tetonrider

other than the theoretical doper upgrade (which @gsteinb pointed out isn't so theoretical) i have no feelings as to whether anyone deserves an upgrade or not -- it USAC gives it to them, it's OK by me. to say otherwise would be arguing against the rules of the sport, which is a different discussion.

@grolby simply brought up a point about what other riders think of the pack finish upgrade (his perception, which is cool). @fudgy did not miss in his chance to chime in about 'upgrading by the old rule', which is also cool -- but then he went on to say 2 things: that people do not talk about upgrades outside this forum and that people in a race only care about how you're able to ride that day.

neither one of those is true. (to be fair he said he's never heard anyone talk about upgrades, but that implies that it doesn't/hasn't happened.)

i have no idea what he meant to say if it was something different than what he actually said.

upgrades are not something i care about it (how someone got there), but in a few seconds of thinking i came up with 2 examples where others discussed how a particular rider even got their upgrade. many riders are insecure and, honestly, all of us amateurs/hobbyists are far more similar than we are different (yes, even the cat 1 has more in common with the cat 5 than differences), so it's not much of a surprise that some folks try to chop up distinctions in some arbitrary/fine way in order to feel special....or talk about the circumstances of someone's cheesy win.

not saying i like it or whatever, but it happens. in fact, i prefer to be out of those conversations when they start. bike racers seem particularly catty in that area, i've observed. my theory is because the differences are so damn small that some riders chop someone else down to try to seem taller.

i've also seen first-hand how a rider's actions/personality off-the-bike have influenced a race. i'd bet many of us have seen the ****** chased down by more people than otherwise would and the chase of the nice guy's break chased by fewer riders. hell, i have seen that in a national championship race (masters nationals, though--not sure if that counts for @mattm ).

tetonrider

no, i was specifically addressing things that went beyond performance in my statement. your comment strikes me as thinking of it in the context of who to work with (or not) and i would agree is definitely about the riders' legs and trustworthiness; i'm talking about what goes on behind the break and can often be what enables the win or shuts it down.

i have witnessed first-hand other riders' unwillingness to chase a rider who was known to perform but also known to be a great guy -- and i've seen the opposite happen to the d-bag. as said above, i bet many of us have seen that.

i've even heard things said about prolific posters on forums/strava/etc by people who no one thinks of as part of that/those community(ies). the reach is kind of remarkable; i've been amused by the comments people make, at times, and who lurks.

tetonrider

68 riders finished the RR. 65 finished the TT. whether the 2 others DNS'ed or DNF'ed, like your friend, is unclear. bizarre that they don't call that out. first time i've seen it but probably happens all the time and i've never noticed.

hack

I don't think we'd have noticed either if it was anyone else. I bet the 65 others didn't think twice about it.

Andy STi

I guess my goal is to maintain my cat 1 status, I just love all the bragging rights and special doors that it opens! Although, as a 45 year old it is kinda silly. How do I downgrade....?

cmh

And my 2016 goals are basically a repeat of my 2015 season: win a 40+ race, help teammates in at least a few P12 races, no substantial crashes, have fun.

Andy STi

Now that this thread has been "cleaned" this comment make me sound even more like a ******.

tetonrider

what happened? i was just alerted to it.

isn't your car's license plate "CAT 1"?

caloso

Back to goals.

I'd like to win a few more bottles of wine for my wife.

Andy STi

You're so fancy down there, we just get beer up here.

cmh

And coffee! Don't forget all the coffee primes up here.

Duke of Kent

And bacon, and whiskey shots...

I hope OBRA-land has retained its hipster flair, at least in that regard.

I seriously LOVE bacon.

caloso

A few years ago we were up in PDX visiting inlaws and I was able to do one of the PIR races. Super fun race and really well run. Hoping to race in OBRA land again. (Hey, maybe that should be one of my 2016 goals!)

cmh

In OBRA-land, we only eat bacon when it is embedded in a doughnut.

Bacon Maple Bar Doughnut - Menu - Voodoo Doughnut - Portland

cmh

Of course you should! Say hello if you are up here to race PIR again.

rideaz

Coffee, beer and wine prizes??
I'm racing in the wrong place! We get tubes, tires, water bottles and gift cards to Mexican Restaurants.

shovelhd

Burrito primes? I would have been down for that.

echappist

burritos are so... gringo...

taco primes are the way to go, one lingua, one al pastor, and one steak please

shovelhd

Elitist.

grolby

Where alcohol primes are concerned, I think another goal for 2016 is to win more beer but drink less of it.

Wylde06

Whenever my club races have beer primes...I always go for them.

echappist

that's connoisseur to you

tetonrider

you could spend a week in portland and race 5 or 6 times (probably more!).i'd like

to return.i did

hood one weekend, the 2 nights at PIR + mt tabor. (there's a cool little weekly series doing laps around tabor, that extinct volcano that is now a city park.)

rkwaki

Well as I have been MIA might as well start here:
2016?
I want stripes on my jersey
/post

Ygduf

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...cycling+jersey