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3 years ago
Well I was hoping to, but my request for the upgrade to Pro was denied by USAC. So I have to stay Cat 1 for now and work to get an overall top 3 time at Fontana and Sea Otter early in the season next year to meet their requirements. |
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3 years ago
Nice! So making the jump to Pro for next year? |
Clint Claassen 3 years ago
I've had an awesome season racing Cat 1, especially since it's my first full year racing at this level. Took 3rd at Sea Otter 25-29, won the Downieville AM "World" Championship for expert <34, won the Cat 1 25-29 National Championship... among many other great results this year. (the goal of this post isn't to pat myself on the back at all.) So I wanted to move up to Pro for some extra motivation to push myself harder. But my request for a pro upgrade was denied by USAC! Despite all of my great results, I didn't have the required three top 5's or two top 3 finishes by time accross all Cat 1 age groups, at a national level event. So you can't just beat the guys you're racing against. You have to approach each event like a time trial and race against guys you can't see. Oh and since I'm in the younger age groups, I go off first and don't have anyone to chase. But the older age groups get to keep chasing down "rabbits" which to me seems like a psychological advantage. And when I'm racing the same course as the pros do, my time typically fits in mid pack, top 10 or even better! But yet I can't race pro. I just wanted to hear some thoughts on this upgrade policy with USAC.