congrats to my brother marc

darren's video of dccx
that photo is of my brother at Ed Sanders

congrats to my brother marc for a strong cyclocross season
a season that is not yet over
there are still the cyclocross nationals in kansas city

my brother marc was one of the few racers that accepted the challenge when they split the Masters Category into two classes; A and B
it was not the top half of the Men's Masters Class
it was more like a slice from a cryostat machine
or in lay person's terms... a slice created by a cheese slicer
only a few people bumped up to the 60 minute event that lined them up with the fast cats
the rest stayed back in the over crowded Men's B Masters

did my brother win the Men's Master's A 35+ in the MABRA Series?
I am not sure
I will not make any statements of top finishes for the series cause I do not know specifics
but I do know that he kicked some ass out there
and that he had a fun time doing it
the cluster of fast guys racing for the podium are having a blast
they were testing their own personal limits and testing themselves
you could see the joy they all got from pushing each other

I guess that is why some people race C rather than B, B rather than A, and Masters B rather than Masters A
cause they would rather have the glory of winning a lesser category
than fighting it out just to maintain in the pack
I guess the popular term is SANDBAGGING

calling them SANDBAGGERS may be a little rough
it is not clear where the cut off should be
should the Men's Master's 35+ be cut a few spots ahead of me
so that I can be one of the guys racing for glory?
how about bumping people out of the C who have bikes over 1,500 dollars.... a pit bike... a coach... or a power tap?

in the end these are the Categories
the somewhat self selecting categories
a racer's mountainbike or road racing level is only a rough guide for where people should race
the rest is up to a man and their moral compass

next year will show something...
some will move up... while others will not
people will continue to race below their ability

maybe this is a topic best discussed by those racers
as I am sure that this is a mental dilemma that has been discussed at cross practices or after cross races

kudos to all that bumped up...
Todd, Chris Clarke, and John from SMC to name a few
these are people who took it to the next level
I feel others would have done well to do the same
not just in the Men's Masters B
but in a bunch of the Categories
it does not take a Series win... or a win at all to bump up

maybe next year there will be a Masters C Class
or better yet... a CYCLOCROSS CLYDESDALE CLASS or an East Coast Cyclocross Single Speed Category!
I guess if I understood that A, B, and C did not mean Expert, Sport, and Beginner when I started racing cross
I guess I would understand the classes better now
it is not about Expert, Sport, and Beginner
it is about A, B, and C
something different