Originally Posted by 2manybikes

I had the good fortune to ride with, (a slow recreational ride) and talk to, one of his postal teammates Ken Labbe, when they were together. I was very, very, impressed at how unassuming and friendly this guy was. He had a great "regular guy" attitude and we talked about all kinds of things. He could have been my next door neighbor. I came away thinking WOW! this guy is a member of one of the best cycling teams in the world and is modest and easy to talk to. This guy is also VERY nice.
I think there are times when a professional competitor needs to be aggressive, but that does not mean that carries over into other parts of his life. They do need to get along with a lot of team and non team people to accomplish their goals.