Categorically Speaking
I'll never forget my first visit to the Downers Grove Criterium. My race was on Saturday, and I returned on Sunday to watch the "real" races: the Elite/Cat. 1 and the Professional championships. That day would change my life, as I vowed then and there that "Someday, I will race on Sunday at Downers Grove."

To get there, I had to work my way through the series of "categories," known as "Cats." Bike racers are separated according to their ability and I got my start as a "citizen"--an unlicensed rider.

Issued by the United States Cycling Federation, a license denotes a racer's ability category. Men start in Cat. 5, women in Cat. 4. (You can tell a beginning racer by the "Cat. 5 Tattoo" - the chainring grease imprinted on their right calf!). For me, the ultimate goal was to reach Cat. 1, the highest amateur category, and qualify for Downers Grove.

My first races as a Cat. 5 went fairly well, and I soon had enough experience to "upgrade" to Cat. 4. That's when the challenge really began: moving up a category meant that I had to place well in races, as only the first six places earned upgrade points. Each category has a required number of points, and it gets harder the higher you go--I gave myself five years to "see what I could do."

Needless to say, some days were better than others - I left a good amount of skin in Milwaukee during a Cat. 4 Superweek race, and had a bit of a setback when I fractured my neck just after becoming a Cat. 3 - but race-by-race, week-by-week, I found myself fighting for top placings and upgrade points.

Finally, at the start of my third season, I had earned enough points to move to Cat. 2. Now the work really began, as Cat. 2s race with the Cat. 1s and Professionals - not only did I have to beat my peers, I had to do well against the next two highest levels! Thankfully, the next season I joined a strong regional team, and we started getting results.

Lining up on Sunday for the Elite Championship last year at Downers Grove represented the culmination of a dream for me, and is a memory I'll cherish forever.

For more information on cycling categories, check out the USCF Web site at: www.usacycling.org

Women's Cycling Development
Last month, I talked a little about the advantages to being on a team. One thing I didn't talk much about was rider development: teams working hard to bring new riders into the sport, and then working to teach them the ropes. Two local teams in particular have done an amazing job with regards to women's racing in the past couple of years: XXX Racing-AthletiCo and Athletes By Design.

In the city, Chicago native Eve Pytel has been preaching the cycling gospel and instrumental in putting together the XXX Racing-AthletiCo Women's Development Team which has increased to 30 women. The team's results were quick in coming, with Chicago natives Amy Weik and Monica Maeta scoring an 11th place in the co-ed open class at the 12 Hours of John Muir mountain bike race, Imelda March of Chicago a 7th place in the Cat. 4 John Fraser Memorial Time Trial, and Chicago's Jessica Storozuk a 7th place in Cat. 4 at the always-tough Hillsboro-Roubaix Road Race. And already on the leaderboard because of her indoor time trial prowess, Jennifer Hoover of Chicago took a well-earned win in the Cat. 4s at the St. Charles Classic, with teammates Storozuk in 6th and Chicagoan Gigi Norcross in 11th.

Out in the suburbs, Chicago native Sarah Tillotson of Winfield-based ABD spent the winter working tirelessly to promote women's cycling, including helping with the Chicago Bike Show Women's Cycling Symposium and putting together several off-season meetings. The ABD team was well represented at the John Fraser 10-mile Time Trial, with top 5 results from Julie Demar of Glen Ellyn and Joy Houser of Lake in the Hills in the Cat. 4s, and a 5th place from Crystal Lake native Sherri Richards in the Women's Open class. Rising track star Natalie Klemko of Bristol, WI, took the overall win in the Open class in a blistering 25:29, confirming her as one to watch this season.

Many of these women are just getting started in the sport - with the support of their teams and a willingness to give it a go, maybe they'll soon be moving from category to category in their own quest to fulfill a dream!