actually, you don't have a choice.
you will be cat 5.
need to get a USCF license, and as you have never
raced, you will be a 5 automatically.

THANK YOU SOO MUCH

what is usfc and how do i get that?

sorry i have no clue what im tlaking about. lol

i just want to race and kick some ass

"Damio"

us cycling federation
www.usacycling.org and apply for a license online.

<< just want to race and kick some ass >>

I suggest you learn first...you may be in for a big surprise...even in cat 5 there are some decent bike riders who see 22mph as mere warm up.

THANKS AGAIN GUYS



in response to last quote i guees i have to be young and stupid first

im just gunna go in and try to red line as much as possible.

i dotn expect to win but im gunna take out as many people as possible

"Damio"

The real guide to the USA cycling categories:

Cat. 5: Completely unknowledgable, zero bike handling skills, generates frequent crashes, shouts "braking" when approaching a stop and wears a Bell V1 pro helmet and shops at Performance. Largely non-lethal due to a lack of speed.

Cat. 4: Increasinly dangerous with the onset of additional speed and slightly better equipment. Stopped shouting "braking" but still heavily influenced by what Lance does. Still shops at Performance.

Cat. 3: So lethal should be considered a weapon of mass destruction. Extremely fit but devoid of tactical sense and situational awareness: A missle without a guidance system. Frequent crashes at high speed. Thinks broken collar bones are badge of honor. Extremely dangerous. Starting to bother guys at local bike shop for "deals". Thinks he's a racer like Lance.

Cat. 2: Can finally handle his bike at dizzying speeds. Refers to his "program". Rides beat-up old equipment under the misguided impression it makes him look grizzled, expereinced and crusty. Has taken a vow to never buy another piece of cycling equipment at retail or even wholesale. Will never wear a replica team jersey now- only his own local "club" team which he thinks is like U.S. Postal. Ultimate dillusion, ultimate performance.

Cat. 1: The final step before having to get a life and actually leave the sport. Entertained dillusions of being a real cyclist (Hey, I won two free waterbottles and $50 in my last race after driving 5 hours!). Thinks he could finish a stage of The Tour (not). Can actually ride a bike but thinks he has more in common with Lance than just being the same species.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

For Damio: the above guide was invented by Tom

For Tom: that's pretty accurate :-))

That's a lot better than my old standby of saying: the Cat 5 guys are the ones with more desire than ability.

Let me give you a bit of serious advice, though, as you start out in Cat 5. Get to the front and stay there....I don't mean lead the whole race, I mean stay in the top 5 places. There's at least a better chance the other four guys at the front are decent riders and maybe you won't get caught up in a wreck. Don't worry if you blow up and get spit out the back...every race get back up to the front for as long as you can. One day, if you can finish the race without blowing up, you might get some points that will help you move up to Cat 4. In the meantime, you are maximizing your actual time at racing speed while minimizing your wrecking risks.

Good luck. Consider wearing body armor and a mouthpiece if you decide not to stay up front.

---

Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

ahahah

awesome man. pure quality!!

"Damio" approves

5 Time Tour Winner Bernard Hinault: "You must defend your position at the front". Best advice for a Cat. 2-5.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

if Zulle had done that in the Tour 99, maybe Lance would be at Tour 3 and Zulle would have had 1...
sure Alex does not spend his holidays anywhere near the passage du gois.

other good thing with being at the front: you'll never know what the elastic effect is...and that's a good thing.

In turns the crash always moves to the outside of the turn, don't be there. Road rash heals as do broken bones and casts get sympathy, for a bit. Then they get itchy and smell bad. Its hard t oget a date with a smelly cast. Its been said before but stay in the top few places depending upon pack size. Please, please practice clipping into your pedals without swerving or looking down. It might be a good idea to practice bumping elbows with some of your friends before the race.

thanks guys all good advice.

thanks for helping me out as far as a racer in cycling im a rookie.

"Damio"

This is why I'm damn glad not to be a 5! :)

i know its all in good fun that you wrote that.

but im not a pyscho..

im an 18 year old punk ridding a TREK 5900 carbon fiber frame that was purchased through many hours of lifegaurding in the hot sun while looking at the.... helpless people in the water of course.

i wouldnt risk putting my baby in harms way.

"DAMIO"

Actually, I was quite serious. Though I realize you were trying to be funny, your comment sums up perfectly what most cat 5 races are like. I love road racing with all my heart, but if I had to start back over as a 5 I don't think I would do it... at least not without full motorcycle leathers, full-face helmet, chest protector, shin guards, and maybe even a gun. OK, that's pushing it. But if you're seriously that worried about damaging your bike, I'd reconsider.

im doing the central park (NYC) races. do you have any info about those?

where are you from? is it just your area thats that bad?

this is starting to get scary everybody just talks about the crashes?NASCAR?

"DAMIO"

5900 is an expensive bike to be riding with people who don't what they're doing. might want to think of getting a sub $1000 bike for races until you make it to the higher cats.

My very first race, first lap, first corner, I went down in a pile of bodies. No lie; it couldn't have been worse. It was the Tour De Michigan about 1985. I didn't race again for a couple years. Now, that's not to say that's terribly normal, but it's also extremely unlikely that you'll graduate to being a 4 without at least a few battle scars on body and bike.

I started racing in Michigan where the fields are relatively small. My home is currently San Diego, and I really wouldn't want to deal with the size of some of the fields in Cali. I don't know what NY is like.

Having said that, I wouldn't want you to back out because of my horror stories, and I'm sure as hell glad that I didn't give up after a few bad experiences, but you should be prepared. A 5900 is a beautiful bike and I just want you to be aware that, well, shit happens. After many years of racing, I've lost my share of paint, saddles, spokes, handlebar tape... This, of course, wasn't all at the cat. 5 level, but certainly the majority was. Actually, there was no cat. 5 when I started racing. Cat. 4 was the lowest.

wow thats a lot to think about.

im deff stil racing, but i might use my dads old school 7 speed. just hurts a bit because my bike is just over 16 and his is like 35. but its still one of my loves(your first one always is).

well thanks for allthe advice

"Damio"

My wife and I go to Crits to watch the locals race. In the Cat 5 races the sharp corners get so slick, we kid that it's from all the skin on the corner

You will be a Cat 5 guy, and Demmerly and Francois summed it up pretty succintly. I would get a beater bike to race Cat. 5 in- the racing is too dangerous to be putting your OCLV in harm's way. Stay in the front and fight to win like your life depends on it- that's the only way you will survive.

Have fun.

NYC,

In my experience, Cat 5 isn't the demolition derby it has been portrayed to be thus far in this thread. As a first-year roadie, I am accumulating the necessary races to upgrade and have thus far remained injury free (knock on wood). Personally, I have seen more accidents in triathlons than in my races (how those non-drafters ended up overlapping wheels, I'll never know). The best advice has already been given: stay toward the front, just in case. However, assure yourself of your pack riding skills by going out on local race-rides and getting used to riding in a group moving (and cornering) at speed. If you are not comfortable in a group, do a few road races before you tackle a crit. Finally, once you get into a race, relax, have fun, and, for goodness-sake, ATTACK! Who cares if you get spit out the back, you're a 5! At least on this coast, all you have to do is finish 10 races to upgrade, so who cares where you finish! Of course, a buddy of mine won the first three 5s races he entered this year, all on breakaways (one on the flats, one in a crit, one on the final climb). Needless to say, he got upgraded rather quickly. So get out there, stay aware of the riders around you, and have a blast!

garth.

actually doing the 5-4-3 etc...progression is good.
my first season, I broke away each time in 4 (no 5 in france) then was in 3 and 2 and did the same.
then was in 1. broke away on the first race, they all really nicely let me die at the front, reeled me in so fast that I couldn't even catch the train and finished all alone. result of the fast upgrade: 0 learning, 0 bike skills but riding fast.
consequence: I have never been comfortable in a crit (and basically refused to race them), and can only stay either way at the front or last...
I consider myself as skillless on a bike (compare to roadies in the same cat).

the learning process is really necessary...

Ask some local racers what they are like. If you don't know anyone else to ask people at Toga Bike shop should probably able to help you. They have a team that races locally.

212-799-9625

Also they just started stocking Cervelo. Really nice P3 and P2K on display