It's just not possible to get enough Chris Horner, so that's why we've got two parts. In Part Two of our PEZ-clusive interview with Chris Horner, Horner looks at 'cross, the state of cycling, and just exactly where the buck stops on doping. As with anything Chris Horner, it's a good'n - READ ON!
The State Of Cycling
PEZ: You’re going to Astana, and they have a checkered past, no doubt. What’s your take on the new team with the old history?
CH: Well the sponsor did the right thing in that they had trouble at the Tour, boom, they’re pulled, so they reacted right away……
PEZ: Do you think we’re getting better?
CH: How do you get much worse? We had problems with Floyd, justly or otherwise, problems this year too. But new sponsors will come back in as others go out. People love sports and people will support sports and cycling isn’t going away.
PEZ: What of the doomsday scenario that it goes back to state or country teams instead of trade teams?
CH: No, worst case is maybe budgets go down in size, or maybe salaries go down, but man, guys would race the Tour for free! Barry Bonds is a perfect example, he is in all sorts of trouble but he breaks the record and they cheer for him. People want sports. People love sports. Let’s just say if the organizers would cancel the Tour, it would be a stretch, but let’s just say they did. Riders would say “hey, we didn’t need you before, we don’t need you now”, guys would go race it for free, it’s the Tour! There’ll always be bike racing. Will it fluctuate, will you have trouble up or down, better or worse quality? Absolutely. In Bend, Oregon there’s a noon ride that meets and sometimes there’s 3 sometimes there’s 20 people there and guys will just hammer each other. So if guys are willing to do that everyday then they’d be willing to ride the Tour for free!
PEZ: Where is the mantle of responsibility in the doping issue? Managing groups? UCI? Teams?
CH: Let’s be 100% clear on this. The responsibility is on the riders! That’s the first 100% responsibility! The team can only do so much… they don’t know where everyone is all the time, so it’s really on the rider. Then the team, then the UCI, then WADA, etc. I mean, they come knock on my door in Bend, OR, and I have to pee in a cup, how much more can they do? They only thing folks could do more is maybe donate more money to make the detection a little better.
PEZ: Do you think the future is better?
CH: It’s strange looking at it as a rider, because one’s gotta assume that things are changing and getting better yet times are worse! I was just having this discussion with my girlfriend about the T-Mobile situation, you know, they say they’re going to try hard against doping and they’re gone in 8 months, you know? It’s like “nice try” but you give it 8 months and leave? You can’t do anything in 8 months. And you got a guy like Bob Stapleton that comes in and does a great job and they leave him that quick. It’s getting better, you can’t say it isn’t because you have so much more testing so yes people are getting caught! It’s not like your changing your phone provider because of this, it’s not really fair to the fans.
PEZ: Favorite Oregon beer?
CH: Uhhh, I don’t know. [he starts laughing again a little bit]
PEZ: Not much of a beer drinker?
CH: Well not a lot of time for it, I guess. It’s something I do more on the social side and I don’t have too much time for social life. There’s training, sleeping, racing, and I fit in as much time as I can for my family… you only have 4 or 5 weekends where you can kick back. I guess I’m more of a Corona guy more than anything. I’ll go down in to the store in Europe and grab some Coronas and that seems to do the trick!
PEZ: How many more years before you hang ‘em up?
CH: Have to call it year by year. Maybe one or two in Europe, and when I say that I don’t mean I want to stop riding, just in Europe. I want to spend more time with my kids as they grow, so I say two, maybe three in Europe.
PEZ: What after cycling?
CH: No idea! Who knows, it depends one where my kids are living, maybe by then I’ll be married. And I’ll have to find work so it’s hard to say. I’d like to stay in the sport, but who knows…
Chris hits the beach in the 2nd USGP race, the Mercer Cup in Trenton, NJ.
ON TO THE CROSS WITH YOU
PEZ: What do you think of the weather you’re supposed to get here?
CH: SRAM is a sponsor, they have a tent, and I just went and bought one of those propane portable heaters, so I’m allllllll set! [he says this rubbing his hands together and grinning. The weather was forecast as cold, windy, and rainy, and it delivered in spades on all three fronts.]
PEZ: What have you been doing in Portland since you got here?
CH: Went on a 90 mile ride in the Gorge, then a sponsor thing tonight with the organizers of the race, and now I’m talking to you!
Here's another blast from the past...
PEZ: Ever do the Mt. Hood Classic?
CH: No, I never did. I did the Tour of Willamette, and I am Oregon State road champ from 2001, and I’ve done Cascade classic, but that’s it.
PEZ: Where’d you go to college?
CH: Oh, no college here. Went right to work then to racing after school.
PEZ: Did you have Star Wars toys as a kid?
CH; Of course, who didn’t? (laughing)
PEZ: What was your favorite?
CH: The Millennium Falcon toy. I still remember to this day, my step dad saying “go pick out a toy” when we were at the store and I ended up taking the Hoth set because I thought the Falcon would be too expensive and as we were driving home and my step dad said “why didn’t you take the Falcon?” and I was like oh, man! I was crushed. I ended up getting the Falcon for Christmas later, but that really was like, man, why didn’t I take the Falcon!
PEZ: I have had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Zabriskie, too. What’s this about who can say “meow” more times in interviews?
CH: (laughing loudly) Oh, it didn’t last too long, we were just joking around. We were both doing a diary for a race, and we borrowed this thing from I think Super Troopers and off we went. Dave’s a great jokester and a great guy we had a lot of fun with that.
PEZ: Why Cyclocross?
CH: Nothing else going on! It’s fun and exciting, and there’s no road racing going on so I do this. If there were, I’d probably do it, but there isn’t so here I am. Plus it helps with the diet and keeps the legs going.
PEZ: How’s the GP?
CH: The first one was great, I was flying. But I hadn’t been on the bike one bit; I flew back Tuesday to the States, had the bike built Thursday, and I was racing on Friday. I was going really fast, but falling down waaaay too much!
PEZ: Did you hear about the World Single Speed ‘Cross champs here in Portland?
CH: Yeah, I heard you had that.
So maybe he didn't do the Single Speed World Champs, but he's still happy. He'd be happier though if he DID do the World Single Speed Cross Championships...I'm just sayin.
PEZ: It was nuts. Off the hook. Kooky. And it had some interesting features like tequila shortcuts. If there’s a tequila shortcut tomorrow, will you take it?
CH: (laughing) No, I don’t think so! (more laughter)
PEZ: Would you say PDX is the mecca of CX?
CH: Yeah, Portland and the Northeast, too, very similar to here. Gloucester is amazing! The northwest and New England are really great, and of course you got places like Boulder and stuff where there’s a great scene, too.
PEZ: Where to after this?
CH: Back to Bend, then fly out for nationals CX race, but home for Christmas!
As his ‘Cross sponsor Ed Krall puts it:
I met Chris last year at a MidAtlantic Cross race when I gave him some
Sportsbalm (which I import into the United States) to try out. We kept in contact from that point, because he liked the product. He mentioned that we could possibly do something for the the 07 Cross Season with product. We kept in contact, he didn't have a cross team lined up, so I offered organizing a team. Chris was all for it, as long as everything would work out for his contract release with Predictor-Lotto. All in all, I was able to get Indiana Regional Medical Center of Indiana, PA to be the title sponsor after a few last minute sponsors backed out. It was quite an experience in getting everything lined up making sure there were no conflicts that could or would jeopardize Chris's existing road sponsors.
PEZ: Thanks so much, Chris. We wish you all the best for the coming year! Lots of success to you, and rubber side down!
CH: No problem at all man, thanks!
• We also would like to thank Ed Krall for getting us hooked up - check out the fine line of SPORTSBALM products at ACRISTAIMPORTS.COM
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