I got 2nd in Worlds, which takes a bit of the sting off getting my tail kicked in this weekend. A 115 HS kid was pulling me up the hills and I barely kept on, and I would descend 'good enough' so he could rest. We were about 1 minute ahead of the main group, and even sitting on a wheel, I was still at 5 w/kg for over 10 minutes.
It's also weird going from one of the guys that used to be dead last in this ride, to a mid-pack rider, to a lead pack guy over a span of 10 years. Initially, some guys wouldn't talk to me, even chuckle. I'm assuming because I was fat and slow, then once you get fast they accept you. Not everyone was like that, but you remember that small minority that did. That kind of pushed me for a while tbh.