“I did try to win a sixth, but it was not to be.”

“I didn't feel I had to prove anything more.”

“I have earned enough to take it a bit easier now.”

“I inherited that calm from my father, who was a farmer. You sow, you wait for good or bad weather, you harvest, but working is something you always need to do.”

“If I had been born with an aggressive character, then maybe my palmares would have been longer.”

“My strength was that I am more balanced and calmer than most other riders.”

“Sooner or later a rider will emerge who will win more Tours. In every sport we have seen how the records eventually get broken and cycling is no exception.”

“To be free and to live a free life - that is the most beautiful thing there is.”