Quotes by Chris Wherry

“[Even though other teams and other riders have worn the various leaders jerseys and won other stages of the 2005 International Tour de Toona, the team holding all the cards at the end was Health-Net Maxxis, lead by veteran pro Scott Moninger in yellow.] We were all about the overall win on GC, ... The team focused on that win and second to that was the stage win - we just wanted to control the race.”

“Im totally looking forward to representing the [USPRO champion] jersey tomorrow, and [Health Net] has some guys who are riding well. We havent sat down and made the game plan yet, but all the big Americans are here so Im going to be keying off those guys.”

“[Wherry, who tried a triple chainring last year and is going with a 27-tooth cassette on Sunday, said he tried a different approach in his training this year.] Ive been training a lot in Colorado, and Ive actually been riding a ton on the mountain bike, ... Ive been climbing up the steepest things I could possibly find in Durango, which is not hard to do. Its good training because its really hard on the arms.”

“Its been an incredible year, ... We got the ball rolling early in the season, and our confidence has been high all year. Its been a real pleasure to be on this team.”

“It was such an incredible feeling to win that race, ... It was an unbelievable feeling, an ecstatic feeling.”

“That is definitely one of the hardest races we do all year, ... But it definitely fits my style. ... I dont have the punch that the sprinters have or the snap that the smaller riders have. I just outlast everyone in the long run. I can hold my energy longer for the more grueling races.”

“I think Im in pretty good form, though I havent raced a lot in the last month, ... But if I can make it to the final selection with those guys ...”

“Ive been training a lot in Colorado, and Ive actually been riding a ton on the mountain bike. Ive been climbing up the steepest things I could possibly find in Durango, which is not hard to do. Its good training because its really hard on the arms.”

“Im really excited about the coming season. The way this team came together, with me coming from Health Net, Chris coming from Navigators, and other guys pulling out from other teams, its really made the talent pool more dispersed. And thats what makes racing fun. Theres not going to be one team that dominates this year.”

“Its definitely really democratic. Theyre looking to raise awareness of the whole level of the sport and that starts with the riders. They actually came to us and asked which equipment we wanted to be on. And how often do teams do that? Generally, you show up to training camp and you get what you get. These guys came to us and said What tires do you want to ride? What do you trust going into a corner at 60 miles an hour? Sean really made it a point to include us. That just shows how much theyre thinking outside the box with this team.”