Back in the good ‘ol days, when an elite rider showed up, they would usually win quite easily. This created tension with the dedicated cit racers, especially when two or more showed up and used those immoral “blocking” tactics. I’m not sure the cit racers really even knew what that meant but it was a rallying point. Over the past ten years, more cat 1/2’s have been participating in these races, making the “race for the win” much more competitive. One point I think USCF riders actually really like is the distance. You don’t need to beg your girlfriend/boyfriend to spend all day on the course holding bottles for you. The fields are also large enough for a more tactical race than the typical 80-100 mile 20 person field.

With the good comes the bad though. You are racing with some people who are well above their threshold and the oxygen is not coming fast enough to the brain (although this happens in uscf races too). Some of the courses do not have the geographic barriers for thinning out the chaff, so it can get sketchy. That said, the reputation is way worse than reality. There is a way to race them safely though, you just need to place a little less trust in your fellow riders than you may normally would (think of Timmer on the track).

If you’ve got large aspirations, spending the summer doing 30 mile cit races will not get your ready for the big time. But, if you are looking at a 3-4 week window with only blackdog TT’s on the calendar, maybe you should take a trip accross the border.

Ironically, I’ve heard more than one squirrelly rider complain that others are squirrelly. Don’t simply assume you show people a safe wheel. Ask your friends and teammates to give you an honest opinion. You may be the one others are complaining about.