O-Cup

[icebiker]

Someone redirect me if this has been covered...

Can someone explain to me the Ocup? Do you need to be a member? What do points amount to?

I want to race, but I've never raced cycling alone... I think Ocup is a good place to start?

Thanks for putting up with my newbyness

[nomis]

Dude you've got to be one of the most enthusiastic rookies this club has ever seen. I'm impressed. Here's a start for ya.. give this stuff a look then we can try to help fill in the blanks.

Road

Mtb

Don't even worry about feelin like a newb, cuz im pretty sure everyone else still remembers when they first learned what an O-Cup is!

[andrewm]

Jul 27, 2010 21:35:25 GMT -5 icebiker said:

Someone redirect me if this has been covered...

Can someone explain to me the Ocup? Do you need to be a member? What do points amount to?

I want to race, but I've never raced cycling alone... I think Ocup is a good place to start?

Thanks for putting up with my newbyness

You unfortnately just missed the last road Ocup this last week, but there is always next year. They are excellent races and fun to both participate and watch. There are always a bunch of people interested in doing the MTB Ocups and I'm sure we will have one or two people try out the road series next year. I know I will be doing them all for sure next year.

[DiscoStu]

But don't worry... A road race is a road race... there are more to come this season.

[icebiker]

What age category would I be in? Master 1/2? Is that the slowest adult category?

[Dana]

Nope, that would be Senior 4, it goes the other direction.

[Bayden]

And more general category stuff:

The road category format is "Age- Speed", ie Master 1.
1 is the fastest category for any age group.
The relevant age groups are Senior (19-34yrs old) and Master (35+ yrs old). Masters are also eligible to race in senior if they want, and some do (but not the other way around).
For your first race they'll start you in Senior 4 or Master 3 (no such thing as master 4), wherever your age puts you.

The XC categories have the same format, instead of numbers though they have 'Beginner, Sport, Expert, Elite'. Eg. master expert. There is no master elite, but the fastest masters could race senior elite, similar to road. Another fiddly difference is that senior in the xc scene is 19-29 yrs old, not 19-34 like in road.

you'll get the hang of this in no time.

And don't worry about whether the race is an O-cup or not, lots of races that don't have O-Cup status are especially beginner friendly. For example, nearby road race this weekend called the Tour of Terra Cotta, has a 27km option for new racers - which in my opinion is far more beginner friendly than senior 4 at the road O-Cups, where you get a mixed bag of competitors in a giant field doing at least 50km.

[icebiker]

Thanks for clearing that up, Bayden. I guess I'll just be training until the season starts second semester. Perhaps I'll keep my trainer in my residence