What does it really mean to build your identity around a sport — and what happens when it ends? In this episode of Phil Phails, former professional road cyclist Mark Duroy

What does it really mean to build your identity around a sport — and what happens when it ends? In this episode of Phil Phails, former professional road cyclist Mark Duroy traces a lifetime on the bike: racing in Belgium at 18, competing alongside Tour de France riders in the Netherlands, walking away with a contract still on the table, and spending years lost without the thing that defined him. It's a conversation about cycling, endurance, and the mental toughness it takes to keep going — on and off the bike. Mark opens up about the drug culture he witnessed in European pro cycling, the starvation diets that damaged his health, and the bike accident that shattered his pelvis and kept him off the bike for eight years. He talks about sobriety, the discipline of reinvention, depression after a layoff, and how he eventually founded Velo-Savvy — a coaching business built around a simple belief: cycling should enhance your life, not consume it. Whether you're a cyclist, a former athlete, or someone who's ever had to rebuild from scratch, this one is worth your time. What sport, discipline, or pursuit has shaped who you are? Drop it in the comments — we'd love to hear your story.