Registering for MABRA Races Ruins my Riding

(I hope you like the alliteration in the title.)

For a few minutes, I was sitting here compulsively tapping the refresh button on my computer. This is a common race strategy of many MABRA Cat 4 and Cat 5 racers. Refreshing pages before a predetermined moment in time is the only way we can race our bikes.

My claim is ludicrous, but the one reason that I'm not out riding my bike on this beautiful March evening is because I have to race online to sign up so I can race my bike. This is getting absurd, folks.

I just tried to sign up as a Cat 4 for the 4/5 Carl Dolan race, and it sold out in about 2 minutes. WHAT?!?! I was definitely compulsively refreshing the page, so there's no way I was "late."

Apparently I was too late.

The organizers pulled a quick one on us Cat 4s aiming for the slower race. They capped the field limit of Cat 4s in the 4/5 race to 15 riders. That's dumb. There are plenty of Cat 4s that won't get into that race (much less the 3/4). Yet, much to our dismay, the Cat 5 field is still open as I type this up. (Although, I'm sure that will close soon too.)

I was just chatting on gmail with D-Wis, my #1 teammate. He came in from a bike ride to register and had similar problems. We'll be racing the 3/4 together, but not many folks will be able to double-up races at Dolan. D-Wis said he's leaving for part 2 of his evening ride, and asked me to register him for Syn-fit, which opens up at 9PM in less than an hour.

His girlfriend is going to register him, even though she's in New York. I told him that seeing how quickly Cat 4 has been selling out, I doubt that I could get two people into the race anyways.

Recognizing the problem, I have to ask the question myself: what can we do to make this situation better?

I definitely think it's an improvement over last year's crack-ass of dawn registrations (I'm no morning person). However, why can't we find a way to let everyone race? Can we host 3/4, 4, and 4/5 races? How about instead of having 35+ 4/5 races, we also have some Under-30 races for a change? Let's get creative. For chrissakes, it's obvious that there are enough Cat 4s and 5s to sell out two full races in this area, judging by the popularity of Cat 4, Cat 5, and 35+ 4/5 fields.

This is all a contrast to what I'm used to. I was a collegiate cyclist, so "registering" for races meant you had to show up. Big whoop. Slap on a number and you can race anywhere in the Atlantic collegiate region.

I just checked the registration pages for the Philly 2 Day Classic. They've been open for weeks and the Cat 3/4, 4 and 5 fields are all still lacking racers. Though the early start-times are unattractive to us mid-Atlantic folks, it almost sounds appealing to not have to plan out my every weekend for the next few months.

At least the Carl Dolan and Syn-Fit organizers didn't start registration on a Thursday night. Hains Point would be desolate. It seems that the MABRA races now start online, months before you pump your tires and roll to the start line. If it weren't for registering for races, I would be on my bike right now, training for races.

I guess the congestion in the lower categories of bike races is a good sign of cycling in the DC area. It means that the sport of bike racing - not just biking - is growing. I hope that the growth in the lower categories continues, and that the number of Cat 1, 2, and 3 cyclists reflects that growth, too. Concurrently, I hope that the number of Cat 3-only races increases as well. Otherwise, we'll start seeing a good bit of congestion in the middle tier Categories, and, much like now, few people will be able to upgrade out of the 3s.

So please, everyone who reads this blog, let me know what you think about the lower category "race congestion" situation. I'm interested to hear different opinions - whether you're a relatively new Cat 4 like myself, a fairweather racer, a career Cat 4, or you're a race organizer. Chime in and let us Gamjams folks know your thoughts on the situation.

Anyways, I've gotta go. I have to start refreshing my browser so I can register for Syn-Fit.