Man of the decade AP McCoy: 'Some of what I put myself through was nuts'

The 20-time champion jockey holds his Racing Post out at arm's length in a bold bid to focus on the runners for the 1.30 at Fontwell. After several frustrated attempts and much unseemly gurning, he tosses the paper down on the table in disgust, half wondering if they're using smaller print these days, half beginning to realise that the time for spectacles is almost upon him. Either way, there's little good to be had from the situation.

"It's my ******* midlife crisis," he grumbles, contenting himself with the fact he saw Frankie Dettori in glasses the other day, which nearly convinces him that it can't be all bad. "Mind you, he's practically 50, so he's an old man."

Sir Anthony McCoy, aged 45, is in the throes of a mild panic attack brought on by the tribulations of his advancing years. "I used to think I was unbreakable," he remembers. "How stupid must I have been?"