After the first two mountain stages people realized Lance was as good as ever. |
I got chills on the starting ramp. When I hit the hill, the crowd was deafening. It felt like I was riding on air. It was like the Tour De France. |
I heard reports last night that they might be expecting 50,000. I thought that was a little much. |
I hope he stops by. It will definitely help and we need his help. He's done a lot for cycling. He's introduced the sport to many people. I think it would be great if he stopped by. Cheer me on. |
I'm disappointed. I knew all along (Wednesday) was the most important day. But physically, I wasn't having my best day. |
If I'm riding very strong and I have a chance to win, I have to show them I'm willing to give everything. They need to know I think I can win so they're willing to give their all to support me. |
It was a huge battle; it was technical. You wanted to stay up front and out of the crashes. Everybody wanted to be there, so it was full gas and no holding back. |
It will be like riding in the Tour de France. We've got hills, time trials, road races and wind. Of course, it's not as severe, but it's a mini-Tour de France, and it's in our back yard. |
It's going to be a moving postcard. The Tour de France needs to watch over its shoulder because this will be that big. I believe in it. Right out of the gate, the first year, they're going to have maybe the best field the U.S. has ever seen. |
It's really a dream come true. I've been training all winter and dreaming about wearing that yellow jersey into my home town. |
It's tough for guys like George, Horner and me to do anything because everybody watches us. But I told Fabian for the last three weeks that San Francisco has got your name written all over it! |
That was a really hard day today. For a long time, we didn't know if our tactic would work. But it did. And now it's become a little more realistic that I can win this tour. |
The circuits (those final laps) were amazing. People were hanging out of the parking garages four stories high. |
The crowds have been comparable [to the Tour de France]; it's been amazing. Sometimes I forget if I'm in the Tour de France or the Amgen Tour of California. |
We didn't go more than 500 meters without someone cheering us on. |