For 15 years I was a complete arsehole to a dozen people. I said I would try and make it right with those people, and anybody that gave me an audience, I was there.

My greatest point is my persistence... However down I am, I fight until the last ball.

The body is telling the mind to stop. The mind is telling the body to shut up.

One of the redeeming things about being an athlete is redefining what is humanly possible.

I love this race from the very depths of my heart. It gives me motivation and it transcendsme like nothing else in the world.

There were something like 50 good, arduous climbs around Nice, solid inclines of ten miles or more. The trick was not to climb every once in awhile, but to climb repeatedly. I would do three different climbs in one day, over the course of a six- or seven-hour ride. A 12 mile climb took about an hour, so that tells you what my days were like.

To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles. This is a great sporting event and hard work wins it.