Last thing I’ll say in this, but bike racing is not the local 5k that people sign up for to just have fun and finish. 75%+ of people of sign up for a RR or crit are there because they trained for it, like really trained, not rode for 3 hours per week.
Bike racing isn’t getting a finisher medal and a smile on your face when you cross the line. I went into my cat 5 season thinking I’d destroy everyone because I was around 4.5 w/kg then and boy was I wrong. I did not win a single crit or RR. There is a lot more to it.
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Really sound advice here Justin. I’ve definitely learned you can’t win a bike race on sheer strength alone.
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It’s BS right? Hahaha
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After a year of triathlon, I did my first cat 5 crit last summer. I got my 3 upgrade this march? Just before the shutdown. Racing dynamic really is different and if nothing else, 4/5 will help you learn the lines, local race etiquette, etc.
For what it’s worth to the OP, I’m a racer from corpus Christi, TX, who has done the crocket stage race last year (as a 4) and am planning on going in February (as a 3). They took out the crit on day 1 and subbed it for another road race (to avoid large crowds in the town center). We’re all chomping at the bit to race, so I expect it to be full gas.
Considering my experience upgrading, from racing this same venue, and the fact that your first race would be a 3/4, 3 stage race, id highly encourage racing 4/5.
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It’s not like Cat 5 people arrive with support wheels and get told by officials to take them off before the race… In that Cat4/5 field will be experienced cyclists like yourself, just not racers.
Personally my concern is actually the opposite of what you assume. I think for someone with no race experience the Novice race is safer. Everyone is expecting the unexpected. People will give you more room and expect that you don’t behave predictable all the time. They will give you a bit more space, expect you braking, stay a bit further away from your wheel, rather brake than squeeze into a right gap etc. Nobody likes to crash - and I would claim beginners even less.
In a cat 3 race no one expects the unexpected. People predict your line and behavior in a way that others with experience would behave. Gaps and the room for error will be tighter.
So in conclusion my concern is mainly focused on you and I would say you are safer in the Novice race. Whatever you decide, all the best, stay safe and have fun.
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Not only that, some of the worst crashes I have ever seen have been in the 3’s…
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I’m glad to start as a Cat 4 (UK), learn the ropes in a more forgiving environment, try not to not get dropped, and maybe even podium with a bit of experience under my belt.
In the short time this year I did hard (race-like) group rides, I soon realised how calm, smooth and efficient the racers are. Even if you’re a fair bit fitter, it’s super hard to drop them. It’s building these skills on top of decent fitness that I want to do.
Yup, and I would add that there is a thought that crits are the most dangerous discipline. I personally have seen worse carnage in road races. The incidents i am referring to there wasn’t a technical part of the course or really any reason (perhaps part of the cause)… the group was moving fast, bunched up and relatively relaxed and someone makes a mistake and the dominos fall.
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@Alen I once pushed my bike up to the 3/4 race and just rode it even though I was a cat 5.
That’s terrible. Don’t do that.
Ok. I did that more than once.
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Oh, absolutely…and those crashes often happen when the pace is NOT hot. But w/ the double yellow line and a mellow pace, everyone is packed together and there is nowhere to move. One guy overlaps wheels and BOOM, just like you said…the dominoes fall.
This is the thread I didn’t know I needed 
I hope the OP wins the race and proves everyone wrong … but experience has taught me this will likely not be the case. I was/am 4 w/kg and got thrashed at my first Cat5 crit - I even started and reported on it in a thread on this forum a while ago. I’m too lazy to look it up right now, but it’s on the forum somewhere.
Hope this guy has better luck and doesn’t injure anyone 
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This the one?
Chad’s encyclopedic knowledge / search skills on this forum are beyond impressive…I usually can’t find a thread that I posted on yesterday!!!
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Fine … I looked it up This is the one:
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/signed-up-for-my-first-crit-race-strategy-results-are-at-post-57
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I keep getting drawn back to it becuse I can’t get over the “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I don’t want to race with the beginners, because they don’t know what they’re doing” logic.
In reality this will be a non-issue because anyone out of their depth will just get dropped very quickly. That happens all the time in women’s racing, where there are usually all categories together. I also can’t see an organiser accepting a category move without any evidence that it is justified.
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Sweet Lord! I would not have wanted to be in your races!
I would say that starting in the lowest Cat, wherever you’re racing, does have another benefit. Getting to know the riders you’re likely to be racing against for years to come.
Turning up to a race and being able to chat with friends is a great feeling. It helps calm the nerves and I can honestly say from personal experience, you look after each other. Yes, you ride hard but, you want everyone to finish in one piece.
You also get to learn how those riders race. If someone pops off the front, you’ll have an idea if it’s worth chasing back, or not…
Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy yourself 
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I’m betting you get dropped, crash or finish towards the back with an ego like that 
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In the UK, quite the opposite in fact. Road racing is a small scene and you typically get to know the people you race against quite well. You look out for one another and make sure each other stay safe during the race.
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I wish that was the case looking back at my first three races in cat 5 during 2019. Those were all crits that had some type of hill (Old Capitol in Iowa City, Snake Alley, and Melon City) so I thought I might be okay but I was lapped in all three. Being 68 kg and 3.8 W/kg, my results on flat courses were worse yet. There’s more to it than FTP, just stating my experience after seeing what you thought a decent cat 4 FTP was.
I was in no hurry to move up to 4 because I quickly realized I was racing against people who didn’t just get on a bike 6 months ago.
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So…everyone has basically said similar already, but a few things I would highlight
First - the experience you’ll gain racing as a Novice will be invaluable to you when you move up to the higher categories. I upgraded through most of the early categories too quickly (based on racing skills anyway) and it hurt me when I got to the higher categories. Much harder to figure out how to read a race when you’re already at the higher categories
Second - just another reference point for you. I am a cat-1 on the road and if I were to enter a cat 4/5 race I would by no means be strong enough to just ride away from them and win easily. I race at around 4.7-4.8 w/kg and am a breakaway rider - so my power profile should be perfect for this, but I would have no guarantee of victory or even a podium in most 4/5 fields
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