Anyone going XC in a glider is something to be respected. If you fly a 500k in an Arcus with an up and go you are still the man. You don't need a 1-26 to prove you are a good pilot.
Do the 1-26 pilots feel they don't get enough respect? Come on!! All I have ever heard since starting soaring in 2012 is admiration and damn-near worship of the ship and the pilots that fly them XC...