# USA Cycling upgrade changes for 2013



## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Looks like they are finalized and published now, all changes for upgrades for Cyclo-cross and Road licenses. This might help eliminate sand baggers for sure lol.


2013 Changes to Upgrades for Cyclo-cross and Road licenses - USA Cycling



_*Beginning in 2013, USA Cycling will enact the following changes as it relates to upgrades to road and cyclo-cross licenses.

Cyclo-cross Upgrades
The cyclo-cross upgrade section was rewritten to more closely match the road. There are two ways to upgrade, voluntary and mandatory. The number of points is now given for each of the mandatory upgrades. Please note that junior women are exempt from a mandatory upgrade to Category 2.

Cyclo-cross riders must upgrade from Category 4 to Category 3 after either competing in 10 qualifying races or accruing 10 points.

Category 3 riders may upgrade to Category 2 with 10 points. Amassing 15 points or two wins in a field of at least 30 competitors is a mandatory upgrade.

Category 2 riders may upgrade to Category 1 voluntarily with 20 points. Category 2 riders receive a mandatory upgrade after amassing either 25 points or two wins in a field of at least 40 competitors.

Road Upgrades
The 12-month window for accruing points for road upgrades has been removed for all categories. This rule goes into effect in 2013, so 2012 points will roll forward into 2013. However, this will not be used retroactively to years prior to 2012. Juniors are no longer forced to upgrade to either Category 2 or Category 1, even if they have accrued the mandatory upgrade points. They may upgrade if they choose, but such an upgrade will not be forced.

There are four ways a rider can upgrade from Category 4 to Category 3. A rider can accumulate 20 points, compete in 25 qualifying races with at least ten top-10 finishes in fields of at least 30 riders, or have 20 pack finishes in fields of at least 50 riders. The fourth way a rider can upgrade would be to amass 30 points in a 12-month period for a mandatory upgrade.

For Category 3 to 2 road upgrades, riders must accrue 30 points instead of 25. 40 points in a 12-month period is still a mandatory upgrade.

For Category 2 to 1 road upgrades, riders may upgrade once they have accrued 35 points. 50 points in a 12 month period is a mandatory upgrade. Note that only 10 points from training series or masters races may be used for upgrading.


If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact USA Cycling's Membership Department at [email protected].



This Article Published November 30, 2012 For more information contact: [email protected] *_


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

So more upgrade rules that don't make sense? Hurrah! This will make the third set of rules USAcycling has used for upgrades since I started racing and non of them have made sense. Why not just leave the system alone?


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

So one can now become a pack 3 based solely on pack finishes? Wow. And the rule only goes in effect with fields of 50 riders or more? 20 pack finishes for the upgrade?

For any 3s out there who have also been racing Masters 1/2/3s, we all know how negative the racing is by comparison. There is always a large, wide pack for most of the race. Is sitting in with these packs and expending almost no energy and doing it for 30 races really worthy of an upgrade? It's like we are rewarding Cat 4s for not only being average, but being average consistently, for 30 races. What was wrong with the old scoring system?

I have to admit that not having my points expire will help my upgrade to 2 considering how infrequently I plan on racing over the next two years.


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## locustfist (Feb 21, 2009)

The Human G-Nome said:


> ... It's like we are rewarding Cat 4s for not only being average, but being average consistently, for 30 races.


Maybe i'm in the minority, but I dread cat'ing up. I don't see being forced to cat up and getting shelled all year as a 'reward'. I can't put in the kind of time to be competitive as a 3 so I'm not so stoked about the change.


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

locustfist said:


> Maybe i'm in the minority, but I dread cat'ing up. I don't see being forced to cat up and getting shelled all year as a 'reward'. I can't put in the kind of time to be competitive as a 3 so I'm not so stoked about the change.


The only way an auto-upgrade would happen would be if you attained at least 30 points in one year in Cat 4. If you're doing that, you have plenty of firepower to compete with the 3s and even to animate the race. Being a Cat 4 and a Cat 3 isn't all that different really. In Cat 4s, you have a handful of guys who are either up the road in a break, or pushing the pace on climbs. In the Cat3s, you can just double or triple that number. So, it's actually easier to stay toward the front in one sense if you consider that there are more people willing and able to take the wind in front of you. Instead of chasing just one or two guys jumping, you have 12 guys jumping, and you can shield yourself behind any of them to tag on. Further, there are more people who are going to close gaps, especially for their teammates since there is slightly more teamwork in play. 

So yeah, sitting in a Cat 4 pack and sitting in a Cat 3 pack is only markedly different because the Cat 3 pack will be quieter overall, smoother, and you'll feel safer. Basically, you'll devote less energy to the stress of getting crashed out, and a little more energy toward the actual race. 

That downside is, perhaps, that almost everyone has at least had the experience of winning or placing in the sprint so they will all believe it's their turn for another bout of success over the last 3 laps. Hence, a faster last 3 laps. However, hopefully, most of the guys will also realize that if they are out of the top 12 or so during the last lap of a crit, they are out of the race, and should just follow wheels rather than diving corners like 4s are more apt to do.

All that said, once you hit 35, just skip 3s all-together and race Masters 1/2/3 which is much more fun and much more safe. That is, of course, unless you want upgrade points.


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## Poncharelli (May 7, 2006)

I agree with expanding the time period, but not to an indefinite time period. 

When I went from 4 to 3, I was one of those bubble riders. Never dominating, but always in the mix. i had to do a $hit load of races to get the 20 points. Much more than the average working racer is capable of going to (~15). Only two podiums during that season, with no wins.

They should make it 30 points over 2 years for man upgrade, 20 in 2 years for voluntary upgrade, and forget the other two criteria.


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## locustfist (Feb 21, 2009)

The Human G-Nome said:


> The only way an auto-upgrade would happen would be if you attained at least 30 points in one year in Cat 4. .


cool...thought it meant i'd be upgraded with carry over.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

My team just had a meet and greet for new members. We did kit sizing and hung out. After introductions each rider talked about goals for the season. The majority of riders talked about upgrading. I said that my goal is to win a local points series and races, with a few target races in particular. Upgrading is down the list; I might even wait until I'm forced. 

What's the deal with getting forced to upgrade anyway? Does USAC keep track or do they wait until a competitor complains?


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

locustfist said:


> Maybe i'm in the minority, but I dread cat'ing up. I don't see being forced to cat up and getting shelled all year as a 'reward'. I can't put in the kind of time to be competitive as a 3 so I'm not so stoked about the change.


You can always request a downgrade


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## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

I'm glad I get to keep my points from last year. Otherwise I was going to be scrambling to race a lot early in the season chasing points before I started losing pts. I don't race a lot b/c to do so means an arse load of driving.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

Local Hero said:


> My team just had a meet and greet for new members. We did kit sizing and hung out. After introductions each rider talked about goals for the season. The majority of riders talked about upgrading. I said that my goal is to win a local points series and races, with a few target races in particular. Upgrading is down the list; I might even wait until I'm forced.
> 
> What's the deal with getting forced to upgrade anyway? Does USAC keep track or do they wait until a competitor complains?


Forced upgrades have almost never happened in the past. The only way it would happen is if the much vaunted rankings/results system kept track of upgrade points and notified your local rep when someone reached the automatic point.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Can I officially start the "well, back in my day..." stories of how hard it was to upgrade before the changes?


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## Sonomasnap (Feb 10, 2010)

I killed myself 2 seasons ago, my 3rd year racing to upgrade to a Cat3. I was 50 years old at the time racing in average size fields of 75+ riders. Almost all of them in their 20's and 30's. I now race 3's, Masters and 1/2/3 fields. The appeal of the upgrade was it was the first upgrade you actually earned. It required a lot of training, racing and work, at least for an old man like myself. I don't think it should be easy or automatic to upgrade to Cat3. In the NYC scene every Cat 4 race has a field of way over 50 riders which means that 50+ guys will upgrade to Cat3 every year. That is bogus IMHO.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

locustfist said:


> Maybe i'm in the minority, but I dread cat'ing up. I don't see being forced to cat up and getting shelled all year as a 'reward'. I can't put in the kind of time to be competitive as a 3 so I'm not so stoked about the change.


Locally, I wouldn't mind. Nationally, not sure. The there's a good amount of Cat 4s that have been winning consistently in Cat 4 since I was brand new to racing. If they were forced to upgrade, I'd like to think I'd be doing much better. Oddly enough, my ITT times would generally place higher locally if I upgraded. 

Now that I have a newborn, I figure I have 2-3 more years of racing before I'll put all focus on the occasional time trial. With my department eliminating overtime, perhaps I'll have to spend much more time on the bike.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I haven't been competing on the road, but lower categories in 'cross are pretty choked up. I think getting people spread around a bit more is great. When the Cat. 4 and Cat. 3 fields are each bigger than 1 and 2 combined, I think things are messed up.

Maybe there really need to be more categories. One of my teammates was saying there should be Cat. 5 in 'cross, and one of my local series has added a beginners' category.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I haven't been competing on the road, but lower categories in 'cross are pretty choked up. I think getting people spread around a bit more is great. When the Cat. 4 and Cat. 3 fields are each bigger than 1 and 2 combined, I think things are messed up.
> 
> Maybe there really need to be more categories. One of my teammates was saying there should be Cat. 5 in 'cross, and one of my local series has added a beginners' category.


I agree with that! I did my first CX race and there were some serious newbies that never raced a day in their life coming out to have "fun". If there were a Cat 5, then it could be like the Road and when you move up, you wont have to worry about them.


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## Sonomasnap (Feb 10, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> When the Cat. 4 and Cat. 3 fields are each bigger than 1 and 2 combined, I think things are messed up.


I know you are talking cross but why would that be messed up?

Wouldn't be more messed up if everyone was a Cat1 or Pro? The stronger Categories are always smaller because fewer people have the ability to Cat up to that level.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

You've been able to upgrade from 4 to 3 on pack finishes since the late 80's at least. It's a relic of the days before cat 5. It served to get experienced riders out of the crowded cat 4s. I don't see it used much today- no one I know who has gone from 4 to 3 has used it.

I think the goal of the changes is to move more riders up the category system. Right now there are a lot of fours and not many 1, 2, 3s. The cat 4 fields are full while the others never fill. It's difficult to grow the sport when statistically most newcomers will only upgrade once, from 5 to 4, and will have to fight for starts in races.


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

ericm979 said:


> You've been able to upgrade from 4 to 3 on pack finishes since the late 80's at least. It's a relic of the days before cat 5. It served to get experienced riders out of the crowded cat 4s. I don't see it used much today- no one I know who has gone from 4 to 3 has used it.
> 
> I think the goal of the changes is to move more riders up the category system. Right now there are a lot of fours and not many 1, 2, 3s. The cat 4 fields are full while the others never fill. It's difficult to grow the sport when statistically most newcomers will only upgrade once, from 5 to 4, and will have to fight for starts in races.


I thought it was a minimum amount of top 10 finishes for 4 to 3 that was always there and not just pack finishes. 

In any case, it's not surprising that the Cat 5s and especially 4s will always be filled. The most enthusiasm from the sport comes from the beginner categories while the upper categories experience the most burnout. 5s and 4s can make big leaps in fitness and results in short amounts of time. It's a really transient sport though in the end. If you look at the start lists from 5 or 6 years ago, how many names are the same? Very few. 

Cat 3 is a reachable goal for the vast majority of riders out there as it doesn't necessarily require vastly superior genetics to achieve the goal. Even 3 to 2 is something accomplishable by quite a large percentage of racers if they really dedicated themselves. However, once a two most are just stuck in limbo. After a year or two of disappointing results, it's hard for most racers to stick it out when their improvements are so often minuscule or even negligible. It's so easy to get excited when you just broke your personal best by minutes on a climb. The diminishing returns in relation to the huge dedication that a 2 experiences is something else entirely. 

If we changed the rules and made it easier, I can't really see how that makes things much better.


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

I like the new changes. There are guys in the 4s who should be 3s or could be 2s, but year after year they don't do enough races in a 12 month period to get the points. So they go out and make us regular 4s look bad. Or maybe somebody is close to upgrading when they have an accident or work or family related issue (me) and have to end the race season early. Would be nice to start up again with the points you had.

What I would really like to see is mandatory upgrades for TTs. To many guys only do TTs and not crits or road races (pussies) and so you have guys in the 4s with times close to the 1s. With only maybe 10 TTs on the calander a year these guys will never make points to upgrade. I make it a point to check race results of other cats and every race the times between the top 4s and the 123s are within a minute or so. Meanwhile, the time difference between the top and bottom of the 4s is more like 10 minutes. I think this discourages people to not do TTs. I'm sure I will never place in a TT because of these guys but I want my TT strong for stage races where these guys won't matter in the overall because they just show for the TT and go home. (pussies)


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

LOL, I'm just not good at crits and tend to be at the wrong place at the wrong time during RRs. Even though there are some sandbaggers in my area, I think most don't put much focus on the ITT. The fact that I have a TT bike and practice the routes helps my chances much more than my own athletic ability.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I do know quite a few killer TT guys out there that should be Cat 3 and stay in 5. But they usually are solo racers and dont do it with teams. Our Cat 5 TTT race this past middle season kicked tail so bad that our times beat the Cat 4 and Cat 3 winners. Of course shortly after that, I moved up to 4, not due to that but from other races too. 
Oh I just got the message licenses for 2013 can now be purchased too.......perfect Christmas present haha.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Occasionally, I'll see a Cat 5 post a blazing time. Seems to be the tri guys who legitimately don't have enough mass starts or a talented rider who is going to upgrade and destroy all kinds of riders on the way to Cat 2


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## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

It would be nice if USAC would actually track your upgrade points. It seems like that is something they 'should' be doing. Or am I missing it completely? I just see the national ranking points....


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

Whatever. Hopefully more people will get into the sport. Be nice to see max field limits reached at every race. So much more fun!


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## the_doctor (Dec 27, 2008)

kbiker3111 said:


> Forced upgrades have almost never happened in the past. The only way it would happen is if the much vaunted rankings/results system kept track of upgrade points and notified your local rep when someone reached the automatic point.


I think that they forced the upgrade of a fellow in my area within one year from 5 to 4. After he was a 4 they forced his upgrade to 3.

He averaged 27mph in a cat 5 road race of 20 miles. The pack averaged 25.
In his next road race he finished 2 minutes ahead of the pack. 

He road entirely by himself on each occasion.

Supposedly he won two 4 races and they upgraded him, again.

Next I hear he has ridden in some Masters 1-4 races. Some of these races around here include a former NATIONAL PRO ROAD champion.

I'm not kidding!

BIll


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## the_doctor (Dec 27, 2008)

ericm979 said:


> You've been able to upgrade from 4 to 3 on pack finishes since the late 80's at least. It's a relic of the days before cat 5. It served to get experienced riders out of the crowded cat 4s. I don't see it used much today- no one I know who has gone from 4 to 3 has used it.
> 
> I think the goal of the changes is to move more riders up the category system. Right now there are a lot of fours and not many 1, 2, 3s. The cat 4 fields are full while the others never fill. It's difficult to grow the sport when statistically most newcomers will only upgrade once, from 5 to 4, and will have to fight for starts in races.


My area needs more races!

Yes, The Blue Hill races sold out on Cat 4 spots immediately. They had some openings on the Masters field. They have done this for 2-3 years in a row.

The Jamestown Race sold out on 4 pretty quickly. A whole bunch of people did not show for the race.

I agree that the 4's are too crowded. The solution is cut the 5 to 4 transfer.

They have done this by requiring 10 finishes in order to achieve 4 status.

Bill


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## Vibe (Jan 11, 2011)

I would increase from 12 months to 18 months instead if indefinitely.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

Well if you want to sandbag, TT's are the place to do it. There are no upgrade points for racing time trials. So a strong rider can dominate pretty easily.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

ericm979 said:


> You've been able to upgrade from 4 to 3 on pack finishes since the late 80's at least. It's a relic of the days before cat 5. It served to get experienced riders out of the crowded cat 4s. I don't see it used much today- no one I know who has gone from 4 to 3 has used it.
> 
> I think the goal of the changes is to move more riders up the category system. Right now there are a lot of fours and not many 1, 2, 3s. The cat 4 fields are full while the others never fill. It's difficult to grow the sport when statistically most newcomers will only upgrade once, from 5 to 4, and will have to fight for starts in races.


Wouldn't that work itself out with time?


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

This thread and the talk about TTs is a nice reminder about what we already know.... That skills, experience, and race savvy go a long, long way toward achieving significant results. 

I used to be the president of one of our local teams many years ago. We had about 55 racers of all categories, and also a pretty great women's squad. For whatever reason, I held a fair amount of power on this team (in hindsight, much to much as I had to live and learn through making poor decisions). One of my jobs was to help manage who might be a protected rider during any particular event as there were a few races where we were up to 10 racers strong. 

In any case, we really learned a lot about guys with natural ability and power vs. guys who just flat out knew how to race. In training and in team-only TT events, certain guys and gals would show off their elite strength and power on climbs, in sprints, and in breakaway efforts. Yet come race day, quite often, those same folks find themselves out of the running, in poor position, and really an after thought in the race. 

I remember making one of our new climbing sensations one of the two protected riders in a hilly road race once. To the dismay of myself and the rest of his teammates that day, he was dropped off the back on climb one. How was he able to crush all of us in training?

We made another guy the protected rider in a crit that seemed to suit his abilities and makeup. During the last 3 laps, he was already at the tail end of the group. How is he the best TT guy on our team and also one of the best couple sprinters, but he can't combine both talents in a crit to achieve results?

The answer, of course, is "everything else". There is so much about racing that goes well beyond the watts you see on your powermeter. Just right off the top of my head, how many guys do you see that attempt to gain all their positions in a crit by attacking on the crosswind side of the group every lap? You see it so often, even in the higher categories, and it's amazing that people don't consider this element. 

I definitely agree that TTs should be treated exactly like they are right now.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Local Hero said:


> Wouldn't that work itself out with time?


Yes, by riders quitting the sport. Same problem with "make cat 5->4 harder". Making it more difficult to move up means more riders pile up in the low categories. Their races fill up fast. So riders who want to race, can't, because there's a field size limit. Many races can't run multiple cat 4 fields due to lack of time or space on the course.

If there are other fields with few racers then the course is not being used to its fullest. If you space the fields out a safe distance you can only fit X fields on a loop course where X depends on the time it takes to ride the course. If the races are a normal road race length, they have to be 2-3 hours long. You can only have two or three start groups and still fit into a reasonable day (even if we had daylight no one wants to work a 16 hour race). That limits the organizers to 2 or 3 X fields.

Right now in NorCal masters 45 cat 4 is the largest demographic group, followed by E4. Masters racers are great for providing funding for other fields of poorer riders but they're not growing the sport, at least not long term. Most of those masters 45+ won't be racing in another 10 years. We'll be too old. If we want to grow the sport, or even have it stay roughly the same size rather than shrink, we need to make changes that encourage new younger riders.


(note, I'm in favor of the changes made in 2012 for cat 5->4 upgrade, namely requiring 10 finishes rather than 10 starts, and for 2013 requiring a clinic. Those are changes for safety)


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## r4t (Aug 5, 2014)

I found this old thread, figured I'd see if anyone has an answer.

I was a Category 2 up until this past winter when I downgraded back to Category 3 because I had not raced in almost a year, gained weight, lost fitness, etc. Now I'm racing fast again and finishing in top ten of the threes pretty easily. Can I uograde back to Cat 2 without getting the minimum upgrade points since I downgraded? Or can my previous Cat p/1/2 race results and before that my cat 3 and cat 3/4 points be used to upgrade back to cat 2?

Not that I am going to upgrade super soon but see where I am at early next season and possibly upgrade then if I am still just as fit.


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## lonefrontranger (Feb 5, 2004)

r4t said:


> I found this old thread, figured I'd see if anyone has an answer.
> 
> I was a Category 2 up until this past winter when I downgraded back to Category 3 because I had not raced in almost a year, gained weight, lost fitness, etc. Now I'm racing fast again and finishing in top ten of the threes pretty easily. Can I uograde back to Cat 2 without getting the minimum upgrade points since I downgraded? Or can my previous Cat p/1/2 race results and before that my cat 3 and cat 3/4 points be used to upgrade back to cat 2?
> 
> Not that I am going to upgrade super soon but see where I am at early next season and possibly upgrade then if I am still just as fit.


This is a classic example of where you REALLY need to discuss this with your local rep and officials, because IME (I've been a promoter and an official) these guys will go ahead and make your case to the Feds for you and it won't matter what the ACTUAL rules say. Often times the low level administrative "by-the-book" decisions that members receive from USA Cycling have very little to do with more nuanced upgrade decisions that are made at higher levels between local reps and leadership. 

e.g. I got my Cat 3 upgrade without having to satisfy the rules for # of qualifying points because at the time (and frequently still) it's next to impossible for women to race in big enough fields to build enough points the way the upgrade rules are structured.

More recently in our region the local rep and official booted up a Cat 5 guy after 3 starts because he won 2 of them by an absurd amount; the well-known open secret here was he also happens to have been a pro triathlete and former national level cross-country running star in college.

tl;dr: there has often been quite a bit of latitude for local reps to interpret the "hard-and-fast" rules to suit individual situations, so if you have a special case like this, your first impulse should be to talk to your local association reps.


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## RaptorTC (Jul 20, 2012)

^ Pretty much exactly this. I know of a lot of people that plead their case well and were able to upgrade without going totally by the book.


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