Horner' s interview

[mewmewmew13]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-must-reach-tour-de-france-in-better-form-says-horner

Gad.
I can't believe a couple of his comments....

The one about him on front on tv.....
really?

Did I misread this?

 

[Gregory]

I hope for Horner's sake, that this comment was made with tongue in cheek, and the interviewer simply failed to notice it.
But again, when dealing with this team and manager we are entering Clinic territory, so anything is possible. With their capability in this regard, it is entirely possible for Horner to fullfill this role, but for pure decency sake, they should give it to the other rider or it will an open mockery.

 

[Maxiton]

I hope for Horner's sake, that this comment was made with tongue in cheek, and the interviewer simply failed to notice it.
But again, when dealing with this team and manager we are entering Clinic territory, so anything is possible. With their capability in this regard, it is entirely possible for Horner to fullfill this role, but for pure decency sake, they should give it to the other rider or it will an open mockery.

Prepare yourselves. And chalk one up for open mockery.

 

[Christian]

The one about him on front on tv.....
really?

Did I misread this?

I think what he meant was it's not all about being a leader, being a domestique also has its benefit$

 

[just some guy]

Horner is a bit different

Best photo I could find - Look closely at the hair - Horner mark 1 arrived in Europe with this hair.

Re the TV time he will have been taking the Pi$$ for sure.

 

[Digger]

Also, who does he think he is saying certain riders did x,y and z wrong? Exactly what has he done to warrant this position?

 

[just some guy]

Also, who does he think he is saying certain riders did x,y and z wrong? Exactly what has he done to warrant this position?

Horner is a smart guy and if you read or see any interviews re racing he reads the play very well.

Just because someone wins a lot doesn´t mean they understand a lot

ps another early Horner Photo

 

[jens_attacks]

horner is right.he should be the team leader together with klodi.the schlecks have a lot to learn.it seems like it will be a fun tour(please don't crash all over the place shack)

 

[Christian]

Also, who does he think he is saying certain riders did x,y and z wrong? Exactly what has he done to warrant this position?

He watched the race on TV like all of us!!!

 

[Digger]

Horner is a smart guy and if you read or see any interviews re racing he reads the play very well.

Just because someone wins a lot doesn´t mean they understand a lot

ps another early Horner Photo

No I respectfully disagree there. His interview displayed an arrogance in his own ability which I don't think he has backed up on at that level.

 

[Digger]

He watched the race on TV like all of us!!!

Lol...I suppose it was his own arrogance in his own ability which really leapt out though.

 

[just some guy]

No I respectfully disagree there. His interview displayed an arrogance in his own ability which I don't think he has backed up on at that level.

What you don´t think he could ride on the front from the 2nd to last MTH and destroy the field ?

The rest of the time he is taking about Andy and Evans and Contador -

1. Andy was not ready at the start of the tour - I think most would agree if you look at TDS.

2. Andy did not ride smart - True

3. BMC and Saxo will have to ride different than they did in 2011

point out where he talks himself up more than what he is - Re when he rode at Lotto Evans was 2nd Horner top 20 ( 18 I think can´t be asssed looking it up )

 

[killswitch]

Interesting interview. LOL at the pictures.

 

[theyoungest]

I can't say I disagree with anything he says. The most interesting part is this, IMO:

Cadel had no teammates and he still has no teammates.

Apparently Horner doesn't rate himself as highly as some of you think he does

 

[roundabout]

I would guess he is talking about 2011.

 

[Digger]

What you don´t think he could ride on the front from the 2nd to last MTH and destroy the field ?

The rest of the time he is taking about Andy and Evans and Contador -

1. Andy was not ready at the start of the tour - I think most would agree if you look at TDS.

2. Andy did not ride smart - True

3. BMC and Saxo will have to ride different than they did in 2011

point out where he talks himself up more than what he is - Re when he rode at Lotto Evans was 2nd Horner top 20 ( 18 I think can´t be asssed looking it up )

It's not Horner's position to be making this assessment of Schleck. (1 and 2) I feel it's disrespectful of a guy he is now a teammate of.

I certainly would not have your confidence, or indeed Horner's confidence, in destroying the field like he says he would. What basis do we have to say he would do this in a Grand Tour? He was found wanting in this role whilst with SD and Lotto.
Ultimately I didn't like his tone. I don't think he has achieved enough to talk like this in an interview.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

“There’s no doubt Carlos Sastre was very good, but he wasn’t the best,” Horner said. “Cadel was the best that year, hands down. Andy and Fränk were a really close second and third, but Cadel was the best.”

As in 2011, Alpe d’Huez proved to be the critical stage and one that Horner – then a teammate of Evans at Silence-Lotto – remembers all too well, as Sastre took the stage and the yellow jersey. “Cadel controlled the two brothers and he had to let somebody go,” he said. “Tactically he did a beautiful move, I would have let Sastre go for sure."

Not this again.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=8019

/\ I guess Evans was "controlling" the race here, too, right? After all, he was the best, hands down.

 

[roundabout]

Sastre is retired, Evans won the last Tour, Schleck brothers now ride for the same team.

The quote should be read with this in mind.

 

[maltiv]

Not this again.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=8019

/\ I guess Evans was "controlling" the race here, too, right? After all, he was the best, hands down.

Yea agree, Sastre was the strongest guy in the race. You don't take 2 minutes on everyone else up Alpe d'Huez because of tactics. Also he only lost 30 seconds to Evans in the final TT...

 

[Granville57]

Horner has been talkin' a lot of smack the past couple of years.
I thought it a bit "interesting" when he so openly declared that Contador was the only rider capable of matching his climbing skills, which is why I was so disappointed that he crashed at the Tour. I wanted to see what he could do to back it up given his pre-Tour level of fitness and his overall confidence going in.

It was after his stunning solo mountaintop stage win on San Jose’s Sierra Road that Horner famously told the media at the California race: “With the exception of Alberto Contador I think there isn’t anybody who can drop me!”
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/06/news/dark-horses-horner-and-leipheimer-ready-for-the-tour-de-france_180682

But the guy knows racing, there can be no doubt about that. He gives some of the most entertaining and well informed post-race interviews of any (English speaking) rider in the peloton. And he's obviously been around and knows how things work, which includes how the press works and the ramifications of saying certain things in interviews, so I'm surprised by how brazen he comes across. I do think it's difficult to fully judge out of context though—the context being the manner in which he was speaking. He's very animated and I'm not so sure that words alone accurately convey what he's expressing. But I definitely had some WTF moments from this latest one.

I hope he gets a chance to back it up this year. In this quote, "If Andy is the best guy at the Tour de France hands down..." I found the operative words to be "If" and "hands down." I'll bet that if he's even close to beating the Schlecks at the TdF he'll go for it. At his age he'd be crazy not to.

The one thing that jumped out the most for me was the, "...and I make €50,000 afterwards" remark. That's just not something that riders usually comment on when talking about a race. Maybe Chris is still healing from his concussion.

 

[roundabout]

450k for the winner divided by 9.

Seems he is quite aware how much he stands to make.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Sastre is retired, Evans won the last Tour, Schleck brothers now ride for the same team.

The quote should be read with this in mind.

Chris Horner's buddy Lance Armstrong wasn't a huge fan of Sastre. That may have something to with it, also. Horner's comments about him are classless. Worse than Armstrong's, IMO, if memory serves me right.

 

[hfer07]

accurate phrases:

Every GC guy on that stage tactically blew that up compared to how they should have raced it,” he said. “[Schleck] should have just let Contador go. Maybe if Andy was a little calmer and actually stayed at the back, he could have dropped Cadel [on the final climb] and made the time up there. But in the end, Cadel pulled out a superior TT and that was one of his best time trials for sure.

Cadel had no teammates and he still has no teammates. With the exception of Tejay [Van Garderen] – and we’re not sure how he’ll do in the Grand Tours – they’ve signed no help,” Horner said incredulously. “And by signing Gilbert and Thor [Hushovd], they are effectively taking help away from him. He has less help now than he ever had in the past, and the guys that they’re paying millions of dollars to come ride during the Tour de France are going to take one or two riders themselves

Frightening phrases:

If Andy is the best guy at the Tour de France hands down, then I get to ride on the front on the second to last climb and start the last climb at the front. I’m on TV the whole time, destroying the whole field, bringing it down to five-ten guys maybe, and then Andy gets to go on and win the Tour de France and I make €50,000 afterwards, no problem

I’m still on the blood thinners until January, but the season doesn’t start until February so that’s fine

 

[Race Radio]

Maybe I am missing something but what Chris is saying is correct. I doubt his new teammates would disagree. Chris is a very astute reader of races, he will be a key help for the Schlecks.

FYI, he is on blood thinners because of a clot that developed after his crash last year

 

[jens_attacks]

makes you wonder how strong papy horner would have been in july if not the crash happened....maybe he could have won it
now andy really should go in il giro,don't mess with horner,it's no good.