newcastlecycling

   and, as a general rule, while the higher the grade the faster the average speed, there ar plenty of times where the average speeds for B, C and sometimes D grade are not all that different - what IS different tends to be the frequency, severity and duration of "efforts".  I recall having been thrown in a combined A/B grade race (where I ran third - must live in the past as the present give no joy) thinking "these guys are soft" because they were doing 27 kph down to the roundabout, only to have to sit on some stupid speed just to barely hold on for a couple of klms. 

Singlespeeder - give it a go.  Most fun you can have with your lycra on.

If I can make one further recommendation, when you can give the Steel River crits a go.  They are a different thing altogether to scratch and handicap races, and are very useful is helping you get your "race head" working.  Hard work as well.  The Steel River course is also bump and glass free, so it is really nice to have a race where you are unlikely to cop a flat.