Elite MTBers get 2nd cat by default, or Elite if they’re top 20, irrespective of whether they’ve raced on the road before.
Not quite true as both myself and Paul Oldham currently hold 3rd cat road licences! not that we’d exploit the situation by turning up to a 3/4’s race. However I do think an Elite road rider should at least have an expert licence as our 1st year senior rider has been issued an Elite MTB licence despite having only ever ridden 3 mtb races….
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The top ranked Elites (can’t remember how many exactly) automatically get a 1st cat licence.
I did a lot of races a couple of years ago, and although I didn’t get any spectacular results ended up high enough up the rankings to get a 1st cat licence. I’ve only ever done 2 mass-start road races, plenty of time-trials but those are different. These were both 4th cat and I didn’t get a pint in either. And yet I suddenly found myself eligable to enter the Lincoln GP for example! I suspect it would have gone badly had I done so….
I’ve still not done any road racing and, as one has to get points to keep a licence in the world of road racing, I am now down to 3rd cat.
