I like writing.  Over the years I’ve become more lean with words.  I want to use fewer of them.  Stephen King, in his book On Writing, was an influence … but mostly it felt like a good thing to do.

The Tour de France starts tomorrow.  There were interviews yesterday with many of the riders.

Here are some quotes, and my suggestions:

…

[I feel] better, stronger.  I would even say happier in my mental state.

[I feel] better, stronger.  I’m happier in my mental state.

…

We tried to change to mix it up with the preparation for the Tour.

We changed to mix it up with the preparation for the Tour.

…

So for me at least, I came out of the Giro in a good way.

I came out of the Giro in a good way.

…

It was more the whole schedule going to the Tour that I said that, like, I didn’t really fancy doing what I did for the last five years.

It was more the whole schedule going to the Tour … I didn’t fancy doing what I did for the last five years.

…

I’m not sure if I can reveal our race strategy.  You’ll see.

I won’t reveal our race strategy.  You’ll see.

…

I mean, I do not have to do that.

I do not have to do that.

….

I enjoy it maybe even more.

I enjoy it more.

…

Certainly, there is always impatience in a rider, but that shouldn’t necessarily affect my style of racing.

Certainly, there is always impatience in a rider, but that shouldn’t affect my style of racing.

…

I enjoy racing all my life.  But I must say that maybe I enjoy it more every year.

I enjoy racing all my life.  But I enjoy it more every year.

…

At the moment it actually feels exactly the same as preparing for any other race, to be honest.

It feels the same as preparing for any other race.

***

Enough said