Hello all, I am new here and extremely green to road racing, but not to forums or cyling in general. The short and skinny are that I am a triathlete and I am looking to do some road races, specifically TTs, this year and need help understanding the logistics of road races. So here are my questions, and I would appreciate any help the board could provide.
USAT is the governing body of multisport in the US, is USCF the same? They sanction the races and provide a common set of rules and engagments for the RDs? What does one get for the $60/yr membership?
My big question - Categories... I understand that I can enter in, I think, up to 3 events in an Open or Novice Category, what happens after that? How many rides/races must I do before I receive a Category ranking? And lastly, what are the different Categories? I know they are 5 - 1 with 1 being the fastest, but what the associated times/distances/speeds with each?
What are the typical race fees? I have seen anywhere from $10 to $50, just wondering what to expect as I register and trying to figure out if some races are just robbing people or what.
What types of behaviors do you see exhibited by triathletes at RR, CR, HC and TT that make you cringe? Aside from showing up at the three former with a TT bike, common sense dictates you use a road bike. I mean the types of things they say and do that make everyone think that all triathletes are arrogant/idiots/fill-in-the-blank (we are not I assure you). I would like to avoid these behaviors and actions, and some may be second nature to a triathlete. If I know what they are in advance I may be able to avoid them.
Thanks for the help folks.