Sprott Individual TT Results

The Sprott TT was a rainy festival of speed out and back on a 40k course. Here are the individual TT results. Team results are coming soon!

1 – Jennifer Schuble
2 – Rhonda Eichenberger
3 – Amy Gravlee
4 – Heather Ladd

We will update series standings once we get the team results.

Two New Events Added!

We’ve added two more events to the series. The Georgia State Games Road Race and Crit, July 7-8 will have separate races for Cat 4 women. Also, the Gwinnett Bike Fest (July 26-29) has agreed to start Cat 4s a few minutes behind the 1/2/3 women in both circuit races and the road race. In the crit, all women will start together but Cat 4s will still be scored separately for the series.

Standings Updated

Standings have been updated to reflect Bull Gap!

Congratulations, Sarah Crawford!

Sarah Crawford is Georgia’s newest Cat 3 Road Racer! Congratulations on a great season as a Cat 4 and best wishes in the Pro 1/2/3 peloton.

Sarah get 100 bonus points for her upgrade, and is now no longer eligible to earn points towards the Cat 4 series. Thanks for participating, Sarah!

22 Miles of Pain

The Bull Gap TT was a great success. Thanks to the wonderful people of COGS (Cyclists of Greater Sylacauga) for putting on an outstanding event, and just being so darn nice.

Here are our Cat 4 Results. Way to go, ladies!

1 – Jennifer Schuble (who just returned from Paralympic TT Nationals, where she won!)
2 – Rhonda Eichenberger
3 – Amy Gravlee
4 – Beth Santoro

See you at Bull Gap!

The Bull Gap TT is this Sunday in Sylacauga, AL. Web Czarina has pre-ridden the course, and it’s not easy…but it will be fun!

Registration:
Opens at 7:00am, Closes at 8:30am
Located at Adventure Rental across from Marvin’s Building Supply parking lot, 501 East 3rd Street, Sylacauga, AL 35150
Cost: $20 for participants
Registration is “day-of” only. One Day permits for USCF available.

Directions:
Map to Sylacauga on COGS website…. http://www.cogs.ws/Rides/Maps/cogs_maps/Sylacauga.htm

Enter Marvin’s address (above) in Mapquest for detailed map…

Course:
22 mile hilly course following highway 148 out from Sylacauga to Bull’s Gap. Out and back course.

On COGS website… http://www.cogs.ws/Rides/Maps/cogs_maps/21.7_BULL’S_GAP_TIME_TRIAL.htm

Start time:
The first rider will go off at 9:00am SHARP.

Your number (given at registration) will indicate your start time, based on the official race clock.

Category Places Prize List
Men’s 123: 3 deep, $225 total
Men’s 4: 3 deep, $150 total
Men’s 5 ,Open: 3 deep, Prizes
Women: 3 deep, $150 total*

*We will also have prizes for the top 3 Category 4 women, in addition to payout.

Information:
Contact Johnny Oliver at tipper27@mysylacauga.com or 256-249-3176.

Other notes:
The promoter reserves the right to change categories, places and prize list based on participation

To cat up or not to cat up? That is the question…

You’re doing well, and placing high in your Cat 4 races. To cat up or not to cat up? That is the question…

When many of us lined up at the start of our first road race or crit, we didn’t quite know what to expect. Some of us had backgrounds in multi-sport, running, rowing or mountain biking and were just looking to try something different. The goal of cat 4-only races is to introduce women to the sport of cycling and provide them with opportunities to develop pack-riding skills, learn teamwork, practice strategy & tactics and gain confidence racing their bicycles.

As you get faster and more comfortable racing, the inevitable questions arise…Should I cat up? Do I want to cat up? Am I ready to cat up? How do I cat up?

The guidelines for upgrading categories on the road is available on the USACycling website at: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/USAC_rulebook.pdf

To upgrade from a Category 4 to a Category 3 license, a rider must:

• Earn 20 points in any 12-month period OR
• Start/finish 25 qualifying races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes
• NOTE: 30 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade

Which races qualify? For women’s Cat 4 races:

• Time Trials (TTs) do not qualify for upgrade points because they are not mass start races
• RR: at least 25 miles with a field of 10
• Crit: at least 15 minutes with a field of 10

How do I earn points? For women’s Cat 4 races, the point break down is as follows:

• RR or Crit: 7-5-4-3-2-1 points are awarded to the top 6 finishers

But the fields are sometimes fewer than 10 women—can I still get points?

• According to the USCF rulebook, when deciding whether a rider qualifies for an upgrade, an administrator will take into account points earned in qualifying events per the table above.
• In the case of a rider who is marginally qualified, the quality of the events and the level of competition may be taken into account.

What is it like to race as a Cat 3?

• Most of the time in GA and AL, Cat 3 racers are combined with Cat 2 and Cat 1 racers. These racers have a good deal of experience, and as you would expect, this makes racing harder.
• Sometimes, especially in NRC races, Cat 3 and Cat 4 are combined, while Pro, Cat 1, and Cat 2 are combined in a separate race
• Cat 1/2/3 races are generally longer and faster than Cat 4 races. There is also more team strategy involved because teams have experience working together to make things happen.

OK, I’m ready! Now what I do?

• Log into your account at usacycling.org. Under License Information at the bottom of the page, click on the upgrade/downgrade link on the right.
• You’ll be asked to past in your qualifying results.
• Upgrade requests are processed through our local official, John Johnson. He is a great resource! Get to know him and take advantage of his knowledge.
• Questions about upgrading? Ask him at the next race!

But I’m high in the ALGABRA series standings—can’t I finish out the season as a cat 4?

• You can stay a Cat 4 to gain more experience as long as you have fewer than 30 points in 12 months. Once you reach 30, it’s an automatic upgrade.
• While you will not be able to enter any more category 4 races and earn points in the ALGABRA series, you will still remain eligible for end of the series prizes if your point total keeps you in the top 10.
• Congratulations on moving up to category 3!!! As recognition, you will receive 100 points and a Jittery Joe’s mug!!! Just email algabra.women@gmail.com.

Standings Updated

Web Czarina is back from her relaxing vacation and standings are updated. Sarah Crawford holds on firmly to the lead but there was some shuffling around and we have a few new riders who entered the series at Union City. We now have a total of 33 Cat 4 women participating in our series!

Another awesome weekend of racing!

Last weekend was the Mayor’s Omnium held in Union City, GA.  Congratulations to Michelle for winning the time trial, Carrie for winning the criterium and Dana for winning the road race.  Michelle was also the overall omnium winner.  Carrie and Dana are the new state champions in the crit and rr!!!  Great work y’all!!!

The web czarina is taking a well-deserved week of vacation on the beach so it’ll be a few more days until the standings are updated.  Thanks for you patience!

Next weekened is an off weekend for the ALGABRA series as the omnium in Columbus has been cancelled due to lingering construction.  See www.georgiacup.com for pictures.  The next race will be the Bull Gap TT on Sunday, June 24th Sylacauga, AL.  See y’all there!

Standings Updated

Standings have been updated to reflect the results from this weekend’s Sandy Springs Classic. Sarah Crawford maintains the lead but seems like every other place changed a bit. Great job, ladies!