...Holloway fought off tears, his body hunched over the bars of his Pinarello. "It hit hard," he said. "My dad's been the biggest supporter my whole career and this one's for him."

The solemn moment didn't last long, however, as the rider nicknamed "Hollywood" turned quickly to his confidence ahead of his rookie pro championships.

"It's huge," he said. "Not to sound cocky, but I had it coming. I think. If you look at my progression and my development, the people I've put around me really thought this could happen, so I think it was just about time, you know?"