cat 2/ cat1?

would you say that a cat 2 rider is a professional? or are professionals always cat 1 riders....I was just wondering what categories you have to be in to be considered a "pro racer"...i know that obviously that riders in cat 1 and 2 are obviously not on par with pros such as discovery, CSC,... but still, what is the minimun cat that a rider must be in to be considered a "pro"....thanks

In my opinion a "pro" rider is anyone who is being paid to ride a bicycle... that would be the defining line between amateur and professional. You could be a REALLY REALLY fast Cat1, and if nobody is paying you, you are still just an amateur cyclist (a F***ing fast one), but still amateur.

Now, if you are referring only to USCF, the highest you can be is a Category1... and most of those guys often race in "pro" races... so they are often grouped together.

Well... Pro is basically a guy that gets paid for racing. He may be a domestique on a tream, he may have corporate support promoting their products, etc. The most elite of this field is actually the Cat-1 guy, very, very few guys ever make it to Cat-1; most cat-2's turn Pro as their "upgrade". You just sign a contract and accept a check, cycling-performance and results have nothing to do with it.

On the other hand, becoming a cat-1, I only know a couple out of the hundreds of cat-2 and pros I know, that's a real special performance. Most of the guys I raced with at UCSB made it to cat-2 pretty easily. About 1/4 of them went Pro without ever getting results to make cat-1. Only two guys were able to get enough points to make it to Cat-1.

I'm a cat 2, and far from being a pro. Although I have raced with division 3 pros in some races. IMO you are a real pro when you can make a living from racing, which means being on at least a division 2 team. I know a lot of div 3 guys who are really just cat 1s who get team bikes and stuff like that, no real paycheck.

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Another way to look at this is that in order to get to Cat-1, you gotta beat Cat-2s and Pros... Being able to train to that level without getting paid to ride is simply incredible, talk about passion and dedication.