Mike Engleman was a real good pro for awhile in the 90s, a great domestic climber. He didn't turn pro until his 30s, I think. The current elite national amateur champ, a local from my area, Matt Cooke, is 27 and didn't start racing until 2 years ago. He also won the cat 1/2/3 Clarendon Cup, the Green Mountain Stage race, and the most challenging road race held here each year. Now I don't know about Matt, but Engleman was a great runner beforehand. The list of people who start racing at 22 or 23 and make it is pretty short, especially if they have no sport to cross-over from.