Nobody is going to feel sorry for me if I've lost a dollar or $100m.

My mom was such a strong character. I don't want to say she was like a man, but she was tough.

Marathons are hard because of the physical pain, the pounding on the muscles, joints, tendons.

I thought I knew what fear was, until I heard the words 'You have cancer'.

I didn't just jump back on the bike and win. There were a lot of ups and downs, good results and bad results, but this time I didn't let the lows get to me.

At the end of the day, if there was indeed some Body or presence standing there to judge me, I hoped I would be judged on whether I had lived a true life, not on whether I believed in a certain book, or whether I'd been baptized. If there was indeed a God at the end of my days, I hoped he didn't say, But you were never a Christian, so you're going the other way from heaven. If so, I was going to reply, You know what? You're right. Fine.

It's a fact that children with cancer have higher cure rates than adults with cancer, and I wonder if the reason is their natural, unthinking bravery... Adults know too much about failure; they're more cynical and resigned and fearful.