[Armstrong rode much of Sunday's stage toward the head of the field with riders from his Postal squad. Their game plan was to] stay at the front, everybody together, try to protect Lance and make sure there's no big breakaways, ... Mainly to stay out of trouble. |
He's probably going to be taking it calmly on Wednesday, not pushing himself too hard. |
I can't believe it. I've worked hard while I've been with Lance for the last six years and it's been an amazing run. |
I raised my hands maybe too early, ... With two laps to go, I was gonna drop out because my legs were finished. Everybody was so tired but I'm very happy to be winning. |
I was on my own for the last 300 meters. It was a long stretch, but I was able to bring it home. |
I will be off the bike for about a week but look forward to resuming my training. |
I work as hard as I can to achieve my goals. I have steadily improved year after year by working harder and training smarter over the long haul. The only way to get better is to work harder. This doesn't guarantee a win, but it sure does improve your chances. |
I'm really not in that good of shape yet. But I've got two wins already. We virtually had the whole team at the front, and I had super legs for the climb. |
I'm very proud of my partnership with Amgen and The Wellness Community on the Breakaway from Cancer campaign because nearly everyone is touched by cancer in one way or another and it is critical that those affected realize they don't have to face this illness alone. Just as in cycling, where it takes a great support team to help an individual breakaway from the pack, it takes a strong support network to help a cancer patient face the many hurdles throughout treatment. |
My father, Ricardo, has been my biggest role model on and off the bike. He was a pretty good rider himself when he was younger. He got me into the sport and I really looked up to him. My older brother, Rich, was a role model in the beginning as well. We are very close as a family and we rode together all the time. My father taught us what was right and wrong. He taught us to work hard and strive to achieve our goals. He was very inspiring for me. My father really taught me that if I work hard enough, I can achieve anything. I think that is important at any age. |
Oddly enough, we feel more pressure than when he was with us. Now, everyone wants to see what we're capable of doing without him and, more or less unconsciously, the team feels it. |
One of the reasons I work so hard today is because my father taught me to persevere. I don't think I would be where I am today without his positive influence, |
We have a couple of days left to attack and we are going to come out ripping. |
You should ask Johan because I haven't been told anything. |