch-up and ended up 4th in sprint, 5th overall.


Time Trial - 5th place
Got some clip-ons last week, this TT was my third time using them. 3 miles, pretty flat, no real turns. My pacing wasn't quite as smooth as it could have been early on, and I went all-out a little too far from the finish. Pretty happy considering it was my first TT. This is something I want to work on and improve, there are a couple more stage races with slightly longer TT's that I'll be doing later in the season.


Criterium - 1st place
Was a bit nervous going into this, as it was my first crit and I've heard a fair amount of talk about Cat 5 crits in particular being crash-fests. Course was .75 miles, with 7 corners and a roundabout. I was about 8 riders back on first lap, pace was fast enough right from the start that the field was stretched out, so the turns weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. Moved around a couple of riders who were getting gapped early in 2nd lap, ended up in 6 man break which was down to 4 after the prime lap. Things slowed a little with a few laps to go, break was back to 6. I was fortunate to be 2nd wheel behind a very strong rider starting the last lap (guy who won the RR & TT day before). He made a couple of attempts to drop me (including a brake check), but I stayed with. Coming around last turn into the headwind on finishing stretch I attacked, maybe went a little early but managed to hold onto the lead and take the win.


Cat 5 was run as an Omnium, thanks to crit win ended up 2nd in overall points.

Originally Posted by Andy STi

Congrats!

Where do they hold those? Back in the day we used to race at Parkside for the spring series. My first USCF race was there in 1986....damn, I'm old.

Originally Posted by globecanvas

Not really following. You want people to be upgraded sooner so they stop winning races, or you want people to be upgraded later so they learn how to handle their bikes?

Originally Posted by Christobevii3

I have the video from these races and moved 10 seconds before the guy wrecked in lap one. I'm pretty disgusted with Lambra not upgrading people. The cat 5 road race averaged 24.1mph as pack, last year was 22.7mph and both years road races have had someone end over the bars and with a hospital ride. The guy that solo'ed off did a lap 30 seconds faster than the fastest cat 4 lap.

Road race break? So much for starting us in a stupid parking lot lined far back and neutral start? Sure the guy is a tt pro and it is his first road race but the same thing happened last year. Upgrades from 5 to 4 to 3 in three races then proceeds to not know how to handle at all.

Originally Posted by spectastic

I'm probably one of those 8 people. I should be a cat 3. I wish I were a cat 3. But I'm fine going by the system, because it works, and if you let one guy cat up faster, it's only fair to change the system for everyone, and that's just not going to happen.

also, yes there are tri athletes with incredible endurance, but it's quite likely they've never raced in a group, and letting them shoot up the ranks is a disservice to both the rider and the pelotons, because he doesn't get the practice he needs, and the racers don't want a guy who doesn't know how to handle packed tight corners in cat 3 or higher.

lastly, lambra isn't responsible for upgrading people, usacycling is. it's possible for someone in cat 5 to upgrade to a 4 without 10 races, provided he/she does well with podiums and/or wins. (that's what I did). but it's the individual's decision to cat up or sandbag. It's not lambra's responsibility

Originally Posted by Christobevii3

This is LAMBRA not the texas or west coast, request an upgrade and you'll probably get approved. Taco went from 5 to 4 with 1 race and 4 to 3 with 1 race. If guys are racing solo in cat 5 and have no pack history then they aren't going to get it riding by themselves either and pulling the whole field isn't helping anyone else either.

The crit course was very tame with slow turns and no elevation change. However last year at the vuelta they let a much tighter course with elevation continue with people lapped and double lapped with hardly anyone pulled. This is the same race director but varying application of the rules?

The crashes i was just throwing out there for the race and had no determination based on category or upgrade. Every single category had a wreck in the road race and the 1 in the 5 the guy hit someones wheel looking back grabbing a bottle for no reason and only had another guy looking at a cow run into him.

Originally Posted by Christobevii3

It is the same guy at each race doing it. I don't know his name but he is at every lambra race making the decision and has been for three years.

As for the one thing I enjoyed was the Cat 4 crit being won by a guy on a $500-600 bikesdirect windsor aluminum bike he probably got used by breaking away with three people and out sprinting the other two on carbon bikes with deep carbon wheels.

Originally Posted by Christobevii3

It is the same guy at each race doing it. I don't know his name but he is at every lambra race making the decision and has been for three years.

As for the one thing I enjoyed was the Cat 4 crit being won by a guy on a $500-600 bikesdirect windsor aluminum bike he probably got used by breaking away with three people and out sprinting the other two on carbon bikes with deep carbon wheels.

Originally Posted by shovelhd

Your local association is responsible for upgrades until Cat2. Upgrades to Cat1 are done by USAC headquarters in Colorado.

Originally Posted by Christobevii3

It is the same guy at each race doing it. I don't know his name but he is at every lambra race making the decision and has been for three years.

Originally Posted by spectastic

I remember having to email someone in colorado when I petitioned to be moved to a 4 before I had my 10 races

Originally Posted by shovelhd

Your local upgrade coordinator made that call. Maybe they believed that you weren't ready and put the onus on Colorado. Or maybe you lost your upgrade coordinator for a period of time. Or maybe you were licensed in Colorado at the time