My new favorite rider-especially considering he landed on the UCI suspicion- of- doping list at level –0–
Matt
2011-05-19 09:36:51
Chris Horner is such a badass….backs it up, calls it straight and races smart. Yesterday was the CX double BTW…Gadret and Horner…good day to be a crosser! Steve…thanks for keeping some old school sensibility in the press…more riders would do well to emulate the paths of guys like you and Horner…race everything!
DavidR
2011-05-19 09:46:19
You’re right, Steve, Chris Horner is a super-friendly guy. I talked to him a little bit at Jingle Cross last fall and he was v. cool (you were, too). And, no, Horner sure hasn’t gotten the cred he deserves, esp. domestically where he’s kicked ass for so long. But real cycling fans know him and appreciate him as a champion. ToC win? Yeah, I can see that. TdF podium? IDK, but it would sure be awesome. Get some, Chris!
Rich R
2011-05-19 10:26:02
Chris maybe under appreciated by the media but not by those of us who ride. He deserves to win this.
JonM
2011-05-19 12:09:03
That attack he through down yesterday was beyond impressive and was of the order of when Armstrong was in his prime and the current state of Contador. Actually, to toss a minute on the chaps that followed him up a relatively short climb is beyond amazing… and the fact he was rated a ZERO on the recently leaked UCI doping suspicions list should build his fan base across the entire spectrum of cycling. I believe him to be the greatest truly natural GC rider in the whole of the pro peloton. He has absolutely no suspicions about him and has never appeared to have shady relationships with crafty MD’s. The only training insight that we have on Chris is that he likes to eat donuts and In N Out and will find every reason to saddle up and spend time on the bike. He emulates what cycling is truly about, from the joy of the weekend enthusiast all the way through to the seasoned professional. Mr. Horner, may your VeloTribe increase!!!
John
2011-05-19 13:00:56
Right on, Steve! I’ve always enjoyed watching him race.
old and slow
2011-05-19 13:47:31
The way that Chris clawed back up to Valverde last year in the second last stage at Pays Vasco would tend to support his own opinion of how many of the top riders out there are capable of dropping him when he’s on form. If that stage is still in the archives at Universal Sports you should go back and look at one of the really exceptional pieces of one on one road racing in 2010.
It reminded me of Roche coming back up to Pedro Delgado on the Alpe back in the day, to a lesser degree of course. But then again nobody was wheeling in a gurney cart for Horner at the end either. At that level with the whole race on the line riders simply don’t get undropped like that very frequently.
Plus the guy seriously came up the hard way. There are very very few top professional riders who weren’t already dominant, at least locally, as Juniors.
Jay
2011-05-19 13:55:49
Yep Steve, you’re so right about Chris being a cool guy. I was in Italy working back in 2008 the week before Tour of Lombardy. I was able to go to the start in Varese. I saw Chris in his Astana kit ride by and yelled out if I could get a picture with him. He actually turned around and rode up to me. I snapped a few pics and we chatted about about he was feeling and such. I told him I had an old Nutri-fig team jersey like the team he used to race for and he just laughed. The fact that he stopped to speak to guy from out of the blue really made an impression.
old and slow
2011-05-19 13:57:57
His blog about the TDF stage last year where post crash Lance was trying to secure the stage win and how Horner dropped back to the third group voluntarily and then ended up back with the leaders pretty much through happenstance halfway down the descent was pretty epic too. All this after having gotten Lance off the front in the first 30Ks.
There was some remark in there like, “I was using every climbing trick I knew, drafting the biggest guy, taking the longest path through the switchbacks and still just barely holding on.”
Here I thought that only us pack fodder knew about that kind of stuff?
MarkT
2011-05-19 14:00:41
Seeing Chris Horner on that same Andreas Knickman Benefit ride and overhearing a few conversations Chris had with different people along the way was enough to convince anyone that Mr. Horner is truly a gentleman. That, along with his performances throughout the years makes him a terrific sportsman as well.
I love how Horner keeps his connections to the grass roots. And his racing insights seem to be spot on - he will be a great director someday.
Jonathan Vaughters wrote about him in Cycle Sport column several years ago. The gist (if I remember correctly) was that Horner’s talent was on par with Armstrong’s but Horner never got the concierge-level support (on and off the bike) that Armstrong seemed to acquire for himself. Horner’s had to build his career in a much more DIY manner. It’s great to see it paying off for him.
Bret Sehorn
2011-05-19 19:58:22
I saw him win the 89’er Stage Race in 1995 or so. Riding for Nutra-Fig. Beat all the Team Saturn including Norm Alvis. Later that year, or the next he won the long breakaway stage in Tour du Pont. Watch the film clip from that interview and you’ll see the same attitude and demeanor he has today.
[…] Great blog post from badass extraordinaire Steve Tilford on why he loves Chris Horner. Check out the love fest here. […]
Patrick
2011-05-20 11:02:19
The fact that Chris is simply honestly (and without false modesty) taking account of his abilities reminds me of my friend, and former co-worker, Chris. One of our co-workers once said of him, “He always acted like such a know-it-all, as thought he knew the answer to everything!” I then had to explain that Chris did in fact know the answer to everything, as he is one of the brightest people I’ve ever met…damn strong bike racer, too.
I love your blog since you always bring the reality to the masses with your blog posts!
Brian Gristick
2011-05-23 14:55:04
Years back I won an auction bundle on eBay. It included knee warmers, arm warmers, head bands, TT overshoes, etc. Some plain and some FDJ, Mercury etc. When they arrived I noticed, when I turned them inside out, every one was marked C.Horner. Very cool. I replied to the seller and he confirmed. Still got’em Chris. Congrats on the ATofC ass woop’n…enjoyed watching.
David Pendlebury
2011-05-19 09:24:00
My new favorite rider-especially considering he landed on the UCI suspicion- of- doping list at level –0–
Matt
2011-05-19 09:36:51
Chris Horner is such a badass….backs it up, calls it straight and races smart. Yesterday was the CX double BTW…Gadret and Horner…good day to be a crosser! Steve…thanks for keeping some old school sensibility in the press…more riders would do well to emulate the paths of guys like you and Horner…race everything!
DavidR
2011-05-19 09:46:19
You’re right, Steve, Chris Horner is a super-friendly guy. I talked to him a little bit at Jingle Cross last fall and he was v. cool (you were, too). And, no, Horner sure hasn’t gotten the cred he deserves, esp. domestically where he’s kicked ass for so long. But real cycling fans know him and appreciate him as a champion. ToC win? Yeah, I can see that. TdF podium? IDK, but it would sure be awesome. Get some, Chris!
Rich R
2011-05-19 10:26:02
Chris maybe under appreciated by the media but not by those of us who ride. He deserves to win this.
JonM
2011-05-19 12:09:03
That attack he through down yesterday was beyond impressive and was of the order of when Armstrong was in his prime and the current state of Contador. Actually, to toss a minute on the chaps that followed him up a relatively short climb is beyond amazing… and the fact he was rated a ZERO on the recently leaked UCI doping suspicions list should build his fan base across the entire spectrum of cycling. I believe him to be the greatest truly natural GC rider in the whole of the pro peloton. He has absolutely no suspicions about him and has never appeared to have shady relationships with crafty MD’s. The only training insight that we have on Chris is that he likes to eat donuts and In N Out and will find every reason to saddle up and spend time on the bike. He emulates what cycling is truly about, from the joy of the weekend enthusiast all the way through to the seasoned professional. Mr. Horner, may your VeloTribe increase!!!
John
2011-05-19 13:00:56
Right on, Steve! I’ve always enjoyed watching him race.
old and slow
2011-05-19 13:47:31
The way that Chris clawed back up to Valverde last year in the second last stage at Pays Vasco would tend to support his own opinion of how many of the top riders out there are capable of dropping him when he’s on form. If that stage is still in the archives at Universal Sports you should go back and look at one of the really exceptional pieces of one on one road racing in 2010. It reminded me of Roche coming back up to Pedro Delgado on the Alpe back in the day, to a lesser degree of course. But then again nobody was wheeling in a gurney cart for Horner at the end either. At that level with the whole race on the line riders simply don’t get undropped like that very frequently. Plus the guy seriously came up the hard way. There are very very few top professional riders who weren’t already dominant, at least locally, as Juniors.
Jay
2011-05-19 13:55:49
Yep Steve, you’re so right about Chris being a cool guy. I was in Italy working back in 2008 the week before Tour of Lombardy. I was able to go to the start in Varese. I saw Chris in his Astana kit ride by and yelled out if I could get a picture with him. He actually turned around and rode up to me. I snapped a few pics and we chatted about about he was feeling and such. I told him I had an old Nutri-fig team jersey like the team he used to race for and he just laughed. The fact that he stopped to speak to guy from out of the blue really made an impression.
old and slow
2011-05-19 13:57:57
His blog about the TDF stage last year where post crash Lance was trying to secure the stage win and how Horner dropped back to the third group voluntarily and then ended up back with the leaders pretty much through happenstance halfway down the descent was pretty epic too. All this after having gotten Lance off the front in the first 30Ks. There was some remark in there like, “I was using every climbing trick I knew, drafting the biggest guy, taking the longest path through the switchbacks and still just barely holding on.” Here I thought that only us pack fodder knew about that kind of stuff?
MarkT
2011-05-19 14:00:41
Seeing Chris Horner on that same Andreas Knickman Benefit ride and overhearing a few conversations Chris had with different people along the way was enough to convince anyone that Mr. Horner is truly a gentleman. That, along with his performances throughout the years makes him a terrific sportsman as well.
Spencer
2011-05-19 14:20:02
Can’t believe you didn’t even mention this story… http://gritandglimmer.com/chris-horner-gives-fallen-rider-and-bike-a-2k-ride-to-the-finish/ Awesome!
davidh
2011-05-19 14:39:14
I love how Horner keeps his connections to the grass roots. And his racing insights seem to be spot on - he will be a great director someday. Jonathan Vaughters wrote about him in Cycle Sport column several years ago. The gist (if I remember correctly) was that Horner’s talent was on par with Armstrong’s but Horner never got the concierge-level support (on and off the bike) that Armstrong seemed to acquire for himself. Horner’s had to build his career in a much more DIY manner. It’s great to see it paying off for him.
Bret Sehorn
2011-05-19 19:58:22
I saw him win the 89’er Stage Race in 1995 or so. Riding for Nutra-Fig. Beat all the Team Saturn including Norm Alvis. Later that year, or the next he won the long breakaway stage in Tour du Pont. Watch the film clip from that interview and you’ll see the same attitude and demeanor he has today.
Tommasini53
2011-05-19 21:26:21
There’s a nice interview with Chris Horner at the Two Johns Podcast. Horner describes his early years of racinging in Europe…the man had to really love the sport to endur the those early years….he certainly wasn’t in it for the $$$. http://www.twojohnspodcast.missingsaddle.com/2008/05/18/new-podcast-5182008-part-1/
Tilford on Horner « cyclingspin
2011-05-19 23:59:59
[…] Great blog post from badass extraordinaire Steve Tilford on why he loves Chris Horner. Check out the love fest here. […]
Patrick
2011-05-20 11:02:19
The fact that Chris is simply honestly (and without false modesty) taking account of his abilities reminds me of my friend, and former co-worker, Chris. One of our co-workers once said of him, “He always acted like such a know-it-all, as thought he knew the answer to everything!” I then had to explain that Chris did in fact know the answer to everything, as he is one of the brightest people I’ve ever met…damn strong bike racer, too. I love your blog since you always bring the reality to the masses with your blog posts!
Brian Gristick
2011-05-23 14:55:04
Years back I won an auction bundle on eBay. It included knee warmers, arm warmers, head bands, TT overshoes, etc. Some plain and some FDJ, Mercury etc. When they arrived I noticed, when I turned them inside out, every one was marked C.Horner. Very cool. I replied to the seller and he confirmed. Still got’em Chris. Congrats on the ATofC ass woop’n…enjoyed watching.