Originally Posted by Judge Mental

About 15 years ago our team was in an event in Cadiz that Igor Anton won as a 16 year old man-child by almost a quarter hour. There were no pros, obviously, but there were many Cat1 and Cat2 equivalents.

That was the best day of my cycling life, actually. I had ridden for two years in college at that point, was riding 20-25 hours weekly, racing weekly, weighed 135 and was at my absolute peak ability. And to be gapped so effortlessly by a literal child, and to be continually ridden away from by lone said child within an actively working and motivated group, it just put into perspective how futile my naive dreams were. It was soul-crushing to see that some unknown Spanish child could destroy 18-22 year olds. And if that's how a little boy rode, then how did Jan Ullrich ride?

Those naive dreams we all have. Mine stem from a crushing, epic, late flyer to dominate a Cat3/4 crit field of 30 nobodies in the ever-prestigious 1997 Roozen's Nursery & Powell Dodge/Chrysler Criterium of Prince Georges County. I must've won by nearly ten seconds. I can't believe US Postal wasn't trying to get me into development, like, immediately after that incredibly heroic and dominant performance!!

I love the hero talk. I am King of the Bums.