Once in a great while I miss the racing, the feeling of winning. That rush. That adrenaline.

I discovered Boulder not through cycling but skiing. I was recruited by the university for the ski team, and in my opinion, it's the best place for skiing - you have this super-light, fluffy champagne snow.

Boulder was my U.S. base for the better part of 20 years, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

They've pushed me down a big ravine, but I'll get back up to the top.

My career did start in the Spanish language industry, and that's probably because my father is my manager. He pushed my career in the direction he knew best.

I give my grandfather, Dr Harold Young, a forestry Professor at the University of Maine, full credit for my career path. He pioneered the use of aerial photography in forestry in the 1950s, and we think he worked as a spy for the CIA during the Cold War, mapping Russian installations.

In my 20s I was in constant pain from undiagnosed endometriosis. With no prospect of a cure, I decided I needed a career - writing - that could accommodate being ill.

It's hard work if you want a proper and a lasting career.