I know too that we Americans like to think of ourselves as cleaner than clean, a healthy nation who would never take anything when a recent poll suggested that 65 per cent of the population would risk dying in 10 years if they would be guaranteed Olympic gold.

I'm more optimistic about cycling right now than I've ever been.

More people should apologize, and more people should accept apologies when sincerely made.

I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle, it's not going to be satisfying.

Racing is a very selfish, self-centred, self-glorifying thing. My wife's life for 14 years was centered around me. It was all about me. It was all for my ego.

Testing, we will never do enough of it.

When you get second place, you say 'I could have won it here, I could have won it there.' When you win, you never say anything; it's finished.