Norba?

[sauce]

so i impulsively joined norba; i'm not sure what got into me. but, uh, who races norba? what category? i started out sport level (womens). any anecdotes or important info. i should know? what's it like? i'm in the dark here.

[mtnbikerdude87]

Well you can register for all norba sanctioned races without having to pay an extra 5 dollars for a one day liscense. Since you signed up for sport class looks like youll be racing that class whenever you race the norba sanctioned events. I think there are some other benefits of it too but youll have to check on the USA cycling website. Also most of the race series in socal are going to be norba sanctioned events.

[1x1clyde]

You do get to save $5 at any Norba sanctioned event, which is most of the ones around here - Cal State Series and Rim Nordic - and your finishes are tracked through USCF so you can see how you stack up nation wide.
If you do well and place consistently high in a season there is always the chance of qualifying and competing at Norba Nationals.
In Norba upgrades are practically on the honor system so be wary of sandbaggers, even in Sport.
Since you registered for Sport you can easily move up if you want for a race to see what another lap or 2 is like but you cannot race Beginner, there is no going back!
Glad to hear you are giving racing a try, it can be a little crazy in the beginning but you'll find your groove and fit right in or hate it and never pin a number on again!
Good Luck!

[Pain Freak]

Sarah, I think it's a great idea for you. I would of suggested to start out in beginner as the competion in the NORBA events are quite a bit tougher then Mt SAC, but I have no doubt you'll rise to the challenge. There are some who'll say NORBA has taken away from mountain bike racing. Personally I'm not all that up to date on it, but anything that supports mountain biking is okay in my book. Congrats, now go kick some butt!

[mp3]

I think you'll be fine in sport. The main difference between what I consider an actual NORBA event, like Sea Otter or the Nova Desert Classic, and a non-NORBA event (Rim Nordic, MT Sac, Warrior Society events) is the level of competition. Races like Rim Nordic require you to have a license and you get "NORBA" points for it but I wouldn't really consider it a NORBA race. You don't really see the factory team Pros having that as part of their schedule like SO or NDC.

I race endurance and most of those races aren't affiliated with NORBA. The only reasons I joined are to have the option of racing the 24 Hour Solo nationals and for some stage races like the Cape Epic (South Africa) or Ironbike (Italy) it's a little easier with the required paper work.

[sauce]

but do you get norba points for warrior society stuff?

the first so cal norba race (fontana) is in may, so i've got plenty of time to get myself into sport level shape. i hope.

i think i just like the idea of it all being on the internet ... and you know where you rank in your category/class. it's good motivation to keep getting better, ya know? 'sides, it's not that expensive to join.

[Wrecker]

Sarah, if you like seeing how you did at an event, you should check out geoladders. They have just about every local event there (including the Warrior's Society races...at least they used to, I haven't been there for a while).

I tried riding beginner last year, and didn't see my results on the NORBA site....even the results from Sea Otter (and there were plenty of women in my class). There is a big difference between NORBA races and the local So Cal series, even in the beginner class. But, the more experience you get, the better you'll be in any class/race.

Are you going to do any of the winter series races at Fontana?

[mp3]

Nope, no NORBA points for Warrior Society events although they do have their own point series. The WS races/rides don't even require a license. As mentioned previously you can get points on Geoladders.com for both races and almost any training ride.

NORBA rankings for any category and discipline can be seen here: www.usacycling.org -- USA Cycling National Rankings

A list of all CA events where ya'd get NORBA points for ranking (notice no WS events are listed): www.usacycling.org -- USA Cycling Events Search

And times for sport women that raced Fontana this year: www.usacycling.org -- The Official Website of USA Cycling

Happy training!

[sauce]

thanks. yeah, i've pretty much scoured their website. i read the rule book and all that. i've checked out what i'm competing against and what the events look like. i am doing the may and july races. i'm glad, because i'll have time to train.

chelle -- well that sux! my girlfriend raced sport level, and all her stuff is listed. maybe you ought to contact norba? are they hard to get a hold of? if i do geolanders, i fear i'll get too competitive. i kinda just wanna do my own thing. if you're racing this year, we should carpool. i may be carpooling with this expert-level girl -- she has a bike-friendly car, and this way we'll all save gas and cheer each other on!

[Wrecker]

Guess it's been a while since I checked (and a while since I rode), because it's up there now...oops

I am surely going up to Sea Otter this year...is anyone else going up? The course is so fun, even if you don't race it. Plus, it's so beautiful; single track through trees, green grass, and a bit of mud. It seems that when I ride, it must be muddy (heeheeh).

Sagebrush is a fun little course too. You go up a bit, then up and up a bit more (nothing like Warriors), then it's a LONG flowing downhill that swoops along back and forth.

Fontana threw me for a loop (literally), as I'm not in great shape by any means and I didn't know we were doing two laps until I was at the start line. Throughout the entire first loop I was planning on ending at one lap anyway...I even told another guy (who agreed on the one lap plan) that I was going to cut out. I ended up doing both in the end.

Not sure how serious I'm going to be next year either. I'm planning on starting at Sea Otter in the beginner class, and going from there.