This will probably be a long and incoherent ramble about bike racing, both road and mountain. I apologize now if your brain melts. These are my opinions and please leave yours to tell me where i am right and wrong in your opinion. The meds i am on scatter my thoughts at times, so i'll apologize in advance...


A return to grass roots racing. I look back to the 80's when i first started racing. There was not cat 5 class. I think it was a citizens class or something like that. You had guys on about anything for bikes, some in cut off jeans shorts and it was fun and competitive. My first race was the nebraska state games. I remember getting yelled at for still having my bags on my touring bike when i signed up for the race. I didn't know any better and neither did most of the rest of the people in that class. It was a blast. I ended up in a sprint in the crit and actually won. The next few races were more of the same. Fun people, great races, good times. I made alot of new riding friends.

Fast forward to about 8 years ago. I'd gotten back into riding on the weekends for fun. We'd go out on 30-40 mile rides on the weekends, sprint for who was buying the first round and having a good time. I heard about a race in town and thought i'd sign up. I was one of the fast guys in the group and thought it would be fun. I roll up to the line on my 20 year old race bike and immediately start catching grief. Wow, i didn't know this was a vintage race, i've never seen downtube shifters before, umm, you do know you're wearing mtb shoes... Sorry i didn't show up on a 3K bike for a cat5 race. What a bunch of snobs. Race starts, i'm in 3rd place...looks good. 3rd corner the 2 goons in front of me go down and i have to lock up the brakes to keep out of the mess. The rest of the pack flys by and i can't re-connect. Pulled by the 4th lap. Wow, this racing stuff is fun, just like the old days...not.

My point of all this rambling is that to get new people into our sport, we need a class for the weekend warrior. Nobody wants to get pulled half way thru a race or get lapped on the 3rd lap. I understand that for some people that can be motivation to improve. For others that is the reason to hang the bike in the garage and think that cycling isn't for you. That's why there needs to be a true beginner class. Something for the weekend riders, the 2-3 day a week commuters and for the general public. Something fun to where if you want to train and move up and really get into it great but also somewhere where those guys that aren't super serious about it still have a chance to race with their buddies and have a good time. Make a 2 podium rule to get bumped in with the cat5's or something to keep the sandbaggers out. Keep it fun! Life is serious enough without turning every free moment into training time.

I like looking at the beginner series in mtb. I have never seen such old outdated beaters out on the trail. These guys are loving it and having fun! Look in the pits before and after the race. Everyone is hanging out, laughing, talking about the race. There's no clic, no sneering at equipment. Everyone is just stoked to be out there. Isn't that why alot of us ride? It's not a perfect series, there are still some sandbaggers. I could probably be included in that list my first year. If the top few steps of the podium are winning by minutes over the field, you need to move up.

Ok, brain just shut off. I'll resume this later...