It's tough to be a 15- or 16-year-old athlete competing around the country. There's tension, there's media. I had no idea what I was getting into.

I know what happened to cycling from 1999 to 2005. I saw its growth, I saw its expansion.

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

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

My mother told me...if you're going to get anywhere, you're going to have to do it yourself, because no one is going to do it for you.

Make an obstacle an opportunity, make a negative a positive.

I would love to be in a place, and I may never get there, where I can help people. It's something that I never really cared to advertise. It got advertised. I still do it on one-on-one level almost daily.