What would we be without the fans? They're more important than me, because they make our sport great; they make things happen. We put on the show, but if people don't react to it, we are nothing. So, the fans, basically we should roll out the red carpet for them.
I think we all want to successfully push back the aging process, to deny the aging process. Who among us says, 'Yippee, I'm getting older'?
I want to be remembered as somebody working hard, walking straight in life, most of the time, and just being a down-to-earth person, being loyal and being indestructible.
I'm happy that the sacrificing, the hard training, the travel, the time being away from the family, is going to stop. So I'm happy; I'm glad about that. But I'm also terrified. Frightened. Because, I mean, in my whole adult life, cycling was the most consistent thing I ever did.
Crashing is never funny, but sometimes you can jump up, laugh at your stupidity, and go, 'What the hell was that?'
I hope I am allowed to say that the reason I am popular is because of the way I am, the way I race, and the way I talk. I am just the old-fashioned, reliable guy, and people always know I am after one thing: 'There is Jens. He will go in the breakaway.'
When you're the oldest rider at the Tour de France, you really feel it.
Cycling is an endurance sport. You lose your fast-twitch ability as you age, but your endurance peaks when you hit 30. I don't think I really started feeling my age until around 40.
I had a great career. I have no reason to complain. It's the way it goes in nature. You slow down. And I believe I lasted a lot longer than a lot of people.
The solo break or the small break, it's... one of the most glorious ways to win a bike race. It's pretty damn impressive in my mind.
I don't want to have that one year too much, where people actually, behind my back, start smiling at me and pointing fingers at me and go, 'Ah, look, that's Jensie. No, he's not good anymore.'
It is the passion inside me that means I keep going. I love what I do, and I think I am lucky to do it. When I am riding a quiet country road, I hear the birds singing and think, 'I am in my office now.'
I am a family man, and I have to find my priorities. During the season, it is to race. During the off-season, it is to spend time with my family.
One of the reasons I'm so competitive - I mean, I'm not winning much anymore - at my age was because I always worked hard and because we have a level playing field. We don't have motorbikes in the peloton anymore.
Chris Boardman was my first teammate and my first roommate. I saw him finish his career with an hour record and thought, 'Yeh, what a way to go out!'
