Well, in 1999 I rolled up to the start line on a slightly off-topic but nevertheless lugged steel Stowe Europro with downtube shifters in the Cat. 5 Florida State Road Championship. I don't think anyone thought I would finish. They thought I was just a nut. I finished 5th. The Cat 5 race was combined with the Cat 4 race. I finished 15th overall (out of about 130 starters).
I wasn't handicapped by the age of the bike. I was handicapped by the age of the rider (I was 45 at the time).
I was in the lead group until the climb to the finish. I finished about 25 secs back. The course was hilly with a few steep climbs. We averaged over 26 mph over 35 miles.
If my bike had had STI, and been weightless, it wouldn't have made the slightest difference, IMHO.
If I had weighed 20 lbs less, and been 20 years younger, that would have made a difference.
Louis Schulman Tampa, FL (Yes, there ARE very tough climbs in Florida.)
On Wed, 12 May 2004 15:48:49 -0700, Shannon Menkveld wrote:
#Leaving the pros and elite amateurs out of the equation is probably #useful, so I offer this question: # #Has anyone rolled up to the start line of a cat 3 or lower race on an #on-topic bike? How did you do? Did you feel handicapped by your bike? #And most importantly, what did the other racers say? # #Shannon Menkveld #San Diego, CA # #_______________________________________________ #Classicrendezvous mailing list #Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org #http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/classicrendezvous