By Tick of Cycling4Fans

What they say, what they think...

Question. It looks like your long-time "lieutenant" is going to leave you and try it as captain for another team. What do you say to that?

Answer. I think it's a great opportunity for him -- he sure deserves it and I wish him all the best! (That little bastard - I'll kill him!)

Q. You've just signed a contract with a new team. Tell us about it - why this team, and why the change?

A. It was time for a change, I needed a new challenge, a change of scenery.

1 (At last I get a chance to ride for myself! I don't have to work for that egotistical captain any more!)

2. (Anywhere away from that old team! Things elsewhere can only be better - can't they?)

3. (Thank God I had that offer - things were looking bleak for a while there, I thought nobody wanted me!)

Q. You lost 40 minutes today and just barely made the time limit! What happened?

A. I just had a really bad day, I can't explain it.

1. (You'd lose time, too, if you had to stop and throw up every 20 minutes...)

2. (Oh, come on, it's September, I've been racing since February - I can't do it any more! I'm just plain worn out!)

3. (I knew that dope was no good...)

Q. Will you be riding the Worlds?

A. The team hasn't been announced yet - I'm sure hoping to be picked!

1. (Yeah, if everybody else breaks a leg, I might just have a chance to be nominated.)

2. (I'd damned well better be on the team! I'm the best this country has to offer and if they pass me over again...)

3. (No way in hell will they pick me - after the things I said about the national trainer a few months ago? Even if I won every race all summer he still wouldn't pick me!)

Q. You just finished your first race as a "stagiare" with a GS1 team. How was it?

A. Fantastic! I loved every minute of it! (Oh my God, am I exhausted! I never believed it would be so fast, so difficult..)

Q. You weren't allowed to start the race beause your hemitocrit was too high. How do you explain that?

A. I can't explain it, there's obviously been a terrible mistake somewhere. (Yeah, and the mistake was mine - what the hell, this is as good a time as any to retire.)

Q. Here we are in the end of September. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

A. A few one-day races, a short vacation - and then it's time to start training again for next year! (I'm gonna throw my bike in the corner, jump on the next plane to a nice warm sunny beach and try not to even think about cycling!)