3/4 cat Stage races

joeyhalloran
joeyhalloran Posts: 1,080
edited January 2011 in Amateur race
Hi, any good recommendations? Had fun at any last year? How does it compare to single day 3/4 cat racing? I am based in Cambridge for most of the year so the closer the better really.

Cheers guys.

Comments

  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    JoeyHalloran wrote:
    Hi, any good recommendations? Had fun at any last year? How does it compare to single day 3/4 cat racing? I am based in Cambridge for most of the year so the closer the better really.

    Cheers guys.



    Search is your friend: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... tage+races
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    In my limited experience it's pretty much like riding two consectutive one day races with a time trial thrown in one afternoon. No doubt if you can find a race that goes on for maybe 3 or 4 days cumulative fatigue will be a factor but in the 2 day races not so much that it affects the racing.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • joker427
    joker427 Posts: 50
    dundee thistle rc two day stage race 2nd 3rd 4th cats end of may every year ,enter erly though :D
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    just a quick one, does anyone know what would happen is i was to enter a 3/4 cat race now that isn't for quite sometime and before that race i got to 2nd cat? Would i still be able to race as when i entered i was 3rd cat or would they refuse my entry on the day because my licence was 2nd cat?
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I think you are meant to inform the organiser if you reach 2nd cat before the closing date. If it's after the closing date then you just don't get any points. Officially you are only a 2nd cat when your licence comes through not on the day of the race you score your points.

    Again I'm not 100% on all that it's a case of unless someone else knows better.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I think you are meant to inform the organiser if you reach 2nd cat before the closing date. If it's after the closing date then you just don't get any points. Officially you are only a 2nd cat when your licence comes through not on the day of the race you score your points.

    Again I'm not 100% on all that it's a case of unless someone else knows better.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    ozzzyosborn206 wrote:
    just a quick one, does anyone know what would happen is i was to enter a 3/4 cat race now that isn't for quite sometime and before that race i got to 2nd cat? Would i still be able to race as when i entered i was 3rd cat or would they refuse my entry on the day because my licence was 2nd cat?

    It depends if the closing date of the race has happened or not:

    Rule 6.4.10
    "A rider who has obtained sufficient points for
    upgrading, but who has entered an event for which the
    closing date has passed under his current category
    may compete in that event but will not be eligible for
    any upgrading points."
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    JoeyHalloran wrote:
    Hi, any good recommendations? Had fun at any last year? How does it compare to single day 3/4 cat racing? I am based in Cambridge for most of the year so the closer the better really.

    Cheers guys.

    The Etape de la Defonse and Ras De Cymru (both in South Wales despite the poncey name of the former!) offer good options but you will normally have to enter as part of a team either with a club or as a composite team. Both get over-subscribed. The Etape is fairly hilly and is for 3/4 only and is over a weekend. The Ras is hilly on most stages with a mountain top finish at the end, it is open to 2nd cats as well as 3/4 and is quite a tough race (Jim and Maryka did both last year from memory so should be able to give you more information). The Etape is on 11 / 12 June and the Ras 6 / 11 July.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    Pross wrote:
    The Etape de la Defonse and Ras De Cymru (both in South Wales despite the poncey name of the former!) offer good options but you will normally have to enter as part of a team either with a club or as a composite team. Both get over-subscribed. The Etape is fairly hilly and is for 3/4 only and is over a weekend. The Ras is hilly on most stages with a mountain top finish at the end, it is open to 2nd cats as well as 3/4 and is quite a tough race (Jim and Maryka did both last year from memory so should be able to give you more information). The Etape is on 11 / 12 June and the Ras 6 / 11 July.

    They're on a different scale! I went from one of the strongest in the Etape to pack fodder in the Ras - if you can't do the Etape and be going for high placing then the Ras will likely be a case of how long can I hold on! (I of course didn't score a point as I never do but we got a guy in the break on the 2nd day and I rode around easy before going for a flyer with 10minutes to go that got caught in the Etape)

    Both were great races though, well worth doing, would love to be going back to both but I'm going to wait until the baby due in June can do the hand-ups I expect.
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  • wjcrombie
    wjcrombie Posts: 43
    jibberjim wrote:
    ozzzyosborn206 wrote:
    just a quick one, does anyone know what would happen is i was to enter a 3/4 cat race now that isn't for quite sometime and before that race i got to 2nd cat? Would i still be able to race as when i entered i was 3rd cat or would they refuse my entry on the day because my licence was 2nd cat?

    It depends if the closing date of the race has happened or not:

    Rule 6.4.10
    "A rider who has obtained sufficient points for
    upgrading, but who has entered an event for which the
    closing date has passed under his current category
    may compete in that event but will not be eligible for
    any upgrading points."

    Although the reality of life is that you will still get points for it and they will count towards your next upgrade. Their systems are not intelligent enough to spot the fact you raced a 3/4 race when you were a 2nd cat or whatever the scenario.
    And the upgrade is from the date you get the upgrade, not the date you get your upgraded licence.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    wjcrombie wrote:
    Although the reality of life is that you will still get points for it and they will count towards your next upgrade.

    I've not been in the situation but Maryka certainly was last year and did not get the points from her sandbagging podium See this race:

    http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events ... y-Bikes-CC)

    Maryka 2nd place 0 points. It was because she'd upgraded at Hog Hill the day before.
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  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    think we are going to try get a few Guernsey teams over for the ras this year, looks like a good race and i think we could do very well in it as most of us would probably be 1st cats or very strong 2nd cats if we raced all season in England judging by races we have done previously
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Your 1st cats won't be doing it sorry - it's only open to 2/3/4 :wink:

    It's a well organised race. I haven't done it myself but watched a bit of it last year and know most of the roads well. There are some strong teams from all over and it is a good race for the climbers.
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,080
    No, he was saying they are up to 1st cat standard of english racers, not that they are 1st cats
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    JoeyHalloran wrote:
    No, he was saying they are up to 1st cat standard of english racers, not that they are 1st cats

    Most of the racers in it last year were 1st cat standards too... If you look at the top 10's from both the last 2 years Ras de Cymru's you won't see many 2nd and 3rds now.
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  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    sounds like some good racing to be had, i guess part of the reason most of the top ten move onto first cat is there must be alot of points on offer with all the stages and gc added up
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    ozzzyosborn206 wrote:
    sounds like some good racing to be had, i guess part of the reason most of the top ten move onto first cat is there must be alot of points on offer with all the stages and gc added up

    There's only 90 points if you win every stage and the overall so you're not even half way there. The winter series racing here in the south east have a lot more points to be won. Remember for the stages you're only getting band 5 points so a measly 10 points for winning a 20 minutes mountain top finish...
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  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,080
    I was going to have a crack at the ras this year, but I think maybe I should wait until I'm a year stronger...I don't fancy a long trip and spending lots of £s for nothing.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    JoeyHalloran wrote:
    I was going to have a crack at the ras this year, but I think maybe I should wait until I'm a year stronger...I don't fancy a long trip and spending lots of £s for nothing.

    See how your early season races go, if you're strong in 3rd cat races and enjoy the hills look to go, it's a really good race.
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  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,080
    Yeah, got a few 2/3/4 races on over March so will see how they go, looking to lose some weight this year so I'll keep an eye on that, I guess if everything comes together then I'll give it a shot. I just seems like such a fantastic way to spend 5 days! (although my friends think I am mad when I get EXCITED about doing 6 races in 5 days!)
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    JoeyHalloran wrote:
    No, he was saying they are up to 1st cat standard of english racers, not that they are 1st cats

    Sorry misread that. As Jim says a lot of the riders are of that standard though, in a lot of cases they are very good climbers who don't get enough opportunity to ride races that suit them in their areas.
  • maryka
    maryka Posts: 748
    Re. the Ras, definitely make sure you're a reasonable 3rd cat or a climbing-suited 4th cat otherwise if you get dropped you risk not making the time cut-off (they enforced it this year, though not til day 4 and I think the guys they booted out were happy not to have to do the last stage!) It's not that difficult, you just have to be willing to work hard if you get dropped, hopefully hook up with some other dropped riders and ride tempo as best you can to limit your losses. But would be a waste of money if you lost 30 min on day 2 and couldn't ride the rest of the stages! Fwiw I got dropped by the main bunch every day but the last (2nd last day wasn't my fault at least, it was the dog that ran out in front of me!) and I still finished within the cut-off. I was 81st out of 83 finishers in a starting field of 98.

    Re. points, BC does indeed have an internal system that automatically sees when you get your points (by date) and then will not give you any more points for races done after that date on the lower category. I literally raced Saturday and got my points, raced Sunday and got more points but only got Saturday's points even though there was no way I could have had my license in time for Sunday's race! A bit crap when you think about it, but hey. They have to draw the line somewhere.

    On that note, if you do get an upgrade, you can call and ask them to e-mail you a copy of the new license while waiting for the real one to arrive that you can bring to your next race if it's in the higher category to show you've upgraded. That's a better option than either not racing, or continuing to race in the lower category.
    http://www.twitter.com/smaryka

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