The upgrade process was much simpler when I began my racing career. The requirement was simple: three places in the top three or six places in the top six of any real race within one calendar year. The number of entrants or finishers was unimportant; one of the placings I used to upgrade from two to one was a second place finish in a race with over a hundred finishers, another was a third place finish in a race with twenty or thirty starters and only four finishers. Both placings had equal weight.
Since I did not race many real races as a junior but had some fitness, when I turned senior, I was placed in category 3. I then placed in almost every category three race that I started, so it took me only three months to move up to category two. It was good for my self-confidence to have done so well in the threes and I took to the twos well. In reality, I was stronger than an ox, but still had much to learn. I then had a couple of disappointments, but a month after becoming a cat 2, I placed second at the Davis Criterium (see Story: Davis Criterium ), something that doesn't just happen by accident. A third place at Volcano Road Race (see Story: Volcano Road Race ) a month later followed by a second place at Benecia Road Race (see Story: Benecia Road Race ) a month after that resulted in my having the highest honor bestowed an amateur cyclist, a category one sticker on my license. In that era of American cycling, things were so informal that I had the sticker on my license even before the third place rider crossed the finish line. Other racers treated me differently once they saw me as a category one on the start sheet. In 1981, some restructuring by the USCF resulted in all category one riders moved down to category two, and for some time, only national team riders were allowed to upgrade back to category one.