Class Confusion

[rhiannon008]

I am new to cyclocross and have recently attempted to race. However, I am a bit confused about the classification system used at many of the ACA races here in Colorado. Often, the only categories specified for women are SW Open and SW 35+.

It was a bit of a wake up call to discover that the "open" category was filled with Cat 2 and Cat 3 racers. In fact, in the Sept. Pikes Peak Cross Race, Katie Compton rode in both the cat. 1 and open class races. (hummmm....guess who won?)


I noticed that the same ACA events have a wide array of categories for men based on skill and/or age. It seems my only choice was to get pummeled by semi-pro riders or stay home. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the challenge and was able not to finish DFL, but to call it "open" is a bit misleading as I was the only unattached rider.

Looking over the entire 2007 Colorado Cross calendar, ACA events and otherwise, I only found 2-3 races that even made category distinctions for women. Is this unusual, or the norm for women's cyclocross?