I did, and concluded it wasn't. I could be mistaken though.

Anyways I follow (on a local FL forum) the Octopus' writing and advice, have ridden in a few of the same races and can tell you he is a huge asset to the cycling community. Very humble and suportive guy. He has every right to be cocky and toot his own horn, yet chooses to reach out and motivate others in the sport. A friend of mine called him a "soul cyclist"

I'd like to see more folks be that way towards their fellow cyclists. I took a lot of the pointers The Octopus laid out in a post about long distance fixed gear riding, and it helped me complete my first fixed gear century last year.