Chris Horner
 Horner at the 2011 Tour of California | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Lee Horner |
| Nickname | The Hornet, The Second Best Climber in the World[1] |
| Born |
October 23, 1971 Okinawa, Japan |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] |
| Weight | 70 kg (150 lb; 11 st)[2] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Lupus Racing Team |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Amateur team(s) | |
| 1994 | Lite Beer |
| 1995-1996 | Nutra Fig |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1997–1999 | Française des Jeux |
| 2000–2001 | Mercury |
| 2002 | Prime Alliance |
| 2003 | Saturn |
| 2004 | Webcor Builders |
| 2005 | Saunier Duval–Prodir |
| 2006–2007 | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 2008–2009 | Astana |
| 2010–2011 | Team RadioShack |
| 2012–2013 | RadioShack–Nissan |
| 2014 | Lampre–Merida |
| 2015 | Airgas-Safeway |
| 2016– | Lupus Racing Team |
| Major wins | |
| |
|
Infobox last updated on February 6, 2016 | |
Christopher Lee "Chris" Horner (born October 23, 1971) is an American professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Lupus Racing Team.[3] A current resident of Bend, Oregon,[4] Horner has dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.[5] He won the Vuelta a España in 2013, becoming the oldest winner of any of cycling's grand tours in the process.[6]
Career
PAA-NutraFig (1995–96)
Horner turned pro in 1995 with the PAA-NutraFig team.[7] He captured his first major victory in a stage win of the Tour DuPont in 1996.
Française des Jeux (1997–99)
He was then asked to ride in Europe with French team Française des Jeux. From 1997 to 1999 he had three frustrating seasons with this team.
Mercury, Prime Alliance, Saturn, and Webcor (2000–2004)
In 2000 Horner returned to America to resume a record-setting domestic career, riding with Mercury in 2000, Prime Alliance in 2002, Saturn in 2003 and Webcor Builders in 2004. Horner has won almost every important race in the US racing calendar, with the notable exception of the USPRO National Championships.
Saunier-Duval (2004–05)
Horner decided to move to Saunier Duval–Prodir after his top-ten finish in the 2004 UCI World Road Cycling Championship because he wanted to give the Tour de France a try. After being injured in the beginning of 2005, Horner showed strong performance in the USPRO Championships and won his first major European victory by taking the sixth stage of the 2005 Tour de Suisse. He then earned his place on the 2005 Tour de France team and nearly won the Miramas to Montpellier stage when he and Sylvain Chavanel refused to cooperate in the final kilometers and were caught by the peloton.
Davitamon and Predictor (2006–07)
He made a move to the Belgian UCI ProTour squad Davitamon–Lotto for the 2006 season.
For 2007 Horner signed with Ed Krall Racing for the cyclo-cross season.
Astana (2008–09)
In 2008 Horner moved to Astana. Horner earned the nickname "The smiler" for his unflappable expression of happiness, even during the most excruciating physical challenges, and "The Yahoo Kid" for his wild exclamations after winning a race. Teammates Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong call him "The Redneck".
In the 2008 Cascade Cycling Classic Horner carried racer Bill Demong (who was from another team) with his broken bicycle to the finish line.[8][9]
RadioShack (2010–11)
.jpg)
On October 4, 2009 it was confirmed that Horner would compete for Team RadioShack in the next two seasons.[10] In one of his strongest European campaigns, Horner garnered first overall at the Euskal Herriko Itzulia (Tour of the Basque Country), including a stage win in the critical 6th stage ITT, defeating overall threat Alejandro Valverde. Horner also achieved several top 10 placings in the Spring classics of the Fleche Wallone, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Amstel Gold. He and his RadioShack teammates did well at the 2010 Tour of California, with Horner putting on a particularly strong performance in the last stage of the race as a member of a final breakaway at Thousand Oaks. Horner finished fourth overall, 1 min 4 sec behind winner Michael Rogers, and just 39 seconds behind teammate Levi Leipheimer in overall time. His good form also resulted in a 9th place overall at the Tour de France, as the first-placed US rider, in spite of dedicating himself in the first stages to supporting his captain Lance Armstrong.
In 2011 Horner continued his success at Pais Vasco with a second-place finish, as well as 4th in Catalunya.
Horner then accomplished the highest-profile result up to that time by winning the May 2011 Tour de California stage race. He scored a major solo victory on the 4th stage, after making significant time gains on the day's final mountain finish in San Jose. He maintained his hold on the yellow jersey until the tour's queen stage, where he completed a two-man breakaway finish with teammate Levi Leipheimer to finalize the overall lead, and at age 39 became the oldest rider in history to win that tour.[11][12]
His participation at the 2011 Tour de France was short lived after a crash left him out of the competition.
RadioShack-Nissan (2012–2013)
In 2012, Horner signed with RadioShack-Nissan. He started the 2012 Tirreno–Adriatico as his first race since July where he finished second after losing his lead in the final time trial to Vincenzo Nibali. He then finished 8th in the 2012 Tour of California, failing to defend his title. He then rode the 2012 Tour de France where he ended up finishing 13th overall after putting a good performance in the mountains.
After suffering an injury in the beginning of 2013, Horner returned to action after winning stage 5 in the 2013 Tour of Utah and finishing 2nd overall. Less than three weeks later, in stage 3 of the 2013 Vuelta a España, Horner attacked over the last kilometer to win the stage and take the overall lead in the race. By doing this, he became the oldest rider in history (41 years and 307 days) who won a stage and wore the leader's jersey in a Grand Tour.[13] He won again in the stage 10, another uphill finish, reclaiming the lead.[14] and setting a new record of the oldest rider (41 years and 314 days) to win a stage in a Grand Tour. Chris's success at that race continued and he won the 2013 Vuelta a España on the 15 September 2013, the oldest ever Grand Tour winner.[15][16] “I’ve been a professional for almost 20 years so this represents a lifetime of hard work. A Grand Tour is always a goal for a cyclist to show how good a rider you are. The memories will last forever and the riders I came with were amazing and my team has been fantastic," Horner said after the victory. [17]
He left RadioShack–Leopard at the end of the season, as his contract expired. He felt he was worth more than the team were willing to offer for a rider of his resume and ability.
Lampre-Merida (2014)
Horner joined Lampre–Merida for the 2014 season.[18] In April, while training in Italy for the 2014 Giro d'Italia, he was hit by a car driver who subsequently fled the scene. Horner suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs in the accident, jeopardizing his participation[19] at the 2014 Giro d'Italia.
On 30 June 2014, Horner was named in Lampre's 2014 Tour de France squad, with Rui Costa as team leader.[20]
He placed second in the mountainous Tour of Utah[21] which he raced in preparation for the 2014 Vuelta a España. However, Horner withdrew from the Vuelta ahead of the first stage due to his cortisol levels dropping below the threshold considered healthy by the Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible, of which Lampre-Mérida is a member. The announcement followed Horner's usage of cortisone on prescription under a therapeutic use exemption to treat a case of bronchitis.[22]
Lampre-Mérida opted not to extend Horner's contract, and in December 2014 he announced he had signed a deal with UCI Continental team Airgas-Safeway for 2015.[3]
Career achievements
Major results
- 1996
- 1st, Lancaster Classic
- 1st, Stage 1, Tour DuPont
- 2nd, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 3rd, Overall, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
- 3rd, National Road Race Championships
- 1997
- 3rd, GP Ouest-France
- 3rd, Nevada City Classic
- 1999
- 9th, Overall, Circuit des Mines
- 2000
- 1st, Overall,
Tour de Langkawi - 1st, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 2001
- 5th, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 1st, Stage 5
- 2nd, Overall, Cascade Cycling Classic
- 1st, Stage 3
- 2002
- 1st, USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
- 1st, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 1st, Stages 1 & 2
- 1st, Overall, Sea Otter Classic
- 1st, Stage 3
- 1st, Overall, Nature Valley Grand Prix
- 1st, Stage 3
- 1st, Overall, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
- 2nd, National Time Trial Championships
- 3rd, Overall, Cascade Cycling Classic
- 2003
- 1st, USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
- 1st, Overall, Tour de Georgia
- 1st,
Mountains classification
- 1st,
- 1st, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 1st, San Francisco Grand Prix
- 1st, Stage 4, Cascade Cycling Classic
- 2nd, Overall, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
- 1st, Stages 2 & 3
- 2nd, National Criterium Championships
- 2004
- 1st, USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
- 1st, Overall, Sea Otter Classic
- 1st, Stage 2
- 1st, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- 1st, Stages 1a, 1b & 2
- 1st, Overall, International Tour de Toona
- 3rd, Overall, Tour de Georgia
- 8th, UCI World Road Race Championships
- 2005
- 5th, Overall, Tour de Suisse
- 1st, Stage 6
- 3rd, National Road Race Championships
- 2006
- 7th, Overall, Tour de Romandie
- 1st, Stage 2
- 8th, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 10th, Overall, Paris–Nice
- 2007
- 3rd, Giro dell'Emilia
- 5th, Overall, Tour de Romandie
- 10th, Giro di Lombardia
- 15th, Overall, Tour de France
- 2008
- 7th, Giro di Lombardia
- 2009
- 2nd, Overall, Tour de l'Ain
- 1st,
Points classification
- 1st,
- 2010
- 1st, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco
- 1st, Stage 6 (ITT)
- 2nd, Overall, Giro di Sardegna
- 4th, Overall, Tour of California
- 4th, National Road Race Championships
- 7th, La Flèche Wallonne
- 7th, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 9th, Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné
- 9th, Overall, Tour de France
- 10th, Amstel Gold Race
- 2011
- 1st, Overall, Tour of California
- 1st, Stage 4
- 2nd, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco
- 4th, Overall, Volta a Catalunya
- 2012
- 2nd, Overall, Tirreno–Adriatico
- 7th, Overall, Tour of Utah
- 8th, Overall, Tour of California
- 9th, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco
- 13th, Overall, Tour de France
- 2013
- 1st, Overall, Vuelta a España
- 1st,
Combination classification - 1st, Stages 3 & 10
- 1st,
- 2nd, Overall, Tour of Utah
- 1st, Stage 5
- 6th, Overall, Tirreno–Adriatico
- 2014
- 2nd, Overall, Tour of Utah
- 8th, Overall, Volta ao Algarve
- 17th, Overall, Tour de France
- 2015
- 4th Overall Tour d'Azerbaïdjan
- 5th National Road Race Championships[23]
- 7th, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic[24]
- 5th, Overall, Tour of Utah
- 9th, Overall, Tour of the Gila
- 2016
- 9th, Overall, Tour of the Gila
- 15th, Overall, Tour of Utah
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro |
— | — | — | — | WD | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour |
33 | 61 | 14 | — | — | 9 | WD | 13 | — | 17 |
| Vuelta |
— | 20 | 36 | — | WD | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Withdrew = WD; In Progress = IP
Other major stage races
| Race | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris–Nice | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 24 | – | – | 49 | – | – | – | – |
| Tirreno–Adriatico | – | – | – | – | – | – | DNS | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 6 | DNS |
| Volta a Catalunya | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 58 | – | – | 3 | – | DNS | DNS |
| Tour of the Basque Country | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 31 | DNF | 41 | DNF | 1 | 2 | 9 | – | – |
| Tour de Romandie | – | – | 93 | – | – | – | – | 7 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Critérium du Dauphiné | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 34 | – | DNF | – | 9 | – | – | – | – |
| Tour de Suisse | DNF | DNF | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | 42 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
References
- ↑ Clarke, Stuart (5 November 2015). "13 of the strangest nicknames in cycling". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- 1 2 "Christopher Horner profile".
- 1 2 "Chris Horner signs with Airgas-Safeway". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ↑ USA Cycling biography Archived July 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Tooting his own Horner – Part I". Autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- ↑ "BBC Sport - Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner". Bbc.co.uk. 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- ↑ Eurosport.com Chris Horner
- ↑ "Chris Horner Gives Fallen Rider (and bike) a 2k Ride to the Finish". Everydayathleteblog.com. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- ↑ Swift, Heidi (August 16, 2008). "Chris Horner proves why he's the people's pro". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ↑ "Horner signs on with RadioShack for two years", Cyclingnews.com, 2009-09-04. Retrieved on 2009-10-02.
- ↑ Kirsten Frattini (May 23, 2011). "Horner 100 Per Cent Focused On Tour De France After California Victory". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ "Horner, 39, oldest to win Tour of California". The San Francisco Chronicle. May 23, 2011.
- ↑ Alasdair Fotheringham (26 August 2013). "Horner makes history with stage win, lead in Vuelta a España". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ↑ Andrew Hood (2 September 2013). "Horner retakes lead, electrifies Vuelta". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ↑ "Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner". BBC Sport. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "Chris Horner wins 2013 Vuelta a Espana". Cycling News. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ↑ "RadioShack-Leopard's Chris Horner, 41, becomes oldest ever grand tour winner". Daily Telegraph. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ↑ Farrand, Stephen (30 January 2014). "Horner signs with Lampre-Merida". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ Brown, Gregor (13 April 2014). "Lampre reveals more details of Horner accident, Tour comeback possible". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ↑ "Chris Horner named in Lampre-Merida's Tour de France team". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- ↑ "GENERAL CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS". Tour of Utah. Tour of Utah 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ↑ Fotheringham, William (22 August 2014). "Chris Horner withdraws from Vuelta a España due to low cortisol levels". theguardian.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ↑ "Busche secures stars-and-stripes jersey at US pro road championships". cyclingnews.com. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ Malach, Pat (13 April 2015). "Gaimon, Abbott take Redlands overall". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Horner. |
- Official website
- Chris Horner profile at Cycling Archives
- USA Cycling biography
- Chris Horner on Twitter
