Not saying Phil didn't make a mistake, but he did mention in his first video about the track racing endeavor that he got into competitive cycling as a junior on the track, and continued to train on the track until he was in his early 20s (10+ years ago), so he isn't completely inexperienced. Personally I hope he recovers fully and gives the Olympic team a shot. His first attempt at the individual pursuit would have gotten him silver at US nationals the year before, so clearly he has the talent to make the cut. Maybe he should stick to the individual events, though.