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

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.

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

There are so many people who have died of cycling, and that didn't happen when I was racing.

Perhaps the single most important element in mastering the techniques and tactics of racing is experience. But once you have the fundamentals, acquiring the experience is a matter of time.

The key is being able to endure psychologically. When you're not riding well, you think, why suffer? Why push yourself for four or five hours? The mountains are the pinnacle of suffering

I know it is possible to win the Tour without taking anything.