[5150dhbiker]

My advice is to try for that downgrade again... and when (if) you apply for it with USAC, remind them (forcibly if you must) that their whole friggin' justifcation/reason for eliminating semi-pro was to stiffen the requirements to get into the Pro class, and therefore strengthen the overal Pro field and make it more competitive. If you're back of the pack, you ain't even pack fill, and are doing squat to make the Pro field more competitive. And at the end of the day, they're a business. Let 'em know that racing Pro sucks balls for you, and you'd rather not race than to race in Pro and be miserable. Not only do they make money on your membership dues, but promoters pay USAC a "per rider" fee at every USAC event, for insurance, sanctioning, whatever. You racing at USAC sanctioned events is a source of revenue for them, make sure they know that.

If all that doesn't work, then sit it out a year. When you come back you should be able to go into Cat 1, if IIRC from the USAC rulebook.

Thanks for the support man! Ya, I ride with a lot of guys who are actually top 20 in pro, including one who races world cups consistantly. They have all agreed that I'm really quick and have pro speed but come race time I'm screwed haha. Next year I'm going to try for Cat. 1 if I actually do a race but already had to dish out the $150 for that international license

I used to love racing and was very consistant but like you said, classes have changed drastically. I mostly just need to focus on different things (like my flying career I'm starting) and MX for a bit. Kind of hoping that take my mind off of the "stress" of racing pro DH and puts me in a better mind set when I do race again!

Honestly, I LOVE the race atmosphere, the people I race/race with...I just need to figure this mental game out if they don't let me drop down. The more I have been thinking about it over the past day(ish) is I'm pretty sure the reason I'm crashing is because of my mental attitude towards my race run.

Anyways, back to work and making this '58 Impala sound incredibl!!!

 

[moegocanes]

I dunno dude got up and kept going after messin up his wrist. +rep

 

[bizutch]

That makes sense. I am in that situation still. I haven't ever up or down graded since the switch. I raced Semi-Pro and did not fit in Expert. I would be poaching their results by a good 10 seconds most any race. But I am no pro in the true sense of the word.

Sure, I can ride most anything short of moto size jumps, but geez. When Nats come around this year, I will be forced to most likely pick Cat 1 and deal with the humiliation that is waiting in line at every bump in the trail.

 

[5150dhbiker]

I dunno dude got up and kept going after messin up his wrist. +rep

Haha thanks man!

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

that wasnt even fast...
this guy is FAST

 

[norbar]

Dude we only have pro and none pro cats here (and the top 20 non pros are top 10-30 pros...) so I feel you. Right now on the nat series the for fun riding atmosphere ended and everyone is really tense about racing (still friendly but come race time I have 70-90guys who go racing is business mindset). Arent there any mellower series in your area? I was really suprised at the atmosphere at the Mega and Mountain of Hell - everyone not pro (90% of the riders) was very chill even though they all raced alongside (well in groups after quali but still the same track and quali with the pros). There is also a non nat series here where the atmosphere is less tense but the trails are a bit not race worthy (berms and jumps make for no place for mistakes).



btw. What are the times for top pros on that track? I though the UCI sanctioned the max track length.


Also - moto is more expensive and means more injuries. Im really tempted to do some downhill enduros but the closest real ones are 800miles from here :/

 

[descente]

that wasnt even fast...

added to bucket list. holy crap that is an epic trail. wish i knew where it was.

 

[S.K.C.]

Really sorry to hear about your wrist - what is the latest on that?

Based on the footage, it seems that the first "off line" moment you had distracted you. I can't get inside your head, but based on the line you took after that, it's almost as if you forgot, or weren't focusing on the line you must have been practicing. To illustrate this, if you pause the vid at the 1:52 mark you can clearly see the corner in front of you coming up - FAST. Based on the direction the front of your bike was pointed, it almost seemed as if you were instinctively following the visual cues of the path of the trail instead of looking through the corner and setting up for it. This would explain why you laid the bike over to prevent yourself from blowing through the corner into the fallen trees.

Again - that's just my take based on what I saw. However, if what I'm saying sounds like what happened, then like Dante was saying, maybe you were pushing yourself too hard. The first mistake either threw off your focus and you forgot your line, or you got frustrated with yourself and tried to "pop the clutch" as it were, to make up for lost time, but did so in a bad section of track. Or a combination of the two.

You definitely sound self-aware and are honest with yourself about your skill level, so that's a good thing. Tell the boys at USAC you need more time to get up to speed before you can race Pro. I see no reason why they would turn down a rider acting in his best interest to have fun racing and improve his skills.

 

[5150dhbiker]

Really sorry to hear about your wrist - what is the latest on that?

You definitely sound self-aware and are honest with yourself about your skill level, so that's a good thing. Tell the boys at USAC you need more time to get up to speed before you can race Pro. I see no reason why they would turn down a rider acting in his best interest to have fun racing and improve his skills.

Well I got x-rays two days ago and nothing is broken but just a bad sprain. I was worried I broke it again since it was all swolen and bruised...they just said that I should expect to be off the bike about 4 weeks total so not that bad

I think you're right about the whole corner thing and also with USAC. I just need to try to convince them again to let me leave that class!

 

[stoney]

So really this thread is a way to make yourself feel better about your justification for selling your DH and trying to race MX? Sounds good. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Oh, and quitting DH racing was one of the best things I did for my riding. Get a good trail bike and ride everything. anything less than 25 miles and you're really missing out on the good stuff.

 

[jonKranked]

So really this thread is a way to make yourself feel better about your justification for selling your DH and trying to race MX? Sounds good. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Oh, and quitting DH racing was one of the best things I did for my riding. Get a good trail bike and ride everything. anything less than 25 miles and you're really missing out on the good stuff.

you and your unemployed opinions are null and void 'round these parts

 

[stoney]

you and your unemployed opinions are null and void 'round these parts

Haha. If I keep things going the way that I have been, I won't have time to even find time to look for a job. Weddings, family visits, backpacking, etc.

As long as I keep getting the *withholding's* that I submitted for *safe keeping*, I'm going to be doing what I'm doing.