Right. I was just pointing out that was the rationale for the rule. It wasn't to handicap junior racers.
Cycling is sport where many start racing for the first time as adults. Having spent a whole bunch of time around both competitive soccer and competitive cycling there is a difference between these two on how the kids are treated and respected.
Bike Forums Junior Racing forum "
Entry level and/or 23 and younger here's where yo can mix and learn." is such an example. This group has the fastest riders in the USA, lumped in with Entry level.
I believe that there is a group in USA Cycling and some cyclists that see cycling as an adult sport, vs a sport. There are posts in this thread questioning why juniors need to race adults. So, I do think there was a desire to handicap them.