Instead, it was reality, and fortunately for Kaeding, he found just enough in reserve to beat Daehlie in a photo finish, winning by .1 of a second in the 54-kilometer men's classic race.

So who dethroned Daehlie as the VO2max champ? An 18-year-old cyclist from Norway named Oskar Svendsen reportedly notched a test of 97.5 ml/min/kg in 2012, besting Daehlie's value of 96.