We just got notice yesterday of mandatory upgrades with TMBRA and they follow the same time guidelines, matter of fact a USAC representative is going over last years results and sending out upgrade emails to those who will be bumped up.
Will they be force upgraded for this weekend at Rocky Hill?
How did you receive notice?
1 Like
I saw it out on a Facebook post.
Theyâre urging people to upgrade themselves voluntarily before this weekend, but they also said the USAC official is combing through the data to see whoâs going to be the lucky recipient of a mandatory upgrade notice.
3 Likes
2 Likes
Thank you. Interesting he says 5 top 5âs in a year. Doesnât seem consistent with what USAC says based on the image above and the rule book which says 12 months for road but does not for MTB.
I must be misunderstanding something here - why the concern about being upgraded to the appropriate category?
If you qualify for the upgrade what possible reason is there to stay in the lower category with riders youâre demonstrably faster than? Is this fair to those riders?
2 Likes
Im almost certain before USAC started using the picture graphics for 2020 and quoted directly from the rule book last year and that it did state the it was 5 top fives in a calendar year with a field of 15 or more.
It would only make sense that they all follow the same time guidelines.
Naw , your not misunderstanding anything. I dont think anyone is saying they dont want to upgrade, but there are people that race and should be forced up âŚ
I raced last year, did well 5 out of 6 podiums and upgraded myself to cat 2 and placed 9th in their last championship race of the year. Im looking forward to racing people of equal talent and condition, last thing I want to do is race against sandbaggers that dont want to upgrade.
There are plenty of riders that sandbag. Itâs a character thing I suppose. There is a guy in DLoves category that has 10 top 5 finishes. Just race 4 times a year and you can stay in whatever category you want for as long as you wantâŚif thatâs your thing.
Sandbagging
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Sandbagging , hiding the strength, skill or difficulty of something or someone early in an engagement, may refer to:
- Sandbagging in billiards and other games, deliberately playing below oneâs actual ability in order to fool opponents into accepting higher stakes bets, or to lower oneâs competitive rating in order to play in a future event with a higher handicap and consequently have a better chance to win
- Sandbagging (grappling), competing in a skill-bracket or being ranked lower than one is deemed capable of
- Sandbagging (racing), deliberately qualifying slower than what the car can actually perform
- Slow play (poker), deceptive play in poker
- Sandbagging (law), suing for a breach of a contractual representation or warranty despite having known at the time of the contract that it was untrue.
- Sandbagging (professional wrestling), where a wrestler being lifted intentionally shifts his weight to feel heavier, making the other wrestler appear weak or clumsy.
2 Likes
That sucksâŚ
Haha, indeed!
1 Like
Qualifying for and being competitive are two different things. I might qualify for 2 because Iâm competitive in 3âs although I may never be competitive in 2âs due to multiple considerations like natural talent, training hours, home life, etcâŚ
you should upgrade!
2 Likes
Slight derail: Anyone know why they allow upgrading at will for MTB events but not for road CX, etc.?
I canât speak for CX, but I think there is still a bit of a status/ego thing that goes with higher road categories. Itâs not for safety/experience concerns from my perspective, but Iâm sure thatâs what they would say.
I wish it were self-selected for all disciplines. I agree with the forced upgrade stuff, but is there really any harm letting someone self-select for road like they do for MTB? If you are worried about someone with zero experience jumping into a p12 race and causing problems, just make the upgrade only based on minimum number of finishes at each level rather than worrying about the points/results. USAC should spend more energy policing the forced upgrades, the voluntary upgrades shouldnât need to be managed.
On the flip side of this question, what are everyoneâs thoughts on the whole voluntary upgrade thing? I MTB a fair amount, but havenât raced except for 1 a couple years ago. Iâm a Cat 3 on road and CX, and had a few podiums this season in CX masters races. I want to race some more XCO this year, but the Cat 3 races are really short. Cat 2 looks more fun and a better distance. Can I submit a request to go up to Cat 2? Or should I race a few times as a Cat 3 just to show I can do it?
You can self upgrade all the way up to Cat 1 for MTB. There is no result requirement and it happens automatically when you submit the request.
1 Like
Thanks @stevemz, I knew you could choose to upgrade when you want, just wasnât sure if anyone cared about etiquette. Sounds like from chat above that Cat 3 is really a beginner entry point and not a big deal if you jump to 2.
I skipped Cat 3, raced 3 races in Cat 2 and podiumed 2 of them and upgraded to 1 right after that.
If you are too slow to be in Cat 1, itâs rarely a big deal. Youâll just get passed quickly on the first lap and you arenât a danger to anyone at that point.
Most MTB races end up having multiple categories on course anyway, so I think we are all used to having to deal with lap traffic.
1 Like
Thatâs what I figured. Iâm sure I am fit enough to be competitive, and at least enough to not be in anyoneâs way. I just hit the upgrade to 2, so all is good and I can go sign up for the longer course stuff when it comes around. 