While I am in favour of changes that improve roadracing I am afraid this initiative could hamper development. I believe most people like to compare themselves against their peers(age,sex). (The entries at Vets Worlds in St Johann prove this). Also, men and women's racing is different. Women have a w/kg disadvantage in a sprint situation, (see the results top elite ladies vs 40+) - the sprinter ladies finish well down - are they even contesting or just staying out of trouble? In launching attacks on the flat they will be easily closed down by the men, bringing other women, who are not prepared to make the racing, back. I would like to know if the ladies peloton has been polled on their views... If international results are anything to go by, we do not seem to have a problem with the ladies standards, but rather the comparative standard of the men's racing in SA. Perhaps CSA should look at modelling the Elite racing more on the international approach - (laps, crits, longer distances) and perhaps working with organisers to restructure fun rides (before they are approved). I believe if the system does change there should be a similar categorising (but rather separate to the men) of the women - Perhaps cat 1 and 2 to start due to lack of numbers. While road cycling is a team sport what if a world class cyclist/national champion is racing alone (eg Cherise last year),is that person to be excluded because they are not part of the "club"? The other issue that I don't quite get is that the intention is to also improve the riders' bunch riding skills by having them race in larger bunches. In reality in most licenced races there are not often more than 200 riders across all of the licenced cats - so will there be grouping of categories? How will this affect racing for cat placings in smaller centres/less prominent races? What, after all, are the issues, and how do the changes address them? I don't recall seeing the categories revisions issue being addressed in the CSA survey.
