There's been a lot of banter in blog-land regarding the track upgrade policy. Here's my take:
For those who think the upgrade policy should be more stringent...have you tried to get upgraded lately? I had omnium results of 2nd, 3rd, 1st, and 2nd before I was allowed to upgrade. After my 3rd race, other racers were constantly asking me when I was going to upgrade.
Compare that to racing on the road...I was able to obtain my upgrade simply because I finished 6th in one road race, along with a handful of mid-pack finishes. I know several roadies who've gotten their Cat 3 (or even Cat 2) upgrades with fewer races and worse results than I had. The track enforces the upgrade policy almost to a "T".
There are also some who think that simply being an experienced rider should warrant an upgrade. I got news for ya: if you're getting shelled in the 4's, you'll get shelled in the 3's. Having experienced riders in these lower Cats makes their races safer and helps lessen the learning curve for newbies. That being said, there are a few who are consistently 4th-5th place. While I think that they probably deserve to be upgraded, I don't know how to go about blurring the lines in some cases but not others.
I definitely think the absolute beginners need to utilize the development program, and should not be racing with the 4's. Race night should be Cats 1-4, with the 5's fighting it out on the Wednesday development nights. Maybe they could wear full-body armour.
Other than that, it seems to me that the current upgrade policy is working. Everyone knows EXACTLY what needs to be done to move up. There's no guessing games.
OK, moving on...
The reason I chose to start the 1/2 points race immediately following the Cat 3 race is because I was encouraged by Bob to do so. I need to be a Cat 2 in order to compete at nationals (after I win the state match sprints). There's no way in hell I'd be driving all the way down to Blaine when there's a 90% chance of rain, just on the off-chance that we'll be able to race, if I didn't need upgrade points. I'm going to try to get points anywhere I can. For those that think that was a bad move, think about it. I've ridden my bike enough that I know how to hold my line, and I know how to get the hell out of the way if I'm impeding other riders. How many times do you see riders at crits finish their race and immediate line up for the next race? I wasn't even the 1st rider off the back! If we're going to make a big deal about Cat 3's riding with the 1/2's, we should also think about downgrades for those in the 1/2's who are getting dropped before the tired 3's.
I didn't hear anyone complaining when another Cat 3 lined up with the 1/2's a few weeks ago and lapped the field.
4 comments:
I should be able to get an upgrade based on my 97th (out of 98) place finish at Black Dog especially when you throw the modeling in.
Regarding Upgrades: Keep the rules the same for everyone. If you can't win, you dont deserve the upgrade
Regarding 3s riding w/2s: they do it all the time on the road. If your a 3 you are generally strong enuf and skilled enuf to ride with the 2s.
I agree with Dan O. If you are lapped you should be pulled from the race. Coming up to slower traffic is dangerous.
I disagree about the upgrade rules. If a rider or small group of riders either win or take a top 3 placing in virtually every race for 3 or 4 weeks, there is no reason not to upgrade them. There is no way anyone is going to convince me that just because a person is a cat 2 they are automatically safer than a cat 4. Most likely the cat 2 is a safer rider. For example,if a cat 2 comes into the season untrained and is getting lapped; how are they safer than a highly trained recently upgraded cat 4 who stays out at front of the pack? Gassed and truely novice riders are the most dangerous on the track.
I crashed last night and it had nothing to do with me being a cat 4. Dude lost his bike I had absolutely no time to move up track it had nothing to do with my category.
Last Thursday sucked. Lets hope for a safer ride Thursday. Have the officials start pulling the lapped riders.
Ted
guys who have been riding a long time and are a 2 are still safer than inexperienced fast guys because they know the drill. If you are lapped, get the hell out of the way but don't go to slow. The dangerous guys are the ones who make drastic moves. Slowing down too quickly, or making nervous side to side twitchy moves, going up track without looking, or dropping down in front of riders are drastic dangerous moves. This isn't rocket science, people need to pull their head out of their asses and pay attention...
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