bicycle racing question

That's the different categories according to ability. Everyone starts in Cat 5, then you have to race a certain number of races and place a certain number of times to move up.

thanks bear

Cat 5 is beginner or citizen. Cat 4 is beginner with experience in racing; 10 mass start races to apply for upgrade. Cat 3 has points associated with wins, placing, Cat 2 and 1 the same. Pro is someone who gets paid.

You'll also see Masters 35+ and Masters 45+ which are typically Cat 3 and above, but based on age. Masters isn't always clearly broken out. Stay away from these unless you want to put a serious hurt on. Most of these guys are ex 1-2 in their younger days. You might also see "B" masters or Cat 4/5 Masters which are intended for the slower guys (ie: Me)

www.usacycling.org for more info.

PS: Cat5 is still plenty fast.

+1 that "Cat5 is still plenty fast"...

I second that. You might expect the Masters to be slower ... but more times than not they are faster than the Cat 3s.

I used to train wit a couple of CAT1 riders ... they risde at silly speeds - fartoo fast for me