Where are you from?
I am from the Orange County area of California. I currently live in Irvine (that's south of Los Angeles and north of San Diego.)

How did you become interested in professional cycling?
I have always been an athlete. I was a soccer player for a long time. Then I got into distance running. I ran cross-country and track at university level for two years. My body could not handle the miles or the pounding, so I had to stop. I stayed active while I studied, and eventually discovered that you could race bikes. I actually had no idea you could race bikes until I was in my mid 20s. I became interested in racing professionally once I started to achieve results that indicated success was a possibility. (For a longer story about my journey into cycling, check out my bio at www.amberneben.com.)

How do you prepare for a race?
Race preparation actually begins in the winter after my month (October) off the bike. There is a lot of hard work and time that both my coach Dave and I put in. He is the mathematician/science guy/artist that designs my training plan, while I try to translate the ideas he concocts into my legs. We communicate a lot. I share my thoughts and give him feedback, but he creates the training program. Anyway, I am very pedantic about my training and preparation. There are no short cuts. Each day, I try to accomplish the training goal exactly as designed. I also try to do the little things that help with recovery, like stretching, good nutrition and proper rest. Over the course of the winter months (and with a little maintenance in the middle of the year), I lay the foundation that I race from. Often, to fine tune my physiological systems, I use racing to prepare for racing.
In general, actual race-day preparation involves a good sleep the night before, a good breakfast (or breakfast, post-breakfast, and pre-race meal), time spent thinking about the race course, and discussing a race plan with the team. Small things include pinning a number on, getting all 'kitted' up, radio checks and a little bit of light warm-up.

What has been your best moment in cycling?
To pick just one moment is difficult… I think I will say that it was the Stage 9 at the Tour de l’Aude in 2006. Winning the Tour for the second year was a huge goal for me, and that was the day it happened. It was one of those extremely special days where my head, my heart and my legs were all on the same page. In the midst of a long day of suffering, I actually felt fantastic. Everything came together.

What is your favorite race?
The Tour de l’Aude. Right now, it is the women’s equivalent of the Tour de France. It is the hardest stage race on the women’s calendar, and it takes place in a beautiful region of France. The racing is always of the highest quality, and the courses are always very challenging.

'I actually had no idea you could race bikes until I was in my mid 20s'

How do fans affect your performance?
Remember that I am speaking from the women’s side of racing. Aside from a few races, like the world championships or the wall at Fleche and Flanders, where there are so many fans lined up along a climb or some portion of the course that you cannot help but feed off of their emotion and energy, the fans do not have a very direct affect on performance. However, it is always fun to ride through a town that is lined with a bunch of screaming fans, to stand on a podium in front of a large gathering, or to interact before or after a race with the ones that are interested.

What is the best aspect of the sport? And the worst?
The best aspects: The physical and mental challenges that you face on an individual basis; the chance to maximize a God-given ability; developing the discipline, perseverance, and determination that can be applied to any aspect of life; having to deal with and then overcome setbacks and disappointment; pure competition; the opportunity to race against and interact with people from every nation and to feel like there is a common bond between us... we are athletes not enemies; competing with integrity and class; competing because of a passion; the chance to impact people’s lives; knowing that I can ride my bike when I am 90 if I choose to; being a part of a team that becomes family.

Worst: The dangers, the cheaters, some of the hotels or sleeping arrangements, having to eat so much food day after day during a stage race.