October 3, 2012
Well, THAT didn't take long...
It happens every year and this year it only took 2 races for the discussion to begin. Because I have been with the leadership of Red Zone Cycling for 6 years, I hear it every year. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but now my kid is in the group being discussed.
Mitch Graham and other powers that be spend a lot of time taking into consideration all of the issues that come up with the OVCX and the scheduling issues. The day is only so long and everyone wants their own category, so compromise must be reached.
Before I go on, below are some of the recent comments on the OVCX Facebook page. I think these discussions are important, but I do want to address some of the issues raised:
"Your
U19 categories aren't recognized by USAC or u23 so of they are crushing
the field in those categories, by USAC rules they have mandatory
upgrades for them to the next level. It's not fair for a legit cat3 or
cat4 that wants to get upgrade points to upgrade if a kid that has the
points to upgrade is taking them week after week and year after year."
"High
Level USAC coaches coach cat 3's? I'm not saying that they should be
forced to race with the elites, I'm just saying that the U19's, not the
juniors that race with the 4's, clearly need their own race or some
other race than the cat 3 wave because they're clearly not cat 3's."
"I'm not just Cat3 pack filler complaining about wanting points. I am
racing for top 5s in the wave and Cat3 poduims, and Im fine racing
against the U19 Elites that are beating me every week. They could
easily hold thier own in the elites but make the Cat3 race competitive
also. I dont think anyone is calling Jr's baggers for winning, but when
there is an appearance that they are riding in a field that clearly
offers no challenge to them and are preceived as taking away from the
experience of other riders, it's worth talking about. Just because some
are questioning if the system is working to keep thing fair doesn't
mean we're hating."
"I'm
not hating. I've seen the same juniors in the same categories for
YEARS with mandatory upgrade points for years. Since USAC doesn't
recognize the categories their are racing in for OVCX, they are taking
away upgrade point from guys that are: married, with kids of their own,
work full time jobs and want to do well. I am all in favor of
supporting junior programs and I have had the privilege of being there
for someone that didn't have the benefit of the LVV junior programs BUT
the juniors results are listed on USAC under the cat 3 or cat4 results
NOT a junior race."
"Perhaps
one can ask why a U19 category even exists? Either you're a cat 3 or a
cat 2 (or a cat 1). It just seems like this year the U19's are all
talented enough to be racing the elites. (which is a great thing)."
I cannot speak for any other junior other than my own, but here is where I stand on the issue:
Cycling is my son's sport. Cyclocross is his passion. There is not a high school league for him to race in. Our local scene is his league. He has been at it since he was 9 years old and just like in any sport where you pass through each level to the next, he has followed those rules; first as a 10-12 year old, then a 13-14 year old, then a Cat 4 and now as a Cat 3. He is currently racing in the U19 category and is a Cat 3. As I type he does NOT have the points to be given a mandatory upgrade. But he will have those points soon and it has been the topic in our house what to do at that point. Keep in mind that he is just 15 years old. Even if he is given a mandatory upgrade, he is still able to race in the U19 category. That is the elite category for his age group.
Everyone wants to do well. Ian wants to do more than that. He wants to take this sport to the next level. He wants to race in college. He wants to race in places that the rest of us can only dream of. And to do those things, we have to be smart about his rise through the ranks.
Ian had some top 10 finishes in the Cat 3s last year. With another year under the belt and more miles in his legs, he has really come on at the beginning of this season. Riding well? Yes. Elite men material? Maybe. But what would happen if he upgraded and decided to race the Elite men and the additional 15-20 minutes at CX pace. Would he physically and mentally be able to handle that pressure? It is a giant decision to make, because he, after all, is still just a kid. People are scouring the lap times and yes, at 40 minutes, these kids might finish top 15 in the elite category. But the elite men category goes on for another 20-25 minutes. No one can say what would happen to these kids in that last 20 minutes. The worst thing would be to mentally crack these kids. We want to grow the sport, not turn them away from it.
High level USAC coaches do recommend that kids race competitively at shorter race lengths. That is what the USAC has adopted with their own change in race lengths at the national level and that is what is done in Belgium and other European countries. But what they have that we don't is a greater number of competitive juniors at the same level. We don't have those numbers in the U19 category here. We're talking about 6-7 kids, not 50, taking up the finishing positions in the Cat 3 race.
You would be hard pressed to find a junior that has remained in a Cat 4 or Cat 3 category year after year without upgrading. Every kid I have ever worked with always wants to upgrade. And they usually do so before they are really ready. I call BS on that logic. I find it very unusual that the debate is over upgrade points. This is the second year of the U19 category. Before that the juniors were racing just as Cat 4s and Cat 3s and all hell broke loose because the juniors were taking all the prizes and the podium spots. Hence the 15-18 and the U19 categories were created. That way the kids got the competition numbers to race against to give them decent points for USAC rankings (which affects their start positions at Nationals) and the Cat 4s and the Cat 3s got their podiums and prizes back.
Now Cat 3s want the upgrade points, too? The kids that are currently racing in the U19 category are legitimate Cat 3s and have a right to those points. My suggestion to the other Cat 3s would be to work for them. I know plenty of the Elite men and Elite master men that are family guys, with jobs and everyday problems wearing them down, but don't use them as an excuse. So I know if you really want to do well and upgrade to the Elite level, you can do it. You can put in the effort. Trust me, Ian is putting in the hard work and he never goes at just 80%.
Wanting to do well and doing the things that you need to do to actually accomplish it are two different things. Riding your bike is only part of the equation. Ian puts in 3-4 mornings in the gym before school starts. He works his overall body strength, including core. He stretches to keep his body injury free. He runs and does bleachers for leg speed. He makes sure to get plenty of quality sleep. He manages his recovery intake after workouts and races. He eats balanced meals and has cut out all crap food that teenagers love. He listens to his body and makes sure he doesn't get run down. And I haven't even started on the actual bike workouts. Being really good at something, even as a weekend warrior, has to be attacked from all sides.
The other thing I would suggest would be to watch these kids, especially those that have been on a bike for years. They are beautiful to watch. Their technique is incredible. Learn from them and your own lap times will come down. Our kids here focus on technique, technique, technique. If you don't have good fundamentals, no amount of power straights on a cyclocross course will help you.
I don't know a single junior, especially those in the U19 category, that would ever turn someone down if they asked for help. But make no mistake about it, they are there to race and to win. If there are Cat 3s that seriously want to upgrade to the Elite men level, my advice would be to use these U19s to get faster and prepare yourself for the next level. If you are competitive with them, then you know you'll be ready for the next level. I don't think getting an upgrade would be an issue at that point.
So for us, if Ian does upgrade and move up to the Elite Men level it will be because Mike and I think he is ready. It will be because Ian thinks he is ready. It will not be because anyone else says he is ready. That is the bottom line. Until then, while he might be given a mandatory upgrade, he will stay in the U19 category.
