dropplings
Morning read ... since i've lagging on time for tappin's
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The Horner'view ~
When I was with Mercury we were the number one team -- the best riders on the best team in the States. We go into a race like Redlands and have seven guys on the road race, the Sunset Loop. I'm finishing there with two team-mates and they have one foot in the grave! I'm riding the front to get them over the last climb so they can help me down the descent.
That is an 85 mile race, so you are telling me that a 150 mile race over four mountain passes you can finish with 7-8 guys on the last climb? I don't believe it to be possible. Even with Rasmussen's team, and he had a lot of questions about him, he was arriving with only two guys on the front and one would get dropped on the final climb. That's what I mean by a change.
gotta admit ... i love having Horner in the peloton. The dude is so ... non-Euro. Sabine always gets riled when listening to most the Americans do their interviews over there ... they sound so Euro with their truncated speech and generic responses.but not Horner ... he's all cheeseburger and "dude, you sat on my roachclip."
I find him refreshing. And you could see in the Velonews video clips (which were a very cool addition to their coverage by the way ... even if I'm not a huge fan of that boulder-boy who did them) - you could see by the clips that Horner knows he's got a future in broadcasting. He would talk long and descriptive about the events of the day. Check them out if you never took a look. [Here's a link to some outtakes, couldn't be bothered to blip up the Horner diaries - and i didn't vid any of these]
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Anyway, what's up with Lotto not putting Horner on a TT bike for training? I mean, is that for real? I really don't understand Euro-teams sometimes.
gotta jet.
11 comments:
There is a search box in the upper right corner of the VeloNews TV page. Type in Chris Horner, click GO, and you will get a list of his TdF diaries.
http://www.velonews.com/vntv
he is usually very friendly and let's not forget he raced the Velo Bella cross race a few years ago too...
guy seems down to earth in person and shows up on the Sac river rides when he's in town - mucho cool and mucho painful
He's certainly not shy about bashing King Lance.
I think the shot across Lotto's bow is a contract peg. He also made big noise about being top-15 at the tour...this at a time when lotto says they might hire shorty Leipheimer to bolster shorty Cadel next year.
What say Horner jumps ship? Where?
From what I have heard, that's not all that unusual for a euro pro to be riding "their" TT bike for the first time during a competition.
... i wish he would bring back the "Bike Spike"...
I think King Lance should be sand blasted.
That was really weak of him to pull the plug on the Team. No more super squad, and he said it was because the time for sponsoring a team was no good.
I will tell you when the time was no good to sponsor a team, 1999.
When he first won the Tour after his transformation into Superman the stage racer. They just had the doping afair with Festina, Pantani was on the stuff and winning, and now we know that T Mobile was seriously into the juice for their results. Everyone, and I mean Everyone at the top level was into something, and if you were not then you were asked to start.
Armstrong was more then happy to have a team when it was for him, even if it was a bad time for sponsors.
But he wanted out now and would un-employ many of his workers so his info and past would stop right now.
Horner made some good comments saying Lance is a ass for stoping sponsoring his team and finding a way to make it work. Armstrong put many people out of work now, when really now is the best time to sponsor a team.
Cycling in America is at a all time high. There are more bicycles sold in America now then ever before, this is a fact, and yes Armstrong paved the way for this.
But bottom line is now is the best time to have a sponsor back a team, there is more TV coverage, and more people into recreational cycling and racing cycling then ever before.
Armstrong wanted out, to move on and hopefully none of his team mates will come out against him like Andreau.
At least Horner is not affraid to tell Lance that he is a ass.
Armstrong needed the team for himself to race, but now he is not racing, Armstrong did not need the team, thus it is over.
If Armstrong was still racing, they would have had a sponsor for sure, If it is Armstrongs dream to race, it is a worthy cause for the King.
But No King Racing,
No Need for Team.
I hope Horner races 3 more years. That is a guy who is a regular dude who made it to the top.
Armstrong may have been a superstar who owned the top, but Horner represents the average man.
I talked to Horner today, and he is staying with his current team.
You do a six hour ride with Chris and he will talk racing for 5:45. The other :15 is finding Cokes and good pastries.
I've liked Horner for a long time. You know when you read an interview that he'll actually say something. If he talks big he tends to back it up with his legs.
His pain face is a smile.
And you get this weird idea that he likes to race his bike!
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