I Take Nothing For Granted. I Now

I Want To Die At A Hundred Years Old With An American Flag On My Back And The Star Of Texas On My Helmet, After Screaming Down An Alpine Descent On A Bicycle At 75 Miles Per Hour. I Want To Cross One Last Finish Line As My Wife And My Ten Children Applaud, And Then I Want To Lie Down In A Field Of Those Famous French Sunflowers And Gracefully Expire, The Perfect Contradiction To My Once Anticipated Poignant Early Demise.

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.

There Were No Shortcuts, I Realized. It Took Years Of Racing To Build Up The Mind And Body And Character Until A Rider Had Logged Hundreds Of Races And Thousands Of Miles Of Road. I Wouldn't Be Able To Win A Tour De France Until I Had Enough Iron In My Legs, And Lungs, And Brain And Heart.

I Raced Because I Was Paid To Do A Job And I Felt Like I Had To Do The Job. Number Two: I Raced Because I Loved The Process, I Loved Training, Getting Ready For The Race, I Loved All Of That. And Number Three I Raced For My Memories. Regardless Of What Somebody Wants To Give Or Take Away, You Can't Take My Memories.

I Realize That There Are Many Variables Outside My Control In My Quest, But Focusing On The Big Goal Down The Road Really Motivates Me. To Help Me Stay Focused, I Set Micro-goals Such As Races Or Training Achievements That Bring Me One Step Closer To Being At My Best For Major Goals