People do make mistakes and I think they should be punished. But they should be forgiven and given the opportunity for a second chance. We are human beings.

My epiphany came in that police cell: I realized I was about to lose everything and it didn't bother me, not in the slightest. I'd come to hate cycling because I blamed it for the lie I was living.

In Italy it's full-on stardom when you're a cyclist - eating in restaurants for free, it's great.

It seemed romantic but also tragic - people would be winning but then lose it all, or crash but fight on, break bones but get back on their bikes and try to finish. Just getting to the end was seen as an achievement in itself.

The manner in which one loses the battle can sometimes outshine the victory.

I've been proud to be national champion.

Cycling is based so much on form, on aesthetics, on class - the way you carry yourself on the bike, the sort of technique you have.