I'm a Cat 2!

Probably the greatest thing (for me) about the Fitchburg race was that it gave me enough points to upgrade to Category 2. In the USA Cycling ranking system, this means I'm one step closer to being an "elite" level racer, and eligible to do a large number of high level, incredibly challenging races.

The neat thing about being a Cat 2 on the road is that, per USAC rules, it enables all kinds of other upgrades. It lets you be a Cat 3 on the track with the approcal of a USAC certified coach, meaning I can do most B races and some A races at velodromes. Whether I do well in these races is a different story. It also means that I can race cyclocross as a Cat 2 (I'll save that until I can remount gracefully), and race mountain bikes as a Cat 1 (I'll save that until I have a mountain bike and learn how to ride it).

I was able to upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 2 in one season. Not many people can do that. My race license now has three upgrade stickers; it's getting awfully crowded.