A sandbagger is a rider who competes in a category below what they are capable of. This is done to prevent being upgraded to a more difficult competition.
USA Cycling and other organizations must have riders move to the next levels after achieving sufficient good finishes. Some riders use rules to their advantage by skipping races or using results of other types of races to remain in the lower levels. These activities discourage fair competition, inconvenience honest riders, and may force officials to downgrade a rider’s category. Being honest and adhering to rules of upgrades facilitate fair competition.
