If I Can't Face My Accusers, That's

Made Plenty Of Mistakes Along The Way - All Of Which I Am Truly Sorry.

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.

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.

When You Win, You Don't Examine It Very Much, Except To Congratulate Yourself. You Easily, And Wrongly, Assume It Has Something To Do With Your Rare Qualities As A Person. But Winning Only Measures How Hard You've Worked And How Physically Talented You Are; It Doesn't Particularly Define You Beyond Those Characteristics.

Do It Even If You Shouldn't, Do It Becuase You Want To, Do It Becuase It Will Make Things Better.