I’m going to bring up an alternate point for consideration…and that is gravel. Racing gravel means that you don’t have to dealw ith the regulatory body nonsense of categories, upgrades, etc or the politics of teams. You just show up and race…and if you have the ability to be at the front, then you are at the front and can quickly get recognition.
The downside to this approach is that you are largely responsible for finding your own sponsors and creating your paycheck. The upside to this approach is that you are largely responsible for finding your own sponsors and creating your paycheck.
Hey Michael - a lot more kids are coming out of college racing these days. I would definitely look at going to a college with a strong cycling team to learn there. It also gives you a much better plan B in case the pro racing dreams don’t work out.