Chris Horner

Chris is known for his unmatched cycling knowledge and his ability to mentor and tutor others in the sport, as well as thriving at the highest levels as a self-coached athlete. Chris loves to ride his bike and has an uncanny knowledge for race tactics.

Chris Horner
Photo credit: Graham Watson
Photo Credit: Graham Watson
COACHING SERVICES

Cycling Consultation, Training Rides, Training Camps, Ultimate Coaching package with other coaches. (Chris will ride with you while the other coaches provide a training plan.)

Race Record

1996
1st Lancaster Classic
2002

1st USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
1st Sea Otter Classic
2nd Time Trial, National Road Championships
3rd Cascade Cycling Classic
2003
1st USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
2004
1st USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
1st Sea Otter Classic
8th Road Race, UCI Road World Championships
2005
3rd Road Race, National Road Championships
2006 
8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
10th Paris–Nice
2010
1st Tour of the Basque Country
7th La Flèche Wallonne
7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
9th Critérium du Dauphiné
9th Tour de France
10th Amstel Gold Race
2011
1st Tour of California
2013
1st Vuelta a España
2nd Tour of Utah
2014
2nd Tour of Utah
2015
5th Road Race, National Road Championships

Chris Horner is a former pro cyclist of 25 years, Olympian, Grand Tour Winner at the age of 41, and 7-time Tour de France participant. After turning pro in 1995, Chris dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003, and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. Racing for Astana and then RadioShack, Chris secured multiple victories and top-10 placings at the elite level, including first overall at the Tour of the Basque Country in 2010 and the Tour of California in 2011. In 2013, he won the biggest race of his career, the Vuelta a España, becoming the oldest winner of any of cycling’s grand tours in the process. You may have recently seen Chris in his latest role as a commentator, having joined the team of NBC broadcasters covering the Tour de France in 2019. He also covered some classics races in 2020, including Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
 
Whether you want to race at the highest level or become more comfortable and fit riding your bike, Chris can help you meet your goals. Chris will use his extensive training and racing knowledge to help you understand your body’s signals to execute on the bike in both training and racing. He will show you how to train smarter, get faster, and master the dynamics of group riding and racing. With his decades of elite cycling experience, Chris will coach you how to ride your bike, not just pedal it.
 
Chris specializes in working 1:1 with clients, whether in training camps, on the roads around his home of Bend, Oregon, or wherever you are. His vision for next year is to work with cycling clubs and teams to prepare for events. Chris will train with your team in a pre-season camp to get you fit and then coach you through race season, including race preparation, race strategy, and post-race analysis so you and your team can reach your full potential.
 
Soon Chris Horner and Anne Linton will offer next-level club coaching: adventure, experience, performance. Contingent on public health guidelines, Chris is looking forward to hosting another training camp in France with Linton Horner Coaching in 2021, where you and your friends will be riding over iconic climbs that will be featured in future Tours for decades. You will return home with the lifetime experience of having ridden alongside Chris Horner on memorable climbs that you will witness every year you watch the Tour de France!
 
But you don’t have to travel to work with Chris! If you can’t attend a week-long training camp, we will come to you! Chris and Anne will work directly with your club, providing training plans and riding with you, whether once or multiple times a year. Chris will get to know your club’s riders and provide personal, hands-on coaching. Whether you just want extra motivation to train or an extra edge for racing season, Chris will get you to ride smarter and faster.
 
When not riding his bike, Chris is busy creating content for his YouTube channel, Chris Horner’s Corner, including post-race analysis on “The Butterfly Effect” and How-To Videos (check out How to Clean Your Bike). He also enjoys riding motorbikes with his two sons.

1995

Professional Cycling

In 1995, he turned professional with the PAA–NutraFig team. His first victories came in 1996 when he won a stage of the Tour DuPont and finished first in the Lancaster Classic.

1995

1997 - 1999

Racing in Europe

For three years, he raced in Europe for the first, but not the last, time with the French team Française des Jeux. 

1997 - 1999

2000-2004

Dominating the Domestic Scene

He returned to the States in 2000, where he dominated the American road racing scene riding for Mercury, Prime Alliance, Saturn, and Webcor Builders. He won virtually every major race on the US racing calendar, including the overall USA National Cycling Calendar three years in a row.  

2000-2004

2005 - 2009

Back to Europe

After placing 8th at the UCI Road World Championships, he wanted a shot at the Tour de France and moved to Saunier Duval-Prodir. He achieved his first major European victory with a stage win at the 2005 Tour de Suisse and competed in the Tour de France that year, almost winning a stage. In 2006, he moved to the Belgian UCI ProTour team Davitamon-Lotto, and in 2007 signed with Ed Krall Racing for the cyclo-cross season. In 2008, he moved to Astana. 

2005 - 2009

2010 - 2013

Racing for RadioShack

In 2009, he signed with Team RadioShack and won first overall at Tour of the Basque Country the following year.  In a strong campaign during the 2010 season, he also placed in the top 10 in several spring classics and fourth in the Tour of California while supporting his teammates. He finished ninth overall in the Tour de France as the highest-placed American. His success continued in 2011 with a top podium position at the Tour of California, becoming at age 39 the oldest rider to win that tour.

After signing with RadioShack-Nissan in 2012, he had a strong performance in the mountains in the Tour de France that year,  securing 13th overall.

Then in 2013, after an injury earlier in the season, Chris attacked in Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España, winning the stage and the overall lead, becoming the oldest rider in history to win a stage and wear the leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour. After an epic uphill finish during Stage 10, he won the race overall, the oldest ever Grand Tour winner.

Photo Courtesy Graham Watson

 

2010 - 2013

2014 - 2019

Racing as a Grand Tour Winner
Chris Horner racing with Alberto Contador 2014 Photo courtesy of Graham Watson
 

He left RadioShack-Leopard and signed with Lampre-Merida in 2014. However, his racing season was cut short after being hit by a car while training for the Giro d’Italia in 2014, sustaining a punctured lung and broken ribs. He nevertheless finished 17th in the GC at the Tour de France that year and second in the Tour of Utah.

Between 2015 and 2019, he raced for Airgas Safeway Cycling, Lupus Racing Team, and Team Illuminate. He finally retired in 2019 after battling a bronchial infection.

2014 - 2019

2019-?

Life After Racing

In 2019, he joined forces with Anne Linton and Linton Horner Coaching was launched. They had training camps in the Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon and in the French Alps.

Chris guiding a client up Alpe d’Huez in 2019

 

That year, he also began his newcareer as a commentator for NBC’s coverage of the Tour de  France. Famous for his in-depth analysis and knowledge of cycling, he returned to the Tour de France commentating again in 2020 (this time, at the NBC studios due to Covid). He also began creating his own content for his YouTube Channel, Chris Horner’s Corner

2019-?