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ACK! Chris Horner doesn't wear a helmet!

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ACK! Chris Horner doesn't wear a helmet!

Old 03-14-09, 12:56 PM
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ACK! Chris Horner doesn't wear a helmet!

So, I saw Chris Horner yesterday.

I was leaving work, walking to my car, and there was a guy riding by with no helmet. I'm thinking, "That guy's a gawldurn fool." People scream by on that street (northbound Murphy Canyon Road between Balboa and Clairmont Mesa), and thought, "What a stupid...wait, was that Chris Horner?"

Anyway, he starts climbing the small hill up to Clairmont Mesa, I get in my car and pass him up the hill..."I think that's Chris Horner...no way...he's in full Astana gear...and yep, that's a Trek, with a frame pump. Could be him...does he even live down here?"

I get stopped at the light at the top of the hill, and he comes tooling up to pass me on the right to turn right at CMR. "That really looks like Chris Horner."

Light turns green, I pass him again only to get stopped at another light to get onto the 15 north. Then he passes me again. "Well, that was Chris Horner." He continues on into Tierrasanta and I get on the freeway.

Cool celebrity sighting on a Friday.

(Now, one of you will tell me there's no way it could've been him because he's in Belgium or something.)

(ps. Happy birthday, Jeff.)
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Old 03-14-09, 01:06 PM
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Who's Chris Horner?
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Old 03-14-09, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by mrramong
who's chris horner?
+1
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 03-14-09, 01:12 PM
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Just some guy who gets paid to ride a bike.
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Old 03-14-09, 03:29 PM
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Professional Cyclist for Team Astana, and North County resident. He used to be a smurf, and he still shows up to local training rides occasionally. If he was wearing his helmet, you could have known for sure because his name is on it.
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Old 03-14-09, 03:37 PM
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Chris will make an appearance a couple of times a year in Sactown. Apparently, he'd rent a house in Cool to be near the climbs. But on Saturdays he'd ride 50 miles or so down to Sacramento, kill us all on the River Ride, and then ride back up to Cool. 180 miles, just another day at the office for a Tour rider.

But he had on a helmet whenever I saw him.
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Old 03-14-09, 03:44 PM
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Helmet debate

On a side note. I so want that jersey since it has Kazahstan colors, and emblem, but it's too damn expensive.
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Old 03-14-09, 04:04 PM
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You should have bought one when it was on sale, after the 2007 tour when 2 of their riders got suspended for doping.
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Old 03-14-09, 05:02 PM
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Hi,

Chris Horner is generally cool. Riding without a helmet in city traffic = < cool. I still like Chris.
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Old 03-14-09, 05:38 PM
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A chance to pass up that cool sun tan for bald cyclists. A shame. Chris is bald or does he just shave his head. Once saw him during a euro tour.
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Old 03-14-09, 08:31 PM
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I can't remember where I heard it but I heard he was staying in Tierrasanta now.
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Old 03-14-09, 08:49 PM
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No helmet debate here at all...I just thought it was a funny way to name the thread. I wear one, big whoop. I'm could give two rat's asses whether he (or anybody else) wears one.

By the way, Chris Horner just broke my front derailleur. I was just riding along, thinking about my brush with fame, and PLING...the outer part of the cage goes flipping down the road.
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Old 03-14-09, 10:33 PM
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I know he used to live in San Diego...he was a Swami at one time.
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Old 03-15-09, 12:57 AM
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He's on twitter, recovering from injured knee post TOC, starting to ramp up training again.
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Old 03-15-09, 01:55 AM
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Chris Horner

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Old 03-15-09, 01:49 PM
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When I lived in Encinitas, Chris was just getting into the local riding scene, doing the Wednesday Ride and Swami's Ride. Even back then he would light it up and make people hurt. He rarely used a helmet in those days, like many of us, and was known for his long blond pony tail. But as he got older, his thin blonde hair got thinner and thinner on top, until he just stopped trying to do the ponytail thing and cut it all off. This was after he left to go pro.

Back then I do believe he lived in Lemon Grove, so riding the streets of SD is not something alien to him. Please let's not get into a helmet argument...some riders, especially very good riders...many times choose not to wear them. That's their choice.
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Old 03-15-09, 11:46 PM
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Originally Posted by bigdraft
When I lived in Encinitas, Chris was just getting into the local riding scene, doing the Wednesday Ride and Swami's Ride. Even back then he would light it up and make people hurt. He rarely used a helmet in those days, like many of us, and was known for his long blond pony tail. But as he got older, his thin blonde hair got thinner and thinner on top, until he just stopped trying to do the ponytail thing and cut it all off. This was after he left to go pro.

Back then I do believe he lived in Lemon Grove, so riding the streets of SD is not something alien to him. Please let's not get into a helmet argument...some riders, especially very good riders...many times choose not to wear them. That's their choice.
Hey bigdraft,

Good to see that you're still around. Miss you at the local races.
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Old 03-16-09, 12:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Soil_Sampler
They're getting rather friendly together.
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 03-16-09, 12:51 AM
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Yeah, he just bought a house down off the 56 somewhere a while back. He's a local. Does all of the big training rides when he's in town.
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Old 03-16-09, 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by mo'phat
no helmet debate here at all...i just thought it was a funny way to name the thread. I wear one, big whoop. I'm could give two rat's asses whether he (or anybody else) wears one.
+1.
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Old 03-16-09, 08:56 AM
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Was reading "New Year's Resolutions" in a British cycling magazine and Chris Horner's resolution was to "Wear a helmet when I'm riding in Spain." He got a ticket for riding without, but don't remember the name of the Spanish city.

Rick / OCRR
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Old 03-16-09, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Cleave
Hey bigdraft,

Good to see that you're still around. Miss you at the local races.
Hey Cleave, good to see you too. Yeah, I've been sort of MIA for the past year or so. I"ve been fighting some injury problems, age problems, motivational problems..lol or as others call em..ISSUESl. I'm hoping to make it to a race or two this year, but my fitness took a huge dive as my weight went in the other direction. But right now things seem to be going well and hopefully I can find my way to the start line again.

cheers
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Old 03-18-09, 11:48 AM
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Horner

Chris used to work at Hal's at Ronson and Convoy in Kearny Mesa. He is and was always a super nice guy. it's good to know he's back in town again; he was living up in bike crazy Bend, Oregon last I'd heard. Hal Drumm was a local icon; my father bought my first bike from him in 1962, a lime green Schwinn Corvette that I had to grow into. My parents sold it when I was away at university along with my free-style modified Sting Ray. I had a fit when I got home and found out. Hal's was assimilated into the Borg collective (Performance) a few years ago. BTW, is that Mike Ball in the background of that first photo?
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Old 03-19-09, 09:18 AM
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I have no idea if that is Michael Ball. I took that photo at the 2008 Tour of California, at the stage finish in Santa Clarita, right after the race finished.
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Old 03-19-09, 10:37 AM
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Jason says he shows up to the wednesday fast ride to dish out pain on his TT bike. You should have been a fred and taken a pic with your camera phone
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