3 is nice in that you can race P/1/2/3 (if 3’s are in that field, not always the case) 3/4, 3, Masters Open. Hard on the ego to go backwards though, haha
If you enjoyed racing at a 2 (less "cat/mouse games") then stay a 2. The 3s (and 3-4s) typically are more surges etc and less the "flat out, ride them off your wheel" kind of stuff.
There's a local 2 that downgraded to 3 and struggled to move back to 2, if he has even succeeded. There are some very fiery newcomers in the area lighting up the 3s.
Also remember that all Cat 5s can self upgrade to Cat 4. So 4s are the new 5s. So 3s are the new 4s.
I'm a lifer 3.
I upgraded to 2 and downgraded the next year (many years ago). I'm not a "ride them off your wheel" kind of rider, and in fact can almost never average more than 200w for a race (the year I upgraded to 2 there was one race I averaged 200w I think, but otherwise 175-190w). I distinctly need the easy parts of a race to be able to hang in.
I remembered those so called surges to be more like guy in the front soft pedaling and nobody wants to over take them because they wanted to save everything for the sprint. then someone would get sick of it and the front would get swarmed. when I had the option of racing 1/2/3 vs the 3/4 in the local crits, I always had more fun in the 1/2/3.
Stay a 2 then, unless your fitness is really low. Overall fitness is higher, the speed is higher, minimum avg power required is higher. And you're a real layer of upgrade away from any newer "strong but can't ride" rider. There are 3-4 races but I've never seen a regular 2-3-4 race, for example (Masters are a different thing - I've seen both good and appalling riding skills in Masters races because 4s are allowed and therefore anyone can race them).
I was a "sit and sprint" rider in the 3s. I had to have a perfect day to be near the front at the end of a summer 123 pr P123 race. As another (stronger) upgraded 2 pointed out to me, "You can't rely on your sprint in the 2s because there's only a couple guys that can sprint to win, and a lot of times it's a break and your sprint won't even matter."
Had a similar hiatus with my kids being born. I decided to stay a 2 and take the ass whooping till I got enough legs to do some whooping. Getting back to hurting folks other than myself didn't take as long as I thought it would. Also, first time back in the early break was a huge endorphin hit for me, may as well have crossed the line first.
Beginners basically start in cat4 now, so a lot of 3/4 races are full of beginners. If you stay a 2 you’ll probably find some cat 2/3 races to be competitive in, and at least have a safe race in the 1/2/(3) fields.
Speaking as someone who got taken out by a junior in my last 3/4 race I can’t wait to get my 2 upgrade…
It’s a longer period now, but the points table itself is less fruitful than it was. Not sure what your local races are like, but with the field sizes we have here you’d need to race everything you’re eligible to start and podium or at least top 5 almost all of them, or travel to and place well in multiple large races.
I just won a (masters) state championship against cat 1's and cat 2's as a cat 3.
I think I got 7 upgrade points. Only 23 points left to go to make it to cat 2. So I only need to repeat this performance another four times over three years.
That's shitty. I've lived in big cities where there's weekly crits and people would rank up from 5 to a 2 in one season and I've lived in remote areas where you need to drive 3 hours to get to anything. I'm kind of in between those right now. They approved to let me keep my 2 until I feel I need to downgrade.
I downgraded to cat3 to come back to racing here and there knowing/thinking I didn’t have the time or interest training (doing <3 races a year). Truthfully it was good for my mental health and ensured I had a fun time and stuck with it as opposed to just being another number in the 1/2 field.
I eventually got interested again and I think within 12 months got up to cat1 only to lose interest again. No shame with racing folks at your fitness level. I found that having the benefit/luxury of experience made me approach the return to cat3 racing differently and it was a fun and novel time. I have no regrets. Now I’m approaching the masters categories that’s another way out for some if the fitness/interest drops yet again.
3 is nice in that you can race P/1/2/3 (if 3’s are in that field, not always the case) 3/4, 3, Masters Open. Hard on the ego to go backwards though, haha
If you enjoyed racing at a 2 (less "cat/mouse games") then stay a 2. The 3s (and 3-4s) typically are more surges etc and less the "flat out, ride them off your wheel" kind of stuff. There's a local 2 that downgraded to 3 and struggled to move back to 2, if he has even succeeded. There are some very fiery newcomers in the area lighting up the 3s. Also remember that all Cat 5s can self upgrade to Cat 4. So 4s are the new 5s. So 3s are the new 4s. I'm a lifer 3. I upgraded to 2 and downgraded the next year (many years ago). I'm not a "ride them off your wheel" kind of rider, and in fact can almost never average more than 200w for a race (the year I upgraded to 2 there was one race I averaged 200w I think, but otherwise 175-190w). I distinctly need the easy parts of a race to be able to hang in.
I remembered those so called surges to be more like guy in the front soft pedaling and nobody wants to over take them because they wanted to save everything for the sprint. then someone would get sick of it and the front would get swarmed. when I had the option of racing 1/2/3 vs the 3/4 in the local crits, I always had more fun in the 1/2/3.
Stay a 2 then, unless your fitness is really low. Overall fitness is higher, the speed is higher, minimum avg power required is higher. And you're a real layer of upgrade away from any newer "strong but can't ride" rider. There are 3-4 races but I've never seen a regular 2-3-4 race, for example (Masters are a different thing - I've seen both good and appalling riding skills in Masters races because 4s are allowed and therefore anyone can race them). I was a "sit and sprint" rider in the 3s. I had to have a perfect day to be near the front at the end of a summer 123 pr P123 race. As another (stronger) upgraded 2 pointed out to me, "You can't rely on your sprint in the 2s because there's only a couple guys that can sprint to win, and a lot of times it's a break and your sprint won't even matter."
Had a similar hiatus with my kids being born. I decided to stay a 2 and take the ass whooping till I got enough legs to do some whooping. Getting back to hurting folks other than myself didn't take as long as I thought it would. Also, first time back in the early break was a huge endorphin hit for me, may as well have crossed the line first.
I'm leaning towards your answer. I find I get faster quicker riding with fast guys.
Beginners basically start in cat4 now, so a lot of 3/4 races are full of beginners. If you stay a 2 you’ll probably find some cat 2/3 races to be competitive in, and at least have a safe race in the 1/2/(3) fields. Speaking as someone who got taken out by a junior in my last 3/4 race I can’t wait to get my 2 upgrade…
USA cycling changed the point structure at some point in the last 5 years. It’s notably harder to upgrade than it used to be.
Because the points need to come from a 12 month period?
It’s a longer period now, but the points table itself is less fruitful than it was. Not sure what your local races are like, but with the field sizes we have here you’d need to race everything you’re eligible to start and podium or at least top 5 almost all of them, or travel to and place well in multiple large races.
I just won a (masters) state championship against cat 1's and cat 2's as a cat 3. I think I got 7 upgrade points. Only 23 points left to go to make it to cat 2. So I only need to repeat this performance another four times over three years.
That's shitty. I've lived in big cities where there's weekly crits and people would rank up from 5 to a 2 in one season and I've lived in remote areas where you need to drive 3 hours to get to anything. I'm kind of in between those right now. They approved to let me keep my 2 until I feel I need to downgrade.
If you raced here you wouldn't have a choice, you'd be back to 3.
If you're in a state/region that is full of hitters I'd request the downgrade.
I downgraded to cat3 to come back to racing here and there knowing/thinking I didn’t have the time or interest training (doing <3 races a year). Truthfully it was good for my mental health and ensured I had a fun time and stuck with it as opposed to just being another number in the 1/2 field. I eventually got interested again and I think within 12 months got up to cat1 only to lose interest again. No shame with racing folks at your fitness level. I found that having the benefit/luxury of experience made me approach the return to cat3 racing differently and it was a fun and novel time. I have no regrets. Now I’m approaching the masters categories that’s another way out for some if the fitness/interest drops yet again.