Originally Posted by Six jours

Funny, I was in Europe at the same time and got the opposite impression. My first year in Europe was as a junior and I found the junior road races faster, tougher, and longer than the 1/2/pro races I'd been riding in the states. When I went back to Europe as a senior the next year I got my ass handed to me in a dozen different ways -- but I was winning 1/2/pro crits back home.

I agree with you about the second part, though. My impression is that the average level in the states has plummeted in the last decade. That may just be grumpy old man syndrome, though.