"It's true that this year, following my accident in the pre-season, I kind of lost morale and I felt like quitting at the end of this year. But today I can say that I want to be a professional bike rider in the year 2003 as well."

"Of course, if this season turns out to be terrible for me - if I get injured again and this prevents me from reaching a satisfying level, then I could change my decision again. But at this moment, it absolutely feels like the right thing for me to continue through 2003."

"I'm very aware that to reach the same level and have the same amount of success will be extremely difficult."

"Also, for a team as strong as like ours, the Tour will always remain the biggest goal of the whole year, and personally I will certainly concentrate most of my energy on this race."

"The battle for women's rights has been largely won."

"It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half."

"I have personal beliefs and they are sometimes reflected in the movies I make, but I also reflect other points of view."

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential."