It's not about ego, legends or whatever overly intellectualized, wordy, psuedo-poetic tagline you want to attach to it (for your ego, you obviously relish in a good e-debate to polish your own legend in the bathroom).
Neither of us were there, but I do know the intersection very well, and I know how ridiculous it is to block someone coming down there.
There didn't need to be a conflict here. The smart thing to do would have been to keep the group clear and aware at the intersection, failing that after the fist rider came down and you heard more coming, most people would tell their group to make some space and heads up. Stopping the rider coming down and endangering everyone and then taking to the internet to take the moral high ground and smear a sponsored rider is just ingnorant. That's why he's getting flak…