Survival is the main objective. There are going to be some awful days, I know that from my background in the sport.

Cycling is such a stupid sport. Next time you are in a car travelling at 40mph think about jumping out - naked. That's what it's like when we crash.

I was awarded 'Most Aggressive Rider of the Day', generally given to the most spectacular loser of the day.

I like my hands. Which is lucky as I have to spend all day looking at them on the handlebars.

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.

To be brutally honest, it's simple economics. If they want to come into cycling, sponsors need to know the team they are funding is clean, otherwise the risk is just too great.

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.