Is Chris Horner a GC contender

[Colm.Murphy]

Horner will never be a GT GC rider.

He has shown very well at races like Suisse, Romandie, Georgia, and Paris-Nice, all of which share duration and climbing attributes. Note: these are not 3 week races.

Guy is defying age, at 38, staying on form and sharpness. I've always felt he was an astute racing mind, and it shows in his results, which belie his performance ceiling.

 

[Angliru]

I'd say Jurgen would be, given the issues they had last year in the TdF.

Almost everyone is riding the Tour this year, so it will be hard for riders like Horner or JVdB to crack the top 10 ahead of Armstrong, Klöden, Leipheimer, Contador, Valverde, Sanchez, Menchov, Gesink, Nibali, Kreuziger, Evans, Wigans, Sastre, Vandevelde etc

I hope you realize that Valverde will not be riding the Tour unless hell freezes over.

 

[Angliru]

IMO I believe if he can avoid his tendency towards injuries he could be a top ten GT rider potentially contending in the Giro or Vuelta depending on the who his competition is but the Tour is beyond his reach for 2 reasons. One, as previously mentioned he's on a team with 3 riders that are superior to him in every way in the grand tours so he would always be riding as a domestique. And two, as mentioned previously there is just way too much talent expected to click in at the start of the 2010 Tour. Horner would be lucky to make the top 15 but based on Bruyneel's usual tendency to have his domestiques (not the super-domestiques/contenders of Leipheimer/Kloden) kill themselves at service to their masters and then limp in to the finish it's doubtful Bruyneel would allow Horner to attempt to maximize his finish in the standings or even pursue a stage win at the expense of being at his best in riding for the team's leader.

 

[53 x 11]

Didn't he just win a GC......

Oh, you mean in a GT...

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha......No, not ever, for any team, no. God no.

 

[movingtarget]

Horner's Ability

Based on past performances I think he could finish in the top 10 of any of the tours. When he was helping Evan's, he usually lasted until the favourites went on the attack. He has not had much luck with accidents and illness. Always a gutsy competitor and a great domestique.

 

[erader]

So in a tough race contended by the likes of Valverde Sanchez Rodriguez and Gesink...Chris Horner won. Could he step up and be a contender in a GT.

it was good to see horner beat valverde but i expect that was a career win for chris. like he said in the post race interview it took a perfect alignment of celestial bodies to get it right, and horner is 38 years old.

as much as i like gesink he always finds a way to lose.

ed rader

 

[Lyds97]

I'd be surprised if, looking back after retiring (surely in a year or two), Pais Vasco isn't the best result of Horner's career.

Like a couple of others have said, he was lucky enough to be on good form and injury-free at a race where 'senior' Shack riders either weren't riding (Lance, Levi) or weren't on form (Klodi). Otherwise there's no way he's have had free reign to attack like he did on Thursday.

 

[Mellow Velo]

38YO Horner wins a race, out of the blue and gets a thread on being a GT contender.
29YO Cancellara wins a race, as expected and gets a thread in the clinic.
Go figure.....

 

[bianchigirl]

That's what you get for being on a UScentric website Remember, there's only one bad apple in the US but every Euro is a doper

 

[pmcg76]

I agree with a few others about Horner showing this kind of form now and indeed since he came back to the Euro scene. I remember his first stint in Europe with Lfdjeux and he didnt do much, he had a column in Cycle Sport at the time and he did seem to be struggling with the adjustment and sickness but he had 2 or 3 seasons in Europe and never really performed.

Then he goes back to the US and just dominated even though he always seemed to be on the weaker US teams. Even then I was scratching my head at his performance. I also couldnt figure out why he didnt come back to Europe earlier, he had nothing to prove in the US as he was so dominant.

People have said he has made disparaging remarks about Armstrong in the past, I didnt hear any of these so maybe someone can fill me in. I dont dislike the guy at all, just find his ever improving performances at his age as odd, D or not.

 

[BroDeal]

People have said he has made disparaging remarks about Armstrong in the past, I didnt hear any of these so maybe someone can fill me in. I dont dislike the guy at all, just find his ever improving performances at his age as odd, D or not.

The stuff I heard was not really disparaging. It was the truth, which offended lots of fanboys. He simply pointed out that Armstrong, with his jet, entourage, and what not, had a significant advantage over a regular pro like him.

I think Horner is one of those Americans like Jullich, who Armstrong always kept out of the circle of "cool kids" because he was afraid they had more natural ability than he did.

 

[pmcg76]

The stuff I heard was not really disparaging. It was the truth, which offended lots of fanboys. He simply pointed out that Armstrong, with his jet, entourage, and what not, had a significant advantage over a regular pro like him.

I think Horner is one of those Americans like Jullich, who Armstrong always kept out of the circle of "cool kids" because he was afraid they had more natural ability than he did.

To be honest, I never heard of Horner until he arrived in Europe, I think he was with Nutra-Fig in the US before making the jump to Europe. Armstrong, Julich, Hincapie, Livingston, Baker, Hamilton, Jemison, Carney amongst others, I had heard of before they turned pro but Horner and Leipheimer were new names for me even though they were in the same age range although I admit to being out of touch with the US scene mid 90s when it was in the dumps.

I dont know if Horner was a bigger natural talent than the other guys but Julich was definitely a better stage racer than Lance and I dont think they ever clicked even as amateurs. Julich and Lance were the stars in the 91/92 generation, Lance was signed up to Motorola but Julich ended up at a small US team that went bust and his career almost ended before it started, I never understood that.

 

[kurtinsc]

I really wish Horner hadn't crashed out of the Vuelta last year, especially as early as it was.

I don't think he could contend for a GC win, but I would have liked to see how he compared to the others there as the primary rider with team support.

My guess is 7th or 8th. He's a better rider then Danielson or Tiralongo and that's the range they were at. I would have liked to see if he could have perhaps nicked Gesink or Mosquera though. We'll never know now... I don't think he'll ever get another chance to lead a GT.

 

[Race Radio]

To be honest, I never heard of Horner until he arrived in Europe, I think he was with Nutra-Fig in the US before making the jump to Europe. Armstrong, Julich, Hincapie, Livingston, Baker, Hamilton, Jemison, Carney amongst others, I had heard of before they turned pro but Horner and Leipheimer were new names for me even though they were in the same age range although I admit to being out of touch with the US scene mid 90s when it was in the dumps.

I dont know if Horner was a bigger natural talent than the other guys but Julich was definitely a better stage racer than Lance and I dont think they ever clicked even as amateurs. Julich and Lance were the stars in the 91/92 generation, Lance was signed up to Motorola but Julich ended up at a small US team that went bust and his career almost ended before it started, I never understood that.

Horner did not start riding seriously until he was 20 years old. Within a couple years he was a Pro and winning stages in the Tour du Pont. As he started late he was never in the National team rotation. His raw talent is huge.....but as we know this is not the only thing that matters in the sport. Crashes, Politics, luck, all play a huge role.

 

[pedaling squares]

38YO Horner wins a race, out of the blue and gets a thread on being a GT contender.
29YO Cancellara wins a race, as expected and gets a thread in the clinic.
Go figure.....

That's what you get for being on a UScentric website Remember, there's only one bad apple in the US but every Euro is a doper

That's not really a fair comparison. Horner won a mid-level race that he appears to have targeted, and some of his competitors may not have been on form. Cancellara crushed the field in the Queen of the Classics, which some of the best classics riders had also targeted. A week after dominating the field in another monument. I don't think Cancellara deserves to be singled out, but this doesn't strike me as anti-Euro. Most of the US guys here seem to make fun of Horner more than they support him.

 

[flicker]

GT winner,NOT. Winner yes. Short stage races and late classics are Chris' forte.

Politics and crashes has held Chris back in the past. A gamer Horner.

 

[Inner Peace]

Given free reign, I put Horner on the same step as Zubeldia in terms of ability. That is, he could of top 5 if he could lead (a la Haimar in E.E) a team with full support, but it has never happened so it's pure gut feeling with no evidence or facts to support it. Opinion matters tho.

Difference is, Horner is about 400 years old now and his role is, and always will be, a super domestic rider. I tipped him to top 5 in last year's Vuelta as Astana lacked clear leadership with Vino, but unfortunately crashes ruined that. He climbed super dooper in the Giro earlier that year.

Great to see him win a European stage race against quality competition who I believe are all in very decent (not the best, but decent) form.

He served Cadel Evans really well in 2007 and was rewarded with a top 15 i think (? haven't checked that).

He is best as a domestic, and a win last week was a reward for that throughout his career. Well done Horner, maybe you and Levi can co-lead the Vuelta later in the year and be given 50-50 roles to give you that final crack at it!

 

[Jonathan]

I think if Horner could ride for himself and be supported on a team, he'd have a shot at a top 10 in the Tour. A shot.

No team will put the effort in to support a rider with a "shot" of getting a top 10.

So I think my scenario is a fantasy.

Is that a 'yes' when answering this poll? Because I would agree but answered no.

 

[karlboss]

Is that a 'yes' when answering this poll? Because I would agree but answered no.

when I put yes, but won't get an opportunity I was thinking of everything that rules you out from contending, injury, your team elects not to go, you have to ride for someone else etc.

 

[Oldman]

I think if Horner could ride for himself and be supported on a team, he'd have a shot at a top 10 in the Tour. A shot.

No team will put the effort in to support a rider with a "shot" of getting a top 10.

So I think my scenario is a fantasy.

+1. I'd like to see him try but he's never done three weeks without one bad day at least. Granted he was riding in the service of others in those races but you correctly pointed out that it would be a risky strategy for any DS hoping to keep his job.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Horner = Super-Domestique,
end.

 

[MTrider]

One thing to consider regarding Chris, is that he was dx'd with asthma last Aug. when tests showed he had lost 26% of his lung capacity. His lung capacity could have been "degraded" for years prior to getting bad enough to force him to seek medical help. His age is working against him, but with his asthma controlled you're seeing a "new" rider. Just my 2 cents.... Let's see how it goes this spring. So far he's looked very good.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/horner/2009/08/tour_of_spain_diary_ready_to_c.html

 

[maikel]

no, never have been and never will be

 

[Joey_J]

The new Horner

I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but Chris has lost some weight and increased his cadence.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but Chris has lost some weight and increased his cadence.

He has increased the cadence and looks pretty good this year, but not good enough to contend a GT. However, if it's a weak field, he peaks at just the right time, does not have the bad days we've been accustomed to, and keeps the rubber down, he could contend .

Seriously though, he's too close to forty and a lot things would have to fall exactly into place. I'm afraid it's too late for him. He still has some racing in his legs, but that of a super-domestique.