"Before the accident, I could ride 50 miles without breaking a sweat. Now, I can't get halfway up the stairs without breaking for a nap. I can't put enough weight on my arms to get out of a chair by myself, and I haven't voluntarily farted in 10 days. I can't cough, and a sneeze could be fatal. Otherwise, I'm peachy!...
"I felt a violent blow to my back, and I went flying through the air. I landed on my left side, on my left shoulder. I took a good crack to my helmet. ... It was still a violent thud of a landing. It was Olympian. I got scores of 6.9 for artistic impression, but I couldn't stick the landing... more»
"A lot of Americans will see a cyclist and just believe you’re the Antichrist for no reason, and they will try to run you over or try to come so close to you that it will scare you away from riding bikes. That’s a huge problem that’s unique to this country. That would never happen anywhere else in the world. Not China, not the most brutal dictatorial regime on Earth. It would never happen to you in Italy or Denmark or Switzerland or England or France or Spain or Russia or Vietnam or India or Afghanistan. … This country has a long way to go in terms of tolerance for cyclists. The vitriol of motorists never ceases to amaze me." ... more»
"People think I ride bikes all day, which I would love to do. I've always been a guy who enjoyed the technology."
Matt Phillips, bicycle reviewer for Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines, explaining that his job requires that he often has to squeeze in a bike ride at the end of the day, like most working people ..... more»
"I'd love to answer the question but unfortunately I'm out of that business. I'm here to fight cancer. I haven't looked online. I still love the bike and ride all the time but on the competitive side I'm just not engaged."
Lance Armstrong in response to reporter's questions regarding Floyd Landis losing his appeal of doping charges raised after the 2006 ... more»
“I’ve ridden bicycles for years and have been taken off Route 1 once in a helicopter and twice in ambulances as a result of biking accidents with vehicles."
Delaware Environmental Control Secretary John Hughes ... more»
That's George Hood of Chicago explaining how he can ride a stationary bike hour after hour in his attempt to achieve a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by bicycling for 83 consecutive hours -- nearly 3 1/2 days.
Hood must also have a high threshold for boredom. ... more»
“I got a whole lot of good stuff from the White House. I can’t describe how it felt. I know it felt good."
Moses Mathis, aka The Bicycle Man, describing his reaction to receiving the President's Call to Action Award and a letter from President Bush. Mathis earned the honor by performing a minimum 4,000 hours of volunteer service ... more»
"Don't be afraid to ask if you can pitch your tent on someone's private land. Asking for someone's hospitality is something no person should be shy about; besides, it is a good way to meet new people."
Canadians Benoit Cote and Genevieve Fortin giving some tips about bicycle travel. ... more»
"It is a public relations effort by Landis to get public opinion behind him. It is easy to make up a power point presentation and put what you want on it."
That's the reaction of Pat McQuaid, head of the Union Cycliste Internationale, to a PowerPoint slideshow prepared by Floyd Landis doc Arnie Barker. The slides suggest problems with tests performed on Landis' urine samples, specimens were mishandled or mislabelled, and could have been contaminated.
McQuaid has more than a passing interest in ensuring Landis is found guilty ... more»
"I'm glad we didn't have to make that choice. Church is very important to us. We felt in our hearts he was going to win. He is not one to take second place." ... more»
"This morning I was still in pain and I didn't have full movement in my arm but it got better and I decided to give it a go because I was only two seconds behind the yellow jersey. ... I didn't feel the pain in the finish because the adrenaline was flowing. It's more painful now holding the microphone. ... more»
"I started off the Tour in great shape and I’ve never had the opportunity to lead a team. I don’t know what to expect but I know that anything is possible, there’s no reason to set limits. I don’t know how I’ll respond but I’ll just hope for the best. ... more»
"When I think of our guys like George, Popo, Jose, Paolo - Chechu even - I don't see the difference between them and the new favorites is that big anymore. Basso and Ullrich - it was quite big - but those other guys? They are in our reach. ... more»
"You reach the top of a mountain pass … it’s real … it does something to you. Humping up a steep 1,000-foot elevation with 40 pounds of gear, it’s hard. You’ve accomplished something. And there’s still all this country there before you.” more»
"I thought it was great; every race doesn't have to be an epic death march. It was an exceptional course that made for exceptional racing. The top 10 was tightly packed (only 1:58 separated Landis from No. 10 finisher Jason McCartney of Discovery Channel). It made things more exciting; it added to the drama."
"I'd like to think I can keep improving, but at this point, I'm here to help Lance. I'm not saving anything for me. I'll worry about that a few months from now or next year or whenever." ... more»
It's no shock that people feel very strongly about Lance Armstrong -- as an elite cyclist, a cancer survivor, a motivator, a celebrity, a father, a Texan.
News of his breakup with fiance Sheryl Crow brought out a flood of reaction from columnists and bloggers. Here are a few quotes from the weekend that I found particularly mean, weird or funny:
"Lance Armstrong has unsurprisingly split from the jaundiced star girlfriend. It was sad, originally, that he would choose more»
"If you're a traditional cyclist and you ride using your legs, your upper body turns into matchsticks. So when you're suddenly requiring your chest and your arms and your back to move your whole body, you realize just how weak those muscles are." ... more»
"A lot of Americans will see a cyclist and just believe you’re the Antichrist for no reason, and they will try to run you over or try to come so close to you that it will scare you away from riding bikes. That’s a huge problem that’s unique to this country. That would never happen anywhere else in the world. Not China, not the most brutal dictatorial regime on Earth. It would never happen to you in Italy or Denmark or Switzerland or England or France or Spain or Russia or Vietnam or India or Afghanistan. … This country has a long way to go in terms of tolerance for cyclists. The vitriol of motorists never ceases to amaze me." ... 
"This morning I was still in pain and I didn't have full movement in my arm but it got better and I decided to give it a go because I was only two seconds behind the yellow jersey. ... I didn't feel the pain in the finish because the adrenaline was flowing. It's more painful now holding the microphone. ... 
"When I think of our guys like George, Popo, Jose, Paolo - Chechu even - I don't see the difference between them and the new favorites is that big anymore. Basso and Ullrich - it was quite big - but those other guys? They are in our reach. ... 
"You reach the top of a mountain pass … it’s real … it does something to you. Humping up a steep 1,000-foot elevation with 40 pounds of gear, it’s hard. You’ve accomplished something. And there’s still all this country there before you.” 
