Melb. to Warn. - C grade how to?

You may want to contact Blackburn Cycling Club Or Caulfield Carnegie to find out the finer details. You could also have a chat to Carl Brewer at ABOC www.aboc.com.au as he has not only completed the course a few times, but he is currently training a few riders to compete.

AussieRob said:

I am an Aussie living in the US (originally from Geelong). Next year I should be the US equivalent of C grade and I just wanted to know how to get a start in the Melb. to Warn.

Rob, out of curiosity what is the US equivalent of C grade and is that C grade club or C grade open? My wife is from Oregon and I'm thinking of maybe racing in an annual event they have there either next year or the year after when we go to visit.

--brett

Sv650s, thanks for the tip.

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Brett,

Here in the US they have Pro/1 to 5. Category 5 is for beginners. You can upgrade from 5 on 10 races, from there on its points (sort of).

The quality depends a fair bit on where you are, but is generally okay. Pro is Pro, A=Pro/1, B=2, C=3, D=4. These are 'open' USCF categories, clubs may have different systems.

If you are really coming to race (and not just for the family thing) check out super week:

internationalcycling.cominternationalcycling.comOpen ↗

Lastly, check out your home and contents insurance to see if your bike is covered before you leave. That advice is gold.

Thanks Rob!

The racing for the Super Week is a long way from Central Oregon, which is where I'd be. They have http://www.cascade-classic.org/ which looks very good.

When I mentioned open grading as opposed to club grading I was more referring (not very clearly) to Australian grades. As an example I'm riding at the bottom end of club A grade, though in open events this translates to either B or C grade (or Division 2 or 3).

It's probably moot given the (grade of) racing in the US doesn't seem to allow for rider nomination, ie riding Cat 5 would be mandatory for me. If I had to do that, I'd probably rather just sit on the sideline and watch.

thanks, brett

sideshow_bob said:

It's probably moot given the (grade of) racing in the US doesn't seem to allow for rider nomination, ie riding Cat 5 would be mandatory for me. If I had to do that, I'd probably rather just sit on the sideline and watch.

NO!

Just get an International licence. I raced in Aust. on a cat.4 (D grade open) international US licence. It costs a bit more, but its the solution.

The Melbourne to Warnambool in 2007 is rumoured to become an invitational teams event. Whether or not this will happen is still undecided. Because of this entries for this years race are expected to be through the roof as many riders like yourself want to check the race off thier "To do list".

bikecoach said:

The Melbourne to Warnambool in 2007 is rumoured to become an invitational teams event. Whether or not this will happen is still undecided. Because of this entries for this years race are expected to be through the roof as many riders like yourself want to check the race off thier "To do list".

True... they want to make it a teams event to retain its UCI status, and put it in line with the rest of the world. This means that you would have to find a team willing to let you ride for them, although there is a possibilty of having a 'composite' team formed especially for that day. That's your best bet probably.

sideshow_bob said:

Thanks Rob!

The racing for the Super Week is a long way from Central Oregon...

You don't need super week if you live in the Northwest. The Northwest is the capitol of stage racing in the United States hands down. In Oregon alone you have Cascade Classic, Columbia Plat, Willamette, Eugene Celebration, Hood River Cycling Classic, Elkhorn Classic and the High Dersert Omnium.

The best are Cascade (warm, four-six stages), Hood (climbing, four-six stages) and the Elkhorn (crazy weather, but amazing roads). Of the three, Hood, if the weather is nice is on par with Cascade but maybe it takes the cake by a little because the roads are amazing. But, Bend, Ore., is a great town. Elkhorn, if the weather holds, is also right up there.

There's a couple stages races in Washington, but the road race supreme up there is called Tehuya-Seaback-Tehuya.

You've hit the jackpot for racing. Check the OBRA site: obra.org and wsbaracing.com

OBRA is independent of the USCF and might recognize your Aussie license without having to purchase an international one.

Enjoy.

helmutRoole2 said:

You don't need super week if you live in the Northwest. The Northwest is the capitol of stage racing in the United States hands down. In Oregon alone you have Cascade Classic, Columbia Plat, Willamette, Eugene Celebration, Hood River Cycling Classic, Elkhorn Classic and the High Dersert Omnium.

Thanks!

I'll probably only have the opportunity to do one race, and the notion of crits in downtown Bend as part of the Cascade Classic is pretty appealing. So hopefully I'll be able to swing visiting during the approximate dates of the race.

The other option is the Seattle to Portland ride which I think would be nice to tick off in the one day category.

--brett