B_Doughtie wrote:
Actually BT is basically following suit of USAT. USA is one of the few countries with strict policy on elite card status. Many Euro countries you simply apply for it (that's how British elite works now), show them your results and they decide yes or no. USAT is one of the few countries that actually has a standard to qualify that an athlete knows the day of a race they qualify for the card or not. No guessing, no applying and hoping they accept it. You apply knowing you'll get it.
What your seeming to suggest is just tightening up the standards, which I would agree if it applied only to LC athletes. Where I don't agree is when it applies to short course athletes, as there isn't enough qualifiers to truly showcase your talent at SC racing. That's why many USAT CRP athletes who race DL pretty exclusively will jump into a 70.3 to get the pro card and then not race 70.3 again until they burn out of ITU.
I was only referring to the non-drafting pathway, specifically the 104 point and top 3 age grouper paths to a pro card. I don't have the experience with the draft-legal pathway that you do.