"It made me grow up"

It's well documented that Samuel Sánchez's mother died of cancer at the tender age of 44. Samu was just 21 at the time and in his first season with Euskaltel. Over 10 years later it's still a touchy topic for the Olympic champion, but he claims it made him mature, El Correo writes. "In my case (cancer in the family) it made me grow up. She succumbed to the disease only 44 years old. It made me mature. I learned to look at things from another perspective, to value the important things in this life. That's why, when people ask me what I want most in my life, I say 'health'. In my family, cancer has taken many away from us. There's no warning."