"What I've watched for the past 15 years has been almost robotic racing. I used to gasp for air and had to think about when I could take a sip of water – my sport drink – I'd try and time it for a flat section on the switchback of a climb.

"[Now] I see people talking on the 'phone' [radio] riding a climb at the front of the Tour de France. For me it's surreal – I don't recognise the sport anymore."

-- Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond giving one example of why thinks there's widespread doping in cycling. He was speaking at the anti-doping Play the Game Conference at Coventry University in the UK. He went on to offer solutions to the problem, according to a report in that uses statistics and analytical data.

Expect to hear more about doping as we head into the Tour de France on July 4. ...   more »

"She's a bicycle rider, I'm a bicycle rider. We talked a little bit about our favorite routes."

-- Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York tells reporters about his Capitol Hill meeting with Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayer. ...   more »

"There's really nothing now that requires them (cyclists) to yield or move over. ... This bill gives them full access to the road."

That's an interesting reaction to passage of Colorado's bicycle safety bill from the county sheriff who oversees Boulder, a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community ...   more »

"I just don't want to get clobbered too bad. ... I don't have any illusions of grandeur. ... I hope I get in the race and get re-acclimated to the tempo and the speed and what it is like to be around 200 guys in a fast-moving group."

Lance Armstrong touched down in Sydney, Australia, to a gaggle of reporters ...   more »

"He [Zorn] used to ride his bicycle to the games. And when he left, I said, 'You know, I don't think you can do that in Washington. I mean, the head coach, you've got to kind of drive the car and do the normal thing.' "

-- Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren talking about Jim Zorn, former Seahawks quarterback ....   more »

"I learned from the ride that after doing a certain number of miles, your legs can't walk anymore. I learned that it takes a lot of strength and patience to ride 100 miles, but that anyone - no matter what shape, size or age - can ride 100 miles if they put their mind to it."

-- Teddy Collinson, 10, of Edgewater, Maryland, summing up his first Sea Gull Century on Oct. 4. The annual bike ride on the Eastern Shore of Maryland is forgiving in terms of its flat terrain, but can be brutal in terms of headwinds. ...   more »

The day after Tour de Fat visited Seattle to celebrate the bicycle as a sustainable form of transportation, a Washington DC architect is interviewed by the Post:

"Somewhere along the line, we made biking a hobby and a sport instead of a way to get around," says Alexandra Dickson, an architect who commutes from Southwest Washington to her downtown office on a blue Breezer Villager that she calls Babe, after Babe the Blue Ox. "I'd like to see it get back to being a way of getting around. ...   more »

"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 »

"I have a high threshold for pain."

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 »