At Least I Didn't Invent A Dead

I Have Been Dealing With Claims That I Cheated And Had An Unfair Advantage In Winning My Seven Tours Since 1999.

There Were No Shortcuts, I Realized. It Took Years Of Racing To Build Up The Mind And Body And Character Until A Rider Had Logged Hundreds Of Races And Thousands Of Miles Of Road. I Wouldn't Be Able To Win A Tour De France Until I Had Enough Iron In My Legs, And Lungs, And Brain And Heart.

Nobody Wants To Hear How I Think I've Been Mistreated, Or How I Think My Punishment Should Be Lifted, Or Tweaked, Or Reduced. Nobody Wants To Hear Me Say That, Nobody Cares What I Think About This. I Get It.

Nothing Goes To Waste, You Put It All To Use, The Old Wounds And Long-ago Slights Become The Stuff Of Competitive Energy.

There Was Certainly A Dishonesty There That I Think Is Totally Regrettable And Inexcusable. The Ringleading, The Bullying: Not Totally True.